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 by John the Baptist, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be temped 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: . . . "  The quotation that begins here is from Isaiah 9:1-2.  My study Bible explains that the term Galilee of the Gentiles indicates that many non-Jews lived in the region.  Having