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

 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,
By the 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."

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

- Matthew 4:12-17

Yesterday we read that after His Baptism by John the Baptist,  Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he 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 up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "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.'"  Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "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.  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 the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: . . ."  John has been put into prison, and this is the spur for Jesus to go to Galilee.  The text quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the government of the promised Son (Isaiah 9:1-2).  My study bible explains here that the term Galilee of the Gentiles indicates that many non-Jews lived in the region.  As it had a mixed population, it wasn't considered to be a genuinely Jewish land, although many Gentile residents had converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  In addition, many of the Jews of the region had been influenced by Greek culture and customs, and so they were generally considered to be second-class citizens 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."  Darkness means ungodliness.  Here it is a term denoting the Gentiles' unawareness of God and also the Jews under the shadow of the Old Covenant, an incomplete revelation to be fulfilled by the Son.  To sit in darkness, my study bible explains, means to be overcome by spiritual ignorance.  The great light is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  Jesus begins His open public ministry with the words of John the Baptist.  His first word is "Repent" (3:1-3). The kingdom of heaven, my study bible reminds us (as does the quotation from Isaiah's prophecy) is present wherever Christ is. 

What is the kingdom of heaven?  Why is it "at hand"?  When Jesus sends out His chosen twelve disciples, He will instruct them to do as He does, and as John did, to preach everywhere they go, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (10:5-7).  This passing off of a kind of baton from John of the Old Covenant, to Jesus who is the Christ, to the disciples who preach His gospel, the good message, makes us understand the centrality of Christ to this "awaited" spiritual event, the coming of the Kingdom.  As my study bible explains, the kingdom of heaven is present wherever Christ is.  It indicates a living reality, which dwells both within us and among us (Luke 17:20-21).   The words of Christ Himself  indicate that Christ's presence is an eternal one, intersecting time within us, and living among us through faith (18:20).  Jesus begins His ministry in today's reading, by going to Galilee.  But His kingdom is something that lives as a present reality.  Throughout the books of the Old Testament and Jewish spiritual history, the prophets have written of this Kingdom.  It is the purpose of the coming of the Messiah to manifest that Kingdom.  But our Messiah isn't merely a glorified or superhuman being.  He is also eternal, the Son, the Lord who was always with the people throughout the events of the Old Testament, sending help, guiding, and revealing spiritual reality.  Immanuel as revealed through Isaiah and reminded by Matthew (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23) is "God with us," the ever-present reality of this Kingdom.  It permeates our lives, dwells among the faithful both where they are gathered and where He makes His home in the heart (Revelation 3:20).  Where any Person of the Trinity is present, so are the others; this Kingdom lives as the presence of Father, Son, and Spirit -- and thereby all those gathered within their living presence, the communion of saints and the angels of uncountable rank and number who minister.  The connection is faith, the presence of this reality is truth.  The light of Christ is His connection and the Kingdom's presence and work in all of us.  Let us listen to His message if we truly have ears to hear it.