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Lectionary for Jan. 25, 2026
Third Sunday after Epiphany
Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-9;
1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23
Think back to holiday gatherings around Thanksgiving or Christmas. Did y’all play cards or board games with family or friends? Did someone get a little too competitive? Even when I play games with my kids, I’m tempted to occasionally stretch the rules to win. Attempting to win at all costs or sometimes flaunting the rules should be embarrassing. In this week’s lectionary texts, we have an extended conversation about what the rules are for those who follow Jesus, and how they affect “winning” or “losing.”
We start in Isaiah. In Chapter 9, Isaiah reflects on the withdrawal of Sennacherib. Recently I had the pleasure of hearing a lecture by Julia Olson of Hebrew Union College on the different narratives surrounding Sennacherib. The Bible (and the Assyrians!) presents several accounts about the end of the Assyrian invasion. What is clear for all is that the people who suffered the most under the Assyrians (who were even famous in their day for their wanton cruelty that went far beyond that of most invading armies) were absolutely delighted to no longer fear being flayed alive or becoming part of a corpse pyramid.
This is the context of Isaiah 9. The people who dwelled in darkness have seen a great light! The Assyrians were no longer at their doorstep! The people rejoiced! Their joy increased! They divided the military material left behind by the departing Assyrian armies after months of siege. God broke the yoke of the oppressor, as in the days when Gideon defeated the Midianites (Judges 7). The lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, the last to be occupied, were overjoyed when the foreign threat was removed. Judah didn’t exactly “win” (it paid a heavy fee and became an Assyrian vassal state), but there’s nothing quite like seeing your invaders leave.
This is the context that the Gospel-writer knew well when Matthew cites the celebration of the removal of violent, foreign overlords from the Galilee. This is meant to make the reader/hearer of the text curious about what will happen next. The context of Matthew’s Gospel is that a violent, “foreign-ish” leader was oppressing the people of Galilee. Herod Antipas was the son of an Idumean father and a Samaritan mother. He imprisoned and eventually murdered John the Baptizer. So, when Matthew deploys the words of Isaiah speaking about how God (and Hezekiah) removed the Assyrian threat from the Galilee, the well-informed reader expects Jesus to remove the Herodian threat from the region too. But that’s exactly what does not happen!
Instead of forcing the Herodians to withdraw or buying them off, Jesus withdrew himself. Instead of freeing the people from political and military oppression, Jesus freed them from their diseases, sicknesses and sins. A light shone upon the people of Galilee in a new and unexpected way.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul points out that winning and making a name for ourselves isn’t the point at all when we are in Christ.
And, going just past the lectionary reading, we see a great irony. The news of Jesus spread throughout Roman Syria to much of the former Assyrian Empire. Jesus healed all their sick and freed all their possessed. Instead of throwing out the military power ruling the region, Jesus extended his mission of peace and healing out from the Galilee.
Jesus confounded expectations that the light which shines forth will be a beacon announcing political semi-independence for one kingdom. Instead, he lit a healing beam for all people.
Jesus is not a warrior messiah—he came to heal and help.
The rules of Jesus’ ministry were good news for all the sick and suffering in the Galilee and in Roman Syria. But there were those in his day (much like today) who had no time for a peaceful messiah. They preferred a warrior messiah who would drive out foreign threats and use the power of the state to defeat, or at least remove, others. But this isn’t who Jesus is—and this is not who his followers are either.
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul points out that winning and making a name for ourselves isn’t the point at all when we are in Christ. Pushing for winning, and especially for “winning” as driving away perceived enemies, is anathema to the cross of Christ. Instead, Jesus draws enemies close and turns them into children of God and siblings of Christ’s followers. This may seem like foolishness to those who have had their sensibilities shaped by the evil calculus of empire. But for those who are being saved by Jesus, following his peaceful ways and rules is the very power of God!
