The Headliner Takes the Stage

January 25, 2026

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Isaiah 8:23-9:3 | Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14 | 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 | Matthew 4:12-23

I have always loved rock concerts. There's nothing quite like the energy of a live show with the lights, the crowd, the anticipation. If you've been to enough concerts, you know there's an art to being a good opening act. The opener's job is to warm up the crowd, get people on their feet, and build excitement for what's coming. A great opener doesn't try to steal the show. They point forward. They make you hungry for the main event.

When the headliner takes the stage, no matter how good the opener was, there's a moment when the headliner steps into that spotlight and you think, Oh. This is different. This is what I came for.

John the Baptist was probably the greatest opening act in history. For weeks now, we've heard about John, the wild prophet dressed in camel hair, eating locusts and honey, drawing massive crowds to the Jordan River. He had people lining up to repent, whcih is kind of weird to picture in your head, right? He was bold enough to call out the Pharisees to their faces. John was no lightweight, but he knew his role: “I am baptizing you with water,” he told the crowds, “but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.” Classic opener move. Point to the headliner.

Today's Gospel tells us that John has been arrested. The opening act is over. What does Jesus do? He immediately steps into the spotlight. Well, that actually isn't quite true — he reveals his own light, and so much so, that Matthew quotes the prophecy of Isaiah to make sure we don't miss it. Matthew says, “...the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light. On those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death, light has arisen.” Jesus reveals his light very definitively in two important ways — first, in his preaching, in which he brings a new and unique message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is a mic drop statement if there ever was one. He makes a claim that never appeared in the Old Testament a single time: the kingdom of God isn't a future possibility, but a present reality, here and NOW. This statement echoes forward into our present reality today as well.

The second thing Jesus does is back up his claim through his actions. He cures disease. He drives out demons. He shows evidence of his exceedingly bold claim. People start coming from everywhere: Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, beyond the Jordan. The headliner has arrived, and He's not just talking about the kingdom. He is the kingdom.

What Jesus does next is so important for you and me: he begins to hand-select his followers. Does he go to the corridors of the temple, recruiting Pharisees and scribes, learned men of the Jewish faith? Nope. How about tribal leaders, men of influence, or perhaps the wealthy merchants of the community? Wrong again. He chose simple men and women: fishermen, laborers, and even a despised tax collector to be his closest companions and the building blocks of the Church! They dropped their nets, immediately, Matthew tells us. No two-week notice. No pros-and-cons list. They saw the Light, caught a glimpse of the kingdom, and followed.

The invitation hasn't changed, even today. God loves ALL of us and calls to ALL of us to experience his light, to become the present-day building blocks of his kingdom. It doesn't matter from what walk of life, or what sin and baggage we have. His light can overcome our darkness. His kingdom is here now, for us to become a part of. And like Peter and Andrew, James and John, we get to decide whether we'll drop our nets and follow, or stay on the shore and watch the show from a distance.

The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus is calling us to be a part of his band. Step into the light onstage, and be prepared for the experience of a lifetime.