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What does it mean when someone simply picks up and moves? On the surface, a relocation can feel utterly ordinary — boxes packed, addresses changed, routines relearned. But sometimes, as preacher James Hackney, LLP reminds us in this sermon for the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, a move changes everything. Drawing from Matthew 4:12–23, Hackney invites us to look closely at one of the quietest, most consequential moments in all of Scripture: Jesus leaving Nazareth and making his home in Capernaum.
Whether you are navigating a transition of your own, seeking to understand what true repentance means, or simply longing to hear where the Light is leading us now, this sermon offers both comfort and challenge. It is a compelling reminder that God can use ordinary lives — our lives — to reflect extraordinary grace.
Sermon: 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany
"A Move Changes Everything" — Matthew 4:12–23
By James Hackney, LLP
In the name of the Risen Christ. Amen.
Some moments that change the world happen quietly. There is no fanfare, no crowd gathering to witness the significance of the event, no angels singing. No trumpet announces what is about to unfold. Matthew tells us about such a moment in today's Gospel. Jesus moves from Nazareth to Capernaum.
In the life of the Church, we are very familiar with moves. Clergy are called from one parish to another. Families relocate for work, for health, or to be closer to loved ones. Congregations themselves sometimes move: out of old buildings and into new ones, like Zion Church did 169 years ago, or into new seasons of ministry, like we did after the Epiphany three weeks ago. At the time, such moves can feel mostly mundane. Boxes to pack, addresses to change, routines to relearn, new Scriptures to read. Only later do we often realize that something deeper was happening; that a move marked the beginning of a new chapter we could not see. A change that was significant.
Jesus' move to Capernaum was that kind of a new chapter in the world's journey of faith. Matthew tells us when and why this happened. "When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea." The arrest of John the Baptist is not just a historical footnote; it is a key event in salvation history. John's ministry of preparation is coming to an end, and Jesus' ministry of proclamation and embodiment of the kingdom begins. The torch is passed. The light long promised by the prophets begins to shine in a visible and unmistakable way.
For nearly thirty years, Jesus lived in Nazareth. Nazareth was a small village in the middle of Northern Israel. Historians are unsure of its population at the time, but the consensus seems to be less than 500. It was a village of little significance – not a center of religion, learning, or power. But it was there that Jesus lived faithfully, growing into adulthood, learning a trade, and sharing in the daily life of family and community. Those years matter. They remind us that God's work is not limited to moments of visibility or acclaim. Much of God's forming work happens quietly, over time, in places the world overlooks - like Nazareth.
But Matthew tells us that a significant transition takes place. When Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been arrested, he leaves Nazareth behind. John's ministry of preparation is ending, and Jesus' ministry of proclamation is beginning. Jesus makes his home in Capernaum, a fishing town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about 20 air miles northeast of Nazareth and with a population of more than 1,500. Capernaum sat near major trade routes, making it a crossroads of cultures and commerce. Jews and Gentiles lived and worked side by side. Roman soldiers passed through. Merchants traveled in and out. It was not a quiet village like Nazareth, but a bustling, somewhat rough-and-tumble town. By choosing Capernaum, Jesus placed himself squarely in what Isaiah called "Galilee of the Gentiles".
Repentance and the Kingdom Drawing Near
With the arrest of his cousin John, Jesus does not retreat into silence. Instead, he moves forward into his calling. From Capernaum, Jesus begins to proclaim a message both simple and demanding: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." This is the same message John the Baptist preached, but now it carries new weight. In Jesus, the kingdom is not only announced – it is embodied in the person of the Christ.
Repentance, in the biblical sense, is not merely feeling sorry for sin. It means a change of mind, a reorientation of one's entire life. To repent is to turn around; to stop walking in one direction and to begin walking in another. Jesus announces that this radical reorientation is necessary because something new has arrived: the kingdom of heaven is near. The kingdom of heaven is not some distant place or reward; it is God's active presence breaking into the present world. Jesus' message is both comforting and unsettling. It is comforting, because God has not abandoned the world to darkness. The light is near. Hope is at hand. But it is unsettling, because repentance is required. Encountering the kingdom means change. It means letting go of old patterns, old loyalties, and old assumptions. It means aligning our lives with God's justice, mercy and peace, here and now.
The Call of the Fishermen
Matthew shifts the scene to the shoreline. Jesus encounters Simon Peter and Andrew casting their nets, and later James and John mending theirs. These are not scholars or religious leaders. They are working people, engaged in repetitive, physically demanding labor. Jesus' call is direct: "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." There is no detailed explanation by Jesus, no strategic plan laid out for them. There is only relationship and promise. Remarkably, they respond at once. They leave nets, boats, and even family ties behind. Matthew doesn't offer any further explanation. The power of the moment lies in its simplicity. When the kingdom draws near, a decision must be made, and these four simple fishermen made it.
This is a subtle challenge for us. Most of us are not called to leave our homes, livelihoods or families behind to follow Jesus. But all of us are called to let Christ reshape how we live within them. Following Jesus requires making a decision. It means allowing our work, our relationships, and our priorities to be re-ordered by his teaching.
The Wholeness of Jesus' Ministry
Our passage today concludes with a summary of Jesus' ministry throughout Galilee: teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and sickness among the peoples. Notice the wholeness of this ministry. Jesus teaches, engaging the mind and interpreting God's purposes. He proclaims, announcing good news that demands a response. And he heals – addressing physical suffering and restoring people to wholeness. This integrated ministry begins in Galilee, far from Jerusalem's center of power. Capernaum, with its diverse population and pressing needs, becomes the perfect place for such a ministry to unfold. The light shines, not as an abstract idea, but as lived compassion, spoken truth, and tangible healing. This threefold pattern – teaching, proclaiming, and healing – presents a compelling model for the Church. It engages the mind through teaching, the heart through proclamation, and the body through acts of care and compassion. That is why our Church is so important in the world.
Light Dawning in Darkness
Matthew's quotation from Isaiah reminds us that Jesus' move to Capernaum is about light dawning in darkness. Darkness in Scripture represents not only sin, but also ignorance, fear, oppression and hopelessness. Galilee knew all of these realities. So do we. Our own world has its Galilees – places and people written off as lost causes, regions overshadowed by despair, lives marked by confusion or pain. The good news of this passage is that Jesus goes there. He makes his home among those in darkness. And, remarkably, he still does so, through ordinary people who respond to his call.
So, where does the Light lead us now? Jesus' move from Nazareth to Capernaum marks the moment when the light goes public. The question this Gospel leaves us with is not simply what Jesus did then, but what he is calling us to do now. If the kingdom of heaven has come near, then we are invited to respond – not as spectators, but as participants. We are called to repent where we have grown complacent. We are called to follow where Christ leads. We are called to bear light into places of darkness in our own communities. This may mean crossing boundaries that are uncomfortable to cross. It may mean listening more closely to those whose voices we have overlooked. It may mean trusting that God can use ordinary lives – our lives – to reflect extraordinary grace.
As we gather at our Zoom screens today, nourished by the Word, we are sent back into the world as people who have seen the Light. May we have the courage to follow it, wherever it leads, and to make our homes, like Jesus, in the very places where God's love is needed most.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
