2025-Feb-9: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Isaiah 6:1-2a 6:3-8  

This chapter of Isaiah was precipitated by the death of King Uzziah (r. 792–742 BC) in 742 BC (or 736 BC, according to some historians) who had ruled for 50 years at a time. At this very time the Assyrian army was armed and dangerous compared to the poor defences of Israel - well into Isaiah's own ministry.

Isaiah's grand vision of God's sacred power takes place in the Holies of Holy within the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem in the presence of God. The woodcarving come to life as seraphim. And Isaiah has no hesitancy in offering his services to bring the word of God to a disbelieving populace. 

But first, the seraph approaches an unworthy Isaiah with a live coal. Fire has a cleansing, atoning purpose, but the pain is considerable. The cleansing of sin is not easy. But the touching of the coal to the lips cleanses the prophet and prepares him for a life of prophecy.

As it turns out, the words of a fierce prophet prove more powerful and enduring than any military leader. Isaiah’s ministry pushes God’s people to lives of holiness, that they may be set apart from the other nations.

In the context of the Book of Isaiah, this good king-to-come should be understood as Hezekiah (r. 715–686 BC) known for his religious reforms, restoring the worship of Yahweh and removing idolatry; but the early Church understood these texts to receive their ultimate fulfilment in the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the quintessential sign that the holy God will simply not separate God’s own self from “a people of unclean lips”

Psalm 138

In Hebrew, the name for the book of Psalms is tehillim, or “praises”  This 'Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving' offers praise to the Lord in response to an experience of deliverance from some unnamed trouble. Times of crisis are also times of prayer — moments when a suffering person or people “cry out” to the Lord in despair. And the psalmist feels impelled to thank God by telling others what God has done. To proclaim the good news of God’s gracious actions to the whole world.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Here St. Paul emphasises the core of Christian belief to a doubting early church in Corinth: 

I. Christ died for our sins (3)

II. was buried (4)

III. was raised on the third day (4)

IV. and that he appeared to his disciples (5)

For some in the First Church of Corinth, who were accustomed to their own ancient gods with spectacular temples and golden statues, this raised serious doubts. Why would this God raise the dead - and that to a Jewish peasant from a backwater region of the Empire? This claim clearly was problematic so St Paul calls in a bevy of witnesses to support his argument. This list of witnesses that Paul is both extensive and impressive - from the unnamed crowd of 500 (most likely Christ's visits to Galilee where he had fed over 5000. “But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. There you shall see him, as he told you” (Mark 16:7).

Paul then cites familiar early luminaries like Cephas (Simon Peter) and James.

At the end of the list of witnesses, Paul finally includes himself - in a self-deprecating manner. This is no mere false modesty on Paul’s part. Indeed, as he recognizes, his previous persecution of the church could call into question his fitness to lead the institution. Nonetheless, what others might take as a mark of dishonour, Paul wears as a badge of pride. As he notes, these deficiencies simply mean that he had to work harder than all the rest to get where he is as a leader of the church (1 Corinthians 15:10). Paul’s own dramatic story of moving from being a persecutor of the church to its champion provides a fitting backdrop for his teaching about Christ’s resurrection. In this season of Epiphany, we are reminded that seeing the resurrected Christ changed the trajectory of Paul’s life - once he sees God, he cannot un-see and go about his life as normal.

Intriguingly, Paul’s self-deprecating remarks in verses 9-10 make for an interesting pairing with the Old Testament reading assigned for today from Isaiah 6. In Isaiah’s call narrative, Isaiah laments being a man of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips (6:5). However, just as Isaiah is divinely prepared for the momentous task at hand, so too has Paul been endowed with the ability to proclaim the gospel such that he can confidently assert that his audience in Corinth has come to believe.

Luke 5:1-11

Throughout Scripture we see that human sin, failure, and inadequacy are no obstacles to God’s call. God calls imperfect people to do God’s work, people who are aware of their unworthiness and are often doubting and resistant to God’s call get the grace to do the seemingly impossible. 

Peter initially protests Jesus’ instructions to go out into the deep water of Lake Gennesaret (sometimes called Sea of Galilee, Lake Tiberias or Bahr Tabariya) and let down the nets because he is convinced that the fish are not biting. They had worked all night and had caught nothing. We can hardly blame him for his scepticism, a proud fisherman that he was. But when he does as commanded he is overwhelmed by the power of God displayed in the abundant catch of fish, Simon is immediately aware of his sinfulness and unworthiness. And begs to be left alone.

But Jesus tells him that by becoming an apostle he will become fisher of men. The Greek word for “catching” used here (zogron) is rare in the New Testament, but means “to catch alive.” His new life-giving vocation will be to deliver God’s message of salvation for all mankind. Although they have just brought in probably the greatest catch of their fishing careers, Simon Peter, James, and John leave those boatloads of fish behind and follow Jesus (1:11). Their encounter with Jesus has completely reoriented their lives.

For most of us, this will not mean leaving our current professions behind. We all are called by virtue of our baptism to participate in God’s mission to the world in Jesus Christ. We all are called daily to reorient our priorities to align with God’s priorities, to use the gifts God has given us in service to others, to share the good news of Christ in word and deed.

Jesus’ mission does not wait until we think we are ready. We have to listen to the call of the Holy Spirit and trust that he will keep working with us and through us, “catching” others as he has caught us — in the deep, wide net of God’s mercy and love. We trust, finally, that the catch is in God’s hands, and that God’s desire is for the nets to be bursting and the boats full.