Patristic Wisdom: Looking to the Third Sunday after Epiphany

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned. (Matt 4:12–16)

As history teaches, these tribes migrated to Babylon before all the rest. Most aptly, then, the mercy of the Lord visited first those whom the wrath of God had struck before all the rest, and those who were first to be led into bodily captivity were themselves led back earlier from their spiritual captivity.

The Jews were sitting in darkness, since they were under the Law, in which the righteousness of God had not been manifested; even though there was righteousness there, nonetheless it had been covered in certain figures and types of carnal matters. What sort of light of righteousness was there in the circumcision of the foreskin? They were largely shadows according to the Law, which had not been given to reveal the righteousness of God but to punish the hardness of their hearts, as the Lord says, “For your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.” It was given not to save them but to blind them so that, inebriated by the Law, they might not recognize the light, which they did not deserve to see in the shadows, that is, in their sins.

The great light is Christ. There were many lights among the Jews. Moses and Aaron and Joshua and the other judges and prophets were lights. Every teacher was a light of theirs, whom He illuminated by teaching, as it is written, “You are the light of the world.” But the great light is Christ. The Gentiles sat in the region and shadow of death either because they were doing deadly iniquities or because they worshiped idols and demons, whose worship led them to eternal death.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 4:17)

That is, the blessing of the heavenly kingdom, which God has prepared for the faithful, is at hand. It is furthermore as if he should say, “Prepare yourselves through repentance and through patience to lay hold of the blessing of the heavenly kingdom, which will draw near the time of meting out a reward. You who fear calamities or desire good things, pay heed because the kingdom of heaven will draw near. If calamities do not terrify you, then let good things delight you; or if you do not long for the kingdom, at least fear the torments. Let the just rejoice because soon their troubles are ended and good things begin. Let sinners grieve because already their goods are passing away and their troubles are beginning. How does it harm just people to have suffered troubles when they have begun to be amid good things? For even a memory of past troubles not only does not harm but also furthermore greatly delights. As long as troubles are present, they seem grave, but when they have passed, their recollection is grounds for boasting. Or how does it help sinners that they have pursued good things when they have begun to be amid troubles? For the recollection of past goods not only does not help but further burdens one. As long as they are present, they seem delightful, but when they have passed, their memory rather afflicts. And what sort of fruit did Christ’s preaching of repentance bear him? He sowed a word of repentance and harvested undefiled preachers of repentance.

Anonymous, Incomplete Commentary on Matthew 6