Theme: Here is a sermon on evangelism that doesn’t use the word “evangelism” once.

The text for this week’s gospel reading is a combination of three pericopes which portray the beginning of Jesus’ public Galilean ministry. While Matthew’s description mirrors much of Mark’s version, Matthew’s unique focus on theological nuances and precise historicity bring added details and depth to Jesus’ actions and words.

In the first section (vv.12-17) Matthew takes more than a glancing interest in the “whys” and the “wheres” of Jesus’ new mission. It is the implicit note of danger, of a threat from the local authorities, that spurs Jesus to depart from the southern regions around the Jordan where John the Baptist had been so active. John had been “arrested,” literally “handed-over” (“piradidomi”) an…