The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light

 

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, 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: . .."  My study Bible comments that the term Galilee of the Gentiles is an indication that many non-Jews lived in the region.  It had a mixed population, and so was not considered a genuinely Jewish land, although many Gentile residents had converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  As many of the Jews who lived in Galilee had been influenced by the Greek culture and its customs, they were generally considered 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, as in its use in John's Gospel (see John 1:4-5), means ungodliness.  Here, according to my study Bible, it represents the Gentiles' unawareness of God and the Jews being under the shadow of the Old Covenant.  To sit in darkness 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."  Christ's first word, my study Bible points out, is like that of John the Baptist:  "Repent."  This is a call to faith that involves an "about-face."  In Greek, the word for repentance means literally to change one's mind.  My study Bible comments that repentance is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart, a complete reorientation of the whole of one's life.  It is the necessary first step for entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

What does repentance mean to you?  Often, in a modern world, we equate repentance with feelings of remorse or regret, of looking back on some action or choice and thinking the worse of it.  But repentance does not necessarily mean specifically this.  As my study Bible points out, in Greek it means "change of mind" (μετανοια in the Greek).  And so, repentance is really about "turning around" with emphasis much more on opening up one's mind to reconsideration, to a better way, a new way of seeing things and responding to things, a new outlook.  It also -- equally importantly -- conveys a willingness to go forward, to learn, to grow.  This is most important, because salvation is not a one-time declaration of a faith in Jesus Christ.  Salvation is a lifetime road, a learning curve.  We are meant to grow in spiritual fruits, and a continual process of μετανοια or change of mind.  All we have to do is look at the Gospels and the stories of the disciples throughout.  They are continually on a learning curve.  There are times when they display a great ignorance, times when they fail to understand Jesus at all, times when Jesus rebukes them.  We simply need to recall the words from Jesus even to His great faithful disciple Peter, who vigorously protested that Jesus should not go to the Cross and be killed.  There is none of us who cannot understand Peter's human feelings.  But Jesus replied to Peter:  "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).  If even this great faithful disciple was on a learning curve, then think about the journey for your faith and for mine.  We all know, also, about Peter's denial of Christ before a servant girl, while Christ was on trial inside the home of the high priest, after he swore that he would die with Christ (see Luke 22:31-34, 54-62).  Repentance, or "change of mind," is also about our own growth in knowing ourselves better, hard experience teaching us about our strengths and especially our weaknesses, despite how we'd like to think of ourselves.  It is a long, long learning curve, one that occupies a lifetime on a journey of faith, and the Gospels clearly teach us so by giving us all of the examples, and even the failures, of the disciples themselves.   When we consider repentance, we must consider Christ's words, echoing those of John the Baptist in this reading.  The kingdom of heaven is always at hand, and our repentance is an ongoing process as we seek to live our lives more deeply and to grow within life in that Kingdom.  Let us remember that another word for Holy Baptism is "Illumination."  The process of repentance is one of growth in that light, allowing it to shine even in the places where our own darkness is hidden from us.