TITLE - Jesus: The One Who Lights Our Way
SERIES - Matthew’s Portrait of Jesus As The Fulfillment of God’s Promises (Sermon # 6)
TEXT - Matthew 4:12–17
DATE PREACHED - March 1, 2009
COPYRIGHT © JOE LA RUE, 2009
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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INTRODUCTION
A. Have you ever been in complete, total darkness? I remember visiting Mammoth Cave National Park in southeastern Kentucky years ago with my parents. I was probably about twelve years old at the time, and going deep into a cave seemed like a really exciting thing to do. We were assigned to a tour group, and our tour guide did a great job pointing all the stalactites and stalagmites and explaining how they were formed. And then, when we were deep in the belly of the cave, the guide told us that he wanted to show us what it was like in the caves before they were wired with electric lights. He said, “You have never really experienced darkness until you have experienced the darkness of Mammoth Cave!” I’m not sure why, exactly, he wanted us to experience that, or why he thought that we would want to experience it, considering that our tour group included a number of young children. But, he evidently thought that it was a good idea. So he flipped the light switch, and the world around me instantly went black.
Two impressions immediately seized me. First, it was dark. It was very dark. Our guide was right: I realized that I had not ever experienced darkness—not like that darkness, at least. It was total, complete, pitch-black darkness. It was the kind of darkness where you could not see anyone, or anything. It was the darkest darkness I had ever been in.
The second impression that seized me was that someone in our tour group was not thrilled to be in such darkness. Some child in our group began to shriek and cry in complete terror.
Now, as I stood there listening to this young girl, I was at first amused. I was a twelve year old boy. Hearing some girl scream like that was funny. ‘What a girl!,’ I thought. But then, in the darkness, another thought popped into my mind. ‘What if she’s not just a silly, scared girl? What if something has happened? What if there’s a bad guy, or a wild animal in this cave, and he—or, it—has got her?’ And I freaked myself out! I did not scream, but I felt like screaming. I realized that not only could I not see the girl who was screaming, or what was happening to her, I would not be able to see the animal or bad guy if he came to get me. And it was scary!
Then I thought of a new thing to worry about, that momentarily took my mind off the possibility of being grabbed by a bad guy or torn to pieces by a wild animal. I began wondering, ‘What if the tour guide takes his hand off the light switch? He will never find it again! We will never be able to find our way out! We will die in this cave . . . in the dark . . . with that girl still screaming!’
It’s okay, you can laugh. It’s a funny story. But I am telling you the truth: I was never so glad to see light as I was when the tour guide flipped the switch back on. If you have ever been in total darkness, you may be able to relate. There is something special—magical, even—about light illuminating total darkness. One minute you can see nothing, and the next minute you can see everything.
B. In a spiritual sense, that’s the exact effect that Jesus had on our world during his ministry, and that he continues to have today. Prior to meeting Jesus, people were lost in spiritual darkness. They groping around in the dark, trying to come to know God.
1. The Jewish people had God’s Old Testament, which the apostle Paul described in Rom 3:2 as a “great” benefit over the condition of the non-Jewish, Gentile peoples. But, God’s revelation to them had been perverted into a legalistic code of “dos” and “don’ts” by their teachers, who taught it in such a way that it was impossible for the common person to have a relationship with God. (Matt 23:3, 13).
2. The Gentile, non-Jewish people had it even worse: They were lost in utter spiritual darkness. The Bible says that they were “without hope and without God in the world.” (Eph 2:12, NIV). Instead, they “were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist” (Gal 4:8, NLT): they worshiped a myriad of idols, trying to find their way to God. The apostle Paul described these efforts as “groping” for God in Acts 17:27—the word conjures up the image of a blind man, reaching out, desperately trying to find something that he knows is there but cannot quite locate.
3. So Jew and Gentile alike was lost in darkness when Jesus came. That was the spiritual condition of our world.
C. And it was in that setting that Jesus began his ministry. Matthew tells us that after being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus went into the desert, where he was tempted for forty days by the devil. (Matt 3:13 - 4:11). The evil king Herod then arrested John the Baptist (Matt 4:12; see Matt 14:3–4), and it was at that point that Jesus began his public ministry. Listen to how Matthew describes the event. It is found in the fourth chapter of his gospel, verses 12 through 17. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, open them to that passage. Matt 4:12–17. Listen as I read. The Bible says,
“12When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15’Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” (Matt 4:12-17, NIV)
D. We are continuing this week with our study of the times when Matthew portrayed Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises. Eleven different times Matthew tells us about something Jesus did or something Jesus said, and then explains how that action or those words fulfilled something God had promised long ago. And Matthew does this to underscore for us that Jesus really is the hero that God promised to send into our world to save us. He really is the one.
