Matthew 4:12-17
Light in the darkness
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There are lots of different places in the world where people live. Some are hot, some are cold. Some are mountainous, some are flat. Some are lush, some are barren. Some are beautiful, some are ugly. Some are in rich countries, some are in poor countries. Some are in countries experiencing peace, some are in countries experiencing war. Now if you could choose any place in the world to live, where wouldn’t you live? No I’m not asking where you would like to live, but where you wouldn’t like to live. Now I can tell you one place I wouldn’t want to live. Afghanistan. Why? Well, I probably don’t need to tell you why. Since the late 1970s - that is, for over 30 years - the country has been in a continual state of war. First the Soviet invasion. Then the Mujahadeen, then the Taliban, and then after 11/9, the War on Terror with America and the allied forces. And even today there is still much unrest the Taliban is on the rise in many areas in the country, and the future of the country is uncertain. Literacy rates are appalling. Life is especially hard for women. In 2009 I remember asking one Afghan woman this questions: “Is life better now or when you were under the Taliban.” Her answer: “Who am I to know?” What an answer. An answer of someone who had completely lost hope, an answer of someone who had even stopped thinking, stopped wondering if the present or the future could even be better than the past. The answer of someone living in darkness, a deep darkness. The answer of someone living in shadow, the shadow of death. And one could say that Afghanistan lies under the shadow of death. Not only is it a country racked by war, povery, corruption, drugs, disease and death, it is a country that is almost completely without knowledge of the one True God and His Son Jesus Christ. It is indeed a dark place, dark place in the shadow of death.
Today we are going to look at another place, that in it’s time was a bit like Afghanistan today. Living in darkness, under the shadow of death. The year is 730 BC. The location is Galilee and surrounds, in the north of Israel. In the lands that had been allotted to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, right in the nothern extremities of Israelite territory. And being in the northern extremities, the parts of Israel most vulnerable to foreign invasion. It was the dying days of the northern kingdom of Israel, and its enemies pressed in upon it, threatening it. And the big superpower of that day was Assyria. And as often happens when a kingdom is in its dying days, the edges of the kingdom are lost and the kingdom becomes smaller and smaller until it is finally destroyed. Such was the case with the northern kingdom of Israel, and the edges of that kingdom were around Lake Galilee - the areas of Zebulun and Naphtali. These border lands were lost to the superpower of Assyria several years before the kingdom of Israel was finally destroyed, and we read about this in 2 Kings 15:29:
2 Kings 1529 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.
You can see on this map the areas that were taken by Assyria, and it seems the Assyrians were not pleasant to the inhabitants of this area. They even forcibly removed them from their land, and took them to a far off land – in Assyria. Today we are familiar with refugees fleeing oppressive regimes, fleeing the shadow of death. But these northern Israelites – Galileans - didn’t just flee - they were forcibly removed. Now why did this happen to these Galileeans? Well a few years later the whole of the northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria, and in 2 Kings 17: 7-23, the Bible tells us why such a disaster occurred. We’ll just read some of these verses:
2 Kings 177 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God,
. 9 And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city. 10 They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger, 12 and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this.” 13 Yet the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” 14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God. 15 They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them.
18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight.
Now there was a prophet living in this time. His name was Isaiah. He prophesied a grim future for these people because of the disobedience. He said
Isaiah 822 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
Distress. Darkness. Gloom. Angusih. Thick darkness. Judgement for their sin and ingoring the one true God. And then in the midst of this darkness, this shadow of death, in the midst of war and suffering and deportation, Isaiah brings a glimmer of hope in chapter 9:
Isaiah 9 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
Notice in Isaiah 9:1 that Isaiah refers to situation of the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. The area also known as the way by the see because of the road to the sea that ran through it. Known also as Galilee of the nations - nations – which means the Gentiles – non-Jewish nations. Remember that “nations” and “Gentiles” is generally the same word in both Hebrew and Greek. Galilee of the Gentiles – that is, non Jews - why did Isaiah call it that? Because remember that when the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser captured the area around Galilee, he deported the inhabitants, and later the Assyrians brought in non-Jews to Galilee to live there instead. We read about it in 2 Kings 17:24
2 Kings 1724 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel.
A massive population transfer. And so this area and the people that used to live in it, in verse 2, Isaiah describes as a people who walked in darkness. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness. Which can also be translated – as the NIV does - as the land of shadow.
But in these verses is good news! What is it?
