Father Franz Xavier Polzl (1840-1914) was an Austrian theologian and "Professor of Biblical Studies and Higher Exegesis. Between 1880 and 1893 he published a four volume work, Kurzfasser Kommentar zu den vier heiligen Evangelien zum Gebrauche für Theologie-Studirende ("Brief Commentary on the Four Holy Gospels for Use by Theology Students") This post was excerpted from the volume on Matthew and I used ChatGPT to translate it.
The manifestation of Christ according to Matthew 4:12–10:43
Jesus’ first appearance in Galilee; the calling of some disciples.
4:12–22.
(Parallels: Mark 1:14–20; Luke 4:14 ff.; 5:1–11.)
Like the other Synoptics (Mark 1:14; Luke 4:14 ff.), Matthew also connects the account of the beginning of Jesus’ public activity immediately with the narrative of the temptation. Between the two, however, lies a series of other events, which John recounts in John 1:19–4:42. Namely: the Savior returns from the wilderness after the temptation to John (John 1:19–34); from among the disciples of John he chooses some followers for himself (John 1:36–52); with these he takes part in the wedding at Cana in Galilee (John 2:1–11); he then goes up to Jerusalem for the Passover, cleanses the temple, and holds the conversation with Nicodemus (2:13–3:21); afterward, after a short stay in Judea (John 3:22–4:3), he passes through Samaria (4:4–42) to Galilee, in order there to begin his messianic activity.
Mt 4:12. “But when he heard that John had been handed over, he withdrew into Galilee.”
The verb παραδοθῆναι (paradothēnai, “to be handed over”) means first of all: to deliver someone into another’s hands or power. Older interpreters mostly held firmly to this sense: John, who had baptized in the territory of the Roman province of Judea, was handed over by the scribes and Pharisees to Herod and was thrown by him into prison. By contrast, many more recent exegetes take the absolute participle παραδοθείς directly of the imprisonment: John, during his activity, had come into the territory of Herod, Galilee (or Perea), was seized by Herod and imprisoned there.
The Synoptics unanimously attach the account of the beginning of Jesus’ messianic work in Galilee immediately to the temptation narrative, and Matthew as well as Mark emphasize that the imprisonment of the forerunner occurred before the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean activity. In between, however, lay a period of about three quarters of a year, and the events that fall within this time are narrated by John (1:19–4:42). The identity of the journey of Jesus described here (from Judea) to Galilee with that in John 4:1 ff. is also confirmed by the verb used here; for ἀναχωρεῖν (anachōrein, “to withdraw”) presupposes precisely the situation described by John 4:1–3. It should further be noted that Matthew gives the external historical reason for this Galilean journey, while John gives the inner motive.
Verse 13. “And after he had left Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali.”
After a short stay in Nazareth, Jesus, in consequence of divine guidance (vv. 14 ff.), took up his permanent residence in Capernaum and made this city the center and point of departure of his activity in Galilee. Capernaum (Hebrew: “village of Nahum”) is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but at the time of Christ it was a flourishing little trading town, with its own customs station (Matthew 9:9) and at the same time a garrison town (Matthew 8:5 ff.; John 4:46 ff.). Since the biblical city has disappeared and it can be determined with certainty from the various indications only that it lay on the western shore of the Sea of Gennesaret, it was long disputed whether it was to be sought near the present Khan Minyeh, in the plain of Gennesaret, or north of it at the ruin site Tell Ḥûm, about three quarters of an hour from the mouth of the Jordan into the lake. According to recent research, the identification of Capernaum with Tell Ḥûm may be regarded as established for the following reasons: some older travel accounts place Capernaum at Tell Ḥûm; this is supported by Mark 6:33 compared with 6:32; Ḥûm is an abbreviation of Nahum, and the Arabic tell (= hill) designates a ruin; finally, the imposing ruins, and especially the remains of a synagogue brought to light there, point to an important site such as Capernaum once was.
Capernaum lay very probably in the tribal territory of Naphtali, but close to the border of Zebulun. The reason for this more precise determination lies in the prophecy (vv. 14 ff.).
Mt 4:14–16. Not by chance, but in consequence of divine guidance, Jesus took up his residence in Capernaum: “So that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, a light has risen.’”
The passage cited in verses 15 and 16 is taken from Isaiah 9:1–2, where the prophet holds out to the despised and often oppressed inhabitants of northern Galilee the prospect of messianic salvation. Verse 15 gives a determination of the land; verse 16 a characteristic description of the moral condition of its inhabitants.
“Land” is nominative, meaning “the land.” The absolute accusative ὁδὸν θαλάσσης (“the way toward the sea”) is, as often, to be taken adverbially in the sense of versus. It is a closer determination of “the land of Zebulun and Naphtali” and signifies that especially the parts of the two tribal territories lying toward the sea would see the rising sun.