E. And here in this passage that we just read, Matthew tells us that Jesus began his ministry in the city of Capernaum, to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah. So this morning, we shall consider in what sense Jesus’s ministry in Capernaum fulfilled God’s promise in the Old Testament, and why it matters for us today.
I. GOD PROMISED THROUGH ISAIAH: THE LIGHT WILL SHINE UPON THE PEOPLE WALKING IN DARKNESS, AND THERE WILL BE JOY.
A. Capernaum was a busy lakeside city located on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee, which itself was located in the northernmost reaches of the land of Israel. Peter, Andrew, James and John were from Capernaum (Matt 4:18–22; Mark 1:21, 29), as was Matthew (Matt 9:9). It was the home of a thriving fishing industry, which apparently generated a good amount of wealth for the fishermen. J.W. McGarvey, a late nineteenth and early twentieth century scholar from our own Restoration Movement, tells us that Capernaum was the most important city in Galilee during the time of Jesus. (J.W. McGarvey, Matthew and Mark 46 (St. Louis: Christian Publishing Co., 1887)). This is not surprising, since it sat on a trade route, the via maris, which ran from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast. (R.C.H. Lenski, Matthew 163 (Hendrickson, 1998)). Although the region of Galilee, in which Capernaum was located, was part of the nation of Israel, and so had a large Jewish population, it also had a significant Gentile population. This was due to the fact that Galilee was the border between Israel and the Gentile lands to the north. This mixture of Jewish and Gentile populations caused many of the Jews in the southern part of the country to look down on Galilee. Nazareth was located in Galilee, and you may recall that we saw a few weeks ago how the Jewish people looked down on Nazareth. They tended to look down on Galilee as well. Still, Galilee in Jesus’s day was safe and secure, and those with the inclination for hard work could make a decent living there.
B. That was Galilee during the time of Jesus. Seven hundred years earlier, however, during the prophet Isaiah’s time, the situation in Galilee was drastically different. The region was threatened by the Assyrian army to the north; and, indeed, it would be the first part of Israel to fall to Assyria just a few years later. Isaiah tells us that the people of that region lived in “distress” and “fearful gloom.” (Isa 8:22 (NIV)). They could see what the future held in store for them. And they were powerless to stop it.
1. Now, remember: God brought the army of Assyria against Israel back in Isaiah’s day as a punishment. The nation of Israel had rejected him over and over. They had spurned his law and scorned his worship, preferring instead to serve the false gods that were popular among the pagan peoples. And God given numerous warnings, calling the people to repentance. Still, they refused, time and time again. So God had finally said, “Enough!” And God promised to bring the Assyrian army as a final punishment for their rejection of him. (Isa 7:17).
2. But, in the midst of that gloom and despair, God made a promise. Open your Bibles to Isa 9:1–7. This is the promise that Matthew says that Jesus fulfilled, by conducting a major portion of his ministry in Galilee. Read it with me. Isa 9:1–7. And as we read this, I want you to notice two things. First, notice what Isaiah promises about Galilee. Second, notice what he promises about the Messiah. The Bible says,
"1Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan — 2The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. 3You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." (Isa 9:1-7, NIV).
C. Let’s break this passage down point by point. First,
1. It’s important that we understand that Isaiah is so confident that God is really going to do what he promised, he puts it in the past tense as if it had already happened. Did you catch that? Isaiah didn’t say that the people would see a great light. He said that the people have seen a great light. And a light has dawned. And God has enlarged the nation. And God has shattered their yoke. And to us a child is born. All of these events were still future for Isaiah.
a. We would expect him to use the future tense: The people will see a great light, which will dawn, and God will shatter their yoke. But God wanted Isaiah’s hearers to know that this promise was as good as accomplished, because God had made it.
b. This was the God who elsewhere in Isaiah said that his word ‘will not return to him empty, but will accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which he sent it.’ (Isa 55:11). God’s word would not be defeated. What he promised would come to pass. And so he couches the promise in the language of the past tense, as if the promise had already been fulfilled, because it was that certain that it would be
2. This northern land of Galilee, which Isaiah called Galilee of the Gentiles, would be honored by the presence of a great light.
a. I want to say a quick word about this expression, Galilee of the Gentiles. I find it quite interesting that Isaiah uses it. It does not appear anywhere else in the Old Testament, and so far as we know, no one else ever called the region of Galilee by this descriptive phrase, Galilee of the Gentiles.
b. While there were undoubtedly Gentiles in Galilee during the time of Isaiah, scholars do not believe that there were as many then as there were years later, during the time of Jesus. (R.T. France, Matthew 101 (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s, 1985)). And no one else called Galilee, ‘Galilee of the Gentiles.’ But when God made this remarkable promise through Isaiah—that the northern part of the country, which now feared defeat and destruction from Assyria, would someday be blessed with the presence of the Messiah—God described this region as ‘Galilee of the Gentiles.’