Verse 1
There will be no gloom for her who was in anguish!
In the latter times He has made this part of the world glorious
verse 2
They have seen a great light
On them has light shined!
Currently, as Isaiah writes, these people are in the shadow of death, in darkness. But it will not last forever - there is hope! But when when would this hope come? Well, now we have to fast forward by about 750 years - that’s a long time! Zebulun, Naphtali, the area around Galilee, fell under shadow around about 720 BC, so 750 years on
brings us to about 30AD, the time of Jesus’ ministry. Remember we’ve been in Matthew. A few weeks ago we looked at John the Baptist baptising in the Jordan, somewhere around here on the map, and Jesus came to John and was baptised by him. Then last week we looked at how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by satan. That would have been somewhere here in the Judean wilderness, a long way from Galilee – at least by Israelite standards of distance! But now we read in Matthew 4:12 where Jesus went next
Matthew 412 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.
Galilee- which refers to the whole northern region, that region that 750 years ago had been swallowed up by Assyria. And Nazareth – where Jesus grew up - which was in the ancient territory of Zebulun. And Capernaum, where Jesus is now relocating to, which is by the shores of the Lake of Galilee, and in the ancient territory of Naphtali. And even though by this time, many Jews had since returned to the region of Galilee, it still by Jesus’ time remained a mixed area, an area where both Jews and Gentiles lived. And because of that, it wasn’t considered as very Jewish or as good as the southern areas around Jerusalem and in the area of Judea. A bit of hicks-ville I suppose, not the real McCoy. True Blue Jews lived down in Jerusalem and Judea, and they looked down on those in Galilee, with their history, and the mixed population of Gentiles of Jews. And was therefore still known as Galilee of the Gentiles. And it would have seemed odd to any self-respecting Jew, that the Messiah should come from up there – from Galilee. It was expected that the Messiah would appear in Judea, somewhere a bit more pure and holy than Galilee.
But Matthew reminds us - not so. Actually the Old Testament prophesied - Isaiah the prophet - 750 years beforehand, prophesied that it would be in this very place, Galilee of the Gentiles, the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, the place of darkness, the region under the shadow of death. In this very place the light would shine! They would see a great light! Which is why Matthew writes:
Matthew 414 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles
16 the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.
In other words, Jesus grew up and initially ministered in these very same areas, that were foretold 750 years before would see a great light! And Matthew is also declaring
that this great light, this hope, that they have been waiting 750 years for, has now come! Isn’t that marvellous! Isn’t that wonderful! The light has dawned! Now that’s good news. Not just good news for Galileans. not just good news for those in Zebulun and Naphtali, in Nazareth and Capernaum, but that’s good news for Afghanistan! For Libya! For Yemen! For Japan! Good news for all those who dwell in darkness today, in the shadow of death.
But what about us in Australia? Austrlia is no Afghanistan, Libya or Somalia. In fact the United Nations says that Australia is the 2nd most livable country in the world! I mean, we have it all. A developed country – high standard of living. Democracy and freedom. Great education system, great climate. Beaches, great lifestyle. No wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, oppressive dictatorships. Certainly not a land dwelling in darkness and under the shadow of death.
Or is it? Now what was it that caused Galilee to become a land of darkness under the shadow of death? If you go to the Galilee region today, it is a beautiful land of rolling green hills, lush countryside, pleasant climate - actually, quite similar to around here. But disaster overtook them. Why? We’ve already seen, when we looked at 2 Kings chapter. They sinned, they turned away from God. They did not follow His laws, His commands, they did not worship Him alone. And so the judgement came upon a beautiful and fair land.
People - this life is not all there is. Many of you know that too well. Yes we live in a great country, but we still have sickness and disease and tragic accidents. We still have fractured relationships, hurt and pain. And ultimately, all of us will one day die unless Jesus returns first. And we will have to stand before God and give an account of our lives. And if we are alive when Christ returns, the world will go through such distress and agony as it has never seen before. Don’t let looks deceive you - it’s easy to see why Afghanistan and Libya and Somalia are under the shadow of death, but so are we, for the very same reason - our sin.
But Matthew reminds us that there is hope, and that hope is Jesus Christ and His message. And in our next verse we are introduced to Jesus’ message.
Matthew 417 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
A few things to note from this verse: - firstly – that Jesus began to preach. That is, this marks the start of Jesus’ preaching ministry. But then let’s have a look at what Jesus says: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Now we’ve already heard that message, but on the lips of someone else. Do you remember who? Yes, John the Baptist.
