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Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
By way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned."
- Matthew 4:12-17
In yesterday's reading, Jesus was "thrown" into the wilderness by the Spirit, led there to be tempted. He fasted for forty days and forty nights. The tempter came to Him and said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." But
He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took Him to Jerusalem, the pinnacle of the temple, and said, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you," and 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" Finally, He was shown all the kingdoms of the world, and told, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship
me." Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written,
'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. In Matthew's Gospel, we read right away of John's being put into prison. John is called the Forerunner, the one who heralds this kingdom with his own call for repentance, and his baptism, in preparation for the Lord. Jesus quite consciously here begins His ministry in Galilee, away from the leadership in Jerusalem.
And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:" We're given several geographical locations here. What adds to this text is the understanding of the role that the land and its various locations have played throughout the salvation history of the Jews. To go away from Jerusalem is to go to a place where people will be more receptive to His teachings, away from the established order - which in the past, at least, as we read through Scripture, has strayed from the teachings of God. Although born in Bethlehem, Nazareth is Jesus' boyhood home. It is a place even frowned upon in terms of its spiritual status, as Nathanel asks in John's Gospel, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" He's setting out on a new path, leaving His home to begin a public ministry. His headquarters will be at Capernaum, a seaport, in which Peter has a home. "Galilee of the Gentiles" in the prophecy of Isaiah, tells us about this place in which Jesus has chosen to make His ministry. My study bible tells a history: "Many non-Jews lived in this region, which became an Assyrian province in 734 B.C. By Jesus' time it had a mixed population and was not considered a genuinely Jewish land, even though many non-Jewish residents had converted to Judaism in the Maccabean period. Even the Jews who inhabited this area were influenced by Greek culture and were considered second-class by the Jews of Judea."
"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." The prophecy tells us a story of what will unfold through Jesus' ministry. The darkness is that of not knowing God. My study bible notes, "To sit in darkness means to be overcome by spiritual ignorance and death." The great light that will shine is Christ, who will say (again, in John's Gospel), "I am the light of the world." But that light that shines can be reflected in all sorts of ways, through those whom it illuminates. Later in Matthew's Gospel, we will read of Jesus' teachings about His disciples and their light. In the meantime, says my study bible, this prophecy anticipates "the gospel being preached to all after the Resurrection." Let us also consider John's words in the prologue to his Gospel: "In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Comprehend, in this case, is a good translation of the original Greek -- it means both to understand and to take something in, to overcome it or encompass it. Those who wish to receive the light are illumined, while the darkness neither overcomes nor understands.
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus echoes John's preaching, with the call to repent. The kingdom of heaven, or kingdom of God, has drawn near to them. This is also what He will teach His apostles to preach on their first mission.
Let's consider Jesus' first words of preaching in the context of the prophecy of Isaiah placed here in the Gospel. To turn from darkness to light is to repent. Repentance, in the Greek, is metanoia, a word that literally means "change of mind." Just as the first act, in preparation for ministry, after Jesus' baptism, is to be led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, so Jesus' ministry becomes a battle for hearts and minds. It's not a military battle, but a spiritual one. When we confuse the two, we fail to understand. To be illuminated, enlightened in this battle, is to share in His life that is the light of men. The kingdom of heaven that draws near, is at hand, is in Him. It is in His message, His life, His light. It is something in which we all may participate, just as light illuminates all that falls on it, and especially whatever it is that can take it in (something of which the darkness is incapable). To do that, we must "change our minds," turn about and repent -- turn from one way of thinking to another. This is not an intellectual choice alone, but one of the heart, which encompasses all there is of what makes a human being. To open your heart to Christ is His eternal call; it is another way of phrasing what He will have to say throughout His ministry. We open our spiritual eyes and ears in our hearts; it is the heart, in Scripture, that must take in the reality of Christ, even when God's ways are not our ways and God's thoughts are not our thoughts. We will be given what we are capable of receiving. Can you open your mind in the heart to receive the light? Faith, to my mind, is a continual repentance, allowing the light to shine in all the places kept secret from ourselves, healing and reconciling in its wake. The knower-of-hearts wants to know and be known!
Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. In Matthew's Gospel, we read right away of John's being put into prison. John is called the Forerunner, the one who heralds this kingdom with his own call for repentance, and his baptism, in preparation for the Lord. Jesus quite consciously here begins His ministry in Galilee, away from the leadership in Jerusalem.
And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:" We're given several geographical locations here. What adds to this text is the understanding of the role that the land and its various locations have played throughout the salvation history of the Jews. To go away from Jerusalem is to go to a place where people will be more receptive to His teachings, away from the established order - which in the past, at least, as we read through Scripture, has strayed from the teachings of God. Although born in Bethlehem, Nazareth is Jesus' boyhood home. It is a place even frowned upon in terms of its spiritual status, as Nathanel asks in John's Gospel, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" He's setting out on a new path, leaving His home to begin a public ministry. His headquarters will be at Capernaum, a seaport, in which Peter has a home. "Galilee of the Gentiles" in the prophecy of Isaiah, tells us about this place in which Jesus has chosen to make His ministry. My study bible tells a history: "Many non-Jews lived in this region, which became an Assyrian province in 734 B.C. By Jesus' time it had a mixed population and was not considered a genuinely Jewish land, even though many non-Jewish residents had converted to Judaism in the Maccabean period. Even the Jews who inhabited this area were influenced by Greek culture and were considered second-class by the Jews of Judea."
"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." The prophecy tells us a story of what will unfold through Jesus' ministry. The darkness is that of not knowing God. My study bible notes, "To sit in darkness means to be overcome by spiritual ignorance and death." The great light that will shine is Christ, who will say (again, in John's Gospel), "I am the light of the world." But that light that shines can be reflected in all sorts of ways, through those whom it illuminates. Later in Matthew's Gospel, we will read of Jesus' teachings about His disciples and their light. In the meantime, says my study bible, this prophecy anticipates "the gospel being preached to all after the Resurrection." Let us also consider John's words in the prologue to his Gospel: "In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Comprehend, in this case, is a good translation of the original Greek -- it means both to understand and to take something in, to overcome it or encompass it. Those who wish to receive the light are illumined, while the darkness neither overcomes nor understands.
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus echoes John's preaching, with the call to repent. The kingdom of heaven, or kingdom of God, has drawn near to them. This is also what He will teach His apostles to preach on their first mission.
Let's consider Jesus' first words of preaching in the context of the prophecy of Isaiah placed here in the Gospel. To turn from darkness to light is to repent. Repentance, in the Greek, is metanoia, a word that literally means "change of mind." Just as the first act, in preparation for ministry, after Jesus' baptism, is to be led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, so Jesus' ministry becomes a battle for hearts and minds. It's not a military battle, but a spiritual one. When we confuse the two, we fail to understand. To be illuminated, enlightened in this battle, is to share in His life that is the light of men. The kingdom of heaven that draws near, is at hand, is in Him. It is in His message, His life, His light. It is something in which we all may participate, just as light illuminates all that falls on it, and especially whatever it is that can take it in (something of which the darkness is incapable). To do that, we must "change our minds," turn about and repent -- turn from one way of thinking to another. This is not an intellectual choice alone, but one of the heart, which encompasses all there is of what makes a human being. To open your heart to Christ is His eternal call; it is another way of phrasing what He will have to say throughout His ministry. We open our spiritual eyes and ears in our hearts; it is the heart, in Scripture, that must take in the reality of Christ, even when God's ways are not our ways and God's thoughts are not our thoughts. We will be given what we are capable of receiving. Can you open your mind in the heart to receive the light? Faith, to my mind, is a continual repentance, allowing the light to shine in all the places kept secret from ourselves, healing and reconciling in its wake. The knower-of-hearts wants to know and be known!