c. I think it probable that the people in Isaiah’s day may well have scratched their heads and wondered, “Hmmm. Why did God call Galilee that? Galilee of the Gentiles. That’s odd.” But it wasn’t odd seven hundred years later, when the prophecy had its fulfillment.
d. I draw your attention to this because it is one more piece of evidence that the Bible really was authored by someone with a supra-human—that is, beyond human—view of the future. No Jewish person of Isaiah’s day, writing in his own wisdom and insight, would have called Galilee by this moniker. No one could have foreseen the massive influx of Gentiles into Galilee in later years. That Isaiah called it Galilee of the Gentiles underscores that it was not any mere man who authored these words. They came from God himself.
3. And so Isaiah said that a light would dawn upon those who lived in darkness. In his day, the people of Galilee lived in the emotional darkness and fear that comes from knowing that an enemy who is stronger than you has set his sight on your territory. But as we have already seen, in Jesus’ day, when this prophecy was fulfilled, the people of Galilee lived in spiritual darkness. They were seeking God, but for one reason or another, they were unsuccessful. And into that darkness—a land filled with the shadow of spiritual death—the Messiah would shine a great light.
4. The Hebrew word translated light in this passage had a fairly wide range of meaning, depending on how it was used.
a. Sometimes it was used to refer to literal light, such as when the Bible calls the sun a ‘great light’ and the moon a ‘lesser light” (Gen 1:16), or when it speaks of the light that would be given off by the sacred lampstand in the Israelites’ place of worship (Num 4:9).
b. Other times, though, light was used in a metaphorical sense to indicate God’s instruction, such as when the Bible says that God’s word “is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105, NIV), or when it says that “The unfolding of [God’s] words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130, NIV).
c. It was in that metaphorical sense that God used the word in the Isaiah passage we are studying today. When God said that the people walking in darkness would see a great light, he did not mean that the Messiah would come with a flashlight. No, he meant that the Messiah would share God’s true instruction with the people who lived in Galilee.
5. And Isaiah said that the joy of that day would be just like the joy when a war has finally been won, and the troops have come home and have transition to peaceful pursuits. That’s what Isaiah means when he talks about “Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire” in verse 5. He is describing the joy when soldiers take off their war clothes and put on their civilian clothes. The war clothes are no longer needed, and can be burned. And Isaiah says, ‘That’s what it will be like when the Messiah comes and shines his great light! People will rejoice, just as they do when there is a bountiful harvest or victory in war (verse 3), and just as they rejoice when the soldiers come home (verse 5). That’s what it will be like!’
6. Now, why will there be this type of rejoicing when the Messiah comes and shines his great light? Well, the answer is found in verse 4. Look at it again with me: “For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.” Isaiah is talking about an ancient battle when God helped Gideon lead the people of Israel to victory over Midian, thereby securing their freedom. (Judges 6 - 8). And Isaiah is saying, ‘Just as God broke the physical yoke of Midian that enslaved you in days past, so when Messiah comes he will break the spiritual yoke of the devil that blinds you. And he will secure your freedom!’ And Isaiah says that there will be great rejoicing in that day.
7. Now, who will do this? Who will ‘shine a great light,’ and spiritually liberate people? Well, the Messiah of course. And look again at how Isaiah describes him in verses 6–7:
"6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."
D. That was the promise. To a people who were about to be conquered for their disobedience, God affirmed the most wonderful truth: Someday the Messiah would come. And, when he came, he would come to them. He would come to the land that humans might think that God had given up on. He would come to this region that people would think was god-forsaken, and he would shine the great light of God’s truth. And the people would rejoice.
II. THE FULFILLMENT: JESUS COMES TO THE ’GOD-FORSAKEN,’ THEN AND NOW, AND SHINES A GREAT LIGHT.
A. And thus it was that Matthew recognized in Jesus’ decision to move to Capernaum in Galilee the fulfillment of this promise. Look again at Matt 4:12–17 with me:
“12When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—14to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15’Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.’
17From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’”
B. In Jesus’ preaching, he shone his great light. He dispelled the darkness of spiritual blindness, and opened mankind’s eyes to God and his love for us. And in verses 23–25 of chapter four Matthew tells us the result of Jesus’ Galilean ministry:
"23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him." (Matt 4:23-25, NIV).
C. Jesus fulfilled God’s promise through Isaiah back in Bible times. And he still fulfills it today. Jesus still shines God’s great light, illuminating our darkness and drawing us to God, much as moths are drawn to a flame. Do you remember in the Isaiah passage, how God said that he would ‘enlarge the nation?’ When Messiah comes, God said, I will enlarge the nation—I will draw all people to me! And that’s what Jesus did. That’s why he entered our world. And, the best part? Jesus still shines God’s light on those that the world might consider to be the god-forsaken ones. Jesus still calls the sinners to repentance. And he continues to shine his light even on those that the world might suppose had been given up on by God.