“Beyond the Jordan,” literally “the region on the other side of the Jordan,” stands parallel with the preceding designations and indicates, after the areas already mentioned, a new region as the sphere of Jesus’ activity: Perea. “Galilee of the Gentiles,” literally “district of the Gentiles,” is that part of Upper Galilee bordering on Phoenicia and Syria, which already in ancient times was inhabited by a mixed population of Gentiles and Jews, and in which, in the period of Greek domination, the Gentiles gained the upper hand over the Jews. Thus the principal sphere of Jesus’ activity is prophetically designated: the land of Zebulun and Naphtali (especially the parts lying toward the sea), Perea, and northern Galilee.
“People” (λαός) is in apposition to “land.” The population of the lands mentioned earlier is described according to its religious and moral condition. “Darkness” (σκότος) denotes spiritual darkness, ignorance and moral disorder (cf. John 1:5). The magnitude and danger of this spiritual misery are emphasized by the expressions “sitting” and “in the region and shadow of death”; the genitive “of death” is to be referred to both preceding expressions: in the land of death and in the shadow of death, that is, in a land in which the deepest darkness reigns and spiritual death is immediately threatening.
“Light” (φῶς) is the designation of the day of salvation and of the messianic blessings.
Mt 4:17. “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
This τότε (“from that time”) refers to the period beginning when the Forerunner was delivered up and Jesus had settled in Capernaum. At this point Christ begins his public preaching in the same way as John, with a summons to repentance (μετάνοια, a change of mind and heart), accompanied by a reference to the nearness of the Messianic kingdom, yet without at once explicitly designating himself as the Messiah. The reason for this lies in the fact that repentance was an indispensable condition for entrance into the Messianic kingdom, and that the Jews first had to be brought, through sincere penitence, into that spiritual disposition in which they could receive without danger the further truth that Jesus himself was the Messiah. As in other matters, so also in his messianic self-revelation Jesus proceeds step by step with pedagogical wisdom. At the same time, the content of this first principal sermon of Jesus constitutes a confirmation of the mission and effectiveness of the Baptist
The Calling of the Two Pairs of Brothers:
Simon Peter and Andrew; James and John (Mt 4:18–22)
The calling of these four disciples took place at the Sea of Gennesaret, quite at the beginning of Jesus’ messianic ministry in Galilee.
Mt 4:18. “As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.”
The “Sea of Galilee” is also called in the New Testament the Sea of Gennesaret, after the region lying along its western shore, and likewise the Sea of Tiberias. It lies about 200 meters below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, is about 50 meters deep, has a length of roughly six hours’ journey, and its greatest width is about two and a half hours. The beauty and fertility of the surrounding region were already praised in antiquity, and even today it belongs to the most fertile parts of Palestine. Matthew adds: “Simon, who is called Peter,” because at the time when he wrote this, Simon had long since received the name promised to him at the first encounter.
Mt 4:19–20. “And he says to them: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
The words ἀκολουθεῖν μοι (“follow me”) mean: become my disciples, remain constantly in my company as my followers. They are to become disciples of Jesus because he intends to make them “fishers of men.” With this figurative expression Jesus points his disciples toward their new vocation to the apostolate, for which they were destined and for which they were to be prepared by remaining at his side.
Mt 4:21–22. In a similar manner, and very near to the previous location, the calling of James and John took place. Although Jerome remarks that “many” deny the identity of Luke’s account (5:1–11) with that of Matthew and Mark, it is nevertheless with the greatest probability that the identity of the three synoptic reports must be maintained. Matthew and Mark relate the first encounter of Jesus with the four disciples and their calling, while the later-writing Luke supplements the account. Opinions differ regarding the precise sequence of individual events. A likely reconstruction is as follows: first came the encounter with the two pairs of brothers as reported by Matthew and Mark; this was followed by the miraculous catch of fish (Luke); and the conclusion was the formal call to discipleship. By contrast, many have attempted to find an irreconcilable contradiction between the synoptic accounts of the calling and John 1:36ff. Such a contradiction would exist only if one assumed that in both cases the same event were being described, that is, if the Gospels knew of only a single calling of the disciples. In reality, however, a threefold stage must be distinguished in the calling of the disciples. The first stage was a merely preliminary call to discipleship in the broader sense. This was followed by the call into the circle of disciples in the stricter sense, involving the obligation of constant following of the Master, which is what all the Synoptics describe. Finally came the formal elevation to the apostolate, reported in Mark 3:13ff. and Luke 6:12ff. Accordingly, the synoptic reports of the calling of the disciples stand in a relationship of complementary completion to that of John, contributing together to the fullness of the evangelical history.
Summary of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee (Mt 4:23–25)
Mt 4:23–25 may be regarded as an introduction to the section of the Gospel history that follows, from 4:1 to 9:34. Here the Evangelist provides a summary account of Jesus’ teaching and healing activity in Galilee, together with its effects, which are then presented in detail in the following section.
Mt 4:23. “And he (Jesus) went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.”
In this summary statement, the Evangelist notes that Jesus’ activity extended throughout the whole of Galilee and consisted chiefly in teaching and healing the sick. The synagogues were the Jewish places of public worship, where on Sabbaths and feast days (and later also on the second and fifth days of the week) public prayers and readings from the Old Testament were held, together with explanatory discourses. Their origin dates back to the time of the Exile.
CONTINUE
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