Matthew 3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
And what does this message mean? Well the kingdom of Heaven, in the other Gospels usually called the Kingdom of God, is at hand. Now in the Greek it is literally
“for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.” That is, it, it is almost upon them, and we shall see that as go through Matthew, how Jesus came to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, which Matthew generally refers to as the Kingdom of Heaven because Jews were afraid to use the actual name “God,” so they used the word “Heaven” instead of the name “God”. Jesus came the first time, 2000 years ago, to inaugurate the Kingdom of Heaven. And He will come again - when we don’t know, but He’s coming, at which time the whole world will be directly under His rule. And in that time, there will be no Gaddifis, or any other oppresive dictator. There will be no war or famine or disease, no earthquakes, tsunamis or nuclear reactor meltdowns. There will be no marriage breakdowns, broken relationships, no cancer, old age or tragic accicents. Why? Because The kingdom will have come in all its fullness, and there will be no sin. The great light has come. The light has dawned. Jesus has come. There is hope. But that hope, is of a time and place, where there is no sin. And there lies the problem.
Remember, the people who lived in Napthali and Zebulun in 720 BC - they went into shadow, because of their sin, their disobedience against God, their rebellion against God. And we have the same problem. The problem of our sin. Jesus is the light, because He came to deal with the problem of sin. He came to deal with that problem by dying on the cross, to pay the price for our sin, and to usher in His kingdom. But there is a condition to being able to receive forgiveness of our sins, to come into right relationship with God, and to see that light in the darkness. And Jesus’ message was about that condition. Notice the first word of His message in verse 17:
“Repent!”
Repent. That is, turn around. The Israelits in 750 BC were judged because of what? They did those things that were not right [vs 9]. They set up false gods and worshipped them [vss 10-12]. Their ways were evil [vs 13]. They did not keep God’s laws and statutes [vs 13]. They were warned many times, but ignored those warnings [vss 13-15]. What about us? Do we do what is right? Have we set up idols in our heart? In our lives? What priority does God have in your life? Is He your number one? Not just in some abstract sense, but when you make decisions about how to spend your time, your money, your energy. When you decide who to marry, what job to do, where to live? What drives you in these decisions? God and His purposes? His kingdom, or something else?
Do we take the commands of God seriously? To live right, to treat our neighbour correctly? To love and not hate? To keep clear of sexual immorality and lust? To not covet what others have and build riches? But to help the poor and needy? To do our best at taking the Good News of Jesus to others?
How do we live our lives? Are you living it for God? Jesus came as a light, but also with a message to repent, and turn from our life that is not centred on Him, and turn towards Him. The first part of repentance is to recognise that our own way of living is wrong. That takes humility to do that, it goes against our pride, and recognises that all of us have lived lives that are not pleasing to God. We must come to Christ humbly, confessing our sins and recognising that our way of doing things is wrong. You know I’ve been thinking lately, about how often the word repent appears in the New Testament. It appears a lot. It was the centre of Jesus’ message. And then I’ve thought about how as the church we often present the Gospel. We say things like, “Come to Jesus for a new life,” and that is true. We say, “Come to Jesus to give your life purpose and meaning,” and that is true. But how often do we say, “Come to Jesus and repent”? Repent - not a popular word because it goes against our pride. Friends, Jesus calls us to repent. That is, firstly to recognise that a life not centred on Jesus is wrong. And then come to Jesus, determined to change, with His help.
If you are here, and you’ve never repented, never turned from a life not centred on God, then I repeat to you today the words of Jesus:
“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
So what have we learnt today that we can apply to our everyday lives?
Firstly, we’ve learnt a bit of the history of ancient Israel, which is interesting, but it’s not just interesting. It’s a lesson to us.
Which leads to, secondly: Sin is a terrible thing in the eyes of God, and there is a judgement for it. A judgement of darkness and the shadow of death.
Thirdly, Jesus came as the light, to rescue us from that sin. And that’s an amazing thing to rejoice in! To be thankful for! Praise God that He sent Jesus Christ as a light, to rescue us from our sins.
And fourthly, to rescue us from that sin, Jesus calls us to repent, and turn from sin and ignoring God, to living for Him. So this week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, not just Sunday, put God first in everything you do. And if you aren’t doing that, Repent, turn from that to a life centred on Christ and His purposes.