D. I have met many people that the world might classify as ‘god-forsaken’ during my time in ministry. These were people that others might suppose had been given up on by God, and with good justification. They were ones that we might describe as committed sinners—when they sinned, they went all out. They enjoyed their sinful lifestyles and in the process thumbed their nose at God. But God had not given up on them, no matter what conventional wisdom might have indicated. No, God kept working in their lives, and eventually they came to see his love for them because of the light of Jesus. And they gave their lives to Jesus, and accepted him as their Savior and Lord.
1. I have known those who came out of a background of satanism—they had actually worshiped the devil!—yet God had not given up on them. And they eventually found Jesus. I know of people who had lived very promiscuous lifestyles, but who found Jesus, and people who have been addicted to drugs but who found Jesus. I even know of atheists, those who denied that God existed, who ended up finding Jesus, because they caught a glimpse of Jesus’ light. Sometimes they saw his light on their own, by reading the Bible. Most often they saw his light shining through his followers, Christians like you and me. And as these Christians shared the truth about Jesus with them, they saw his light, and it drew them to God. I have personally known people like that.
2. Time will allow me to only tell you about one. His name was Don, and he was a member of a church I pastored years ago. Don had lived a very rough life, and really didn’t have any use for God for much of his adult life. And then, right before I began my ministry with this particular church, Don’s family suffered a crisis which was unimaginably painful and which shook Don to his core: His child was killed in a tragic accident. And out of that crisis-event, Don began to explore church. He was looking for something to take away the pain, and fill his emptiness.
a. In addition to looking to God, Don also began looking to alcohol. He had always had a drinking problem, but his problem was exacerbated by the death of his child. By the time I began my ministry, he was a full-fledged alcoholic. And his life was spiraling out of control.
b. Years later, Don and I would talk about that period of his life. He told me that in hindsight, he was a hedonist during that period. He lived for pleasure, because his heart felt so much pain. So he came to church for the pleasure that it gave him emotionally. But he also engaged in a lot of sinful behavior in his pursuit of pleasure too.
c. Anyone could have looked at Don and said, “There’s a god-forsaken one. There’s someone that God has given up on.” But, anyone who said those things about him would have been wrong.
(1) God had not given up on Don. God was working on him. It’s amazing to me that God would use my words to reach someone like Don. But, he did. And over the course of many months, as I spoke at Don through my preaching and spoke with him in private conversation, Jesus’ light shone through me to Don. And Don wanted the peace that I explained he could have through Jesus.
(2) And so it was that I had the privilege of both leading Don to faith in Christ and baptizing Don into Christ. Those who were there the day of his baptism will not soon forget it. Don came up out of the water, his face beaming, and lifted both clenched fists toward heaven in a spontaneous sign of victory. And in his heart, he felt the joy that Isaiah had promised! For Don, the war was over! The yoke that the devil had placed on him was broken! And he was free!
(3) This one that the world would have considered god-forsaken, that conventional wisdom would say the God had given up on, saw the bright light of Jesus and was saved! God still reaches out to all people, even those that everyone else might say was beyond all hope.
Conclusion
A. Jesus came to shine God’s light in all of our lives. Have you allowed that light to draw you to God? Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, as Don did? If you have, then your responsibility is the same as mine is. We are responsible to shine Jesus’ light. Jesus told us to let his light shine through us to the people around us. (Matt 5:16). If you are a Christian, that’s your job. Let Jesus’ light shine through you. Live your life in such a way that people can see Jesus through you. Share his love with others in word and deed. Let your light shine.
B. If, however, you are not a Christian this morning, you have a choice to make now. Jesus came to shine the light of God’s truth, to draw you to God. But he won’t force himself on you. He gives you the choice to accept him or reject him. The choice is yours. My only question is, if God loved you so much that he would send Jesus to die for you so that you could be forgiven, why would you want to reject him? Why would you reject a God like that? Why would you not give your heart to him in faith, repentance, and baptism, as the Bible tells us to do? Why wouldn’t you want to do it, when God says that giving your life to him will provide you with true joy and peace for this life, and eternity in heaven for the life to come? Why wouldn’t you want that?
C. The choice, though, is yours. And so we are going to sing what we call an invitation hymn. During this song, you are invited to come down front here to meet with me if you have a spiritual need. I will speak with you quietly and privately, and help you make whatever decision you need to make to get right with God.
D. Jesus is shining his light. On those who are in darkness, Jesus shines light. Will you accept his light this morning? If so, please come forward as we sing.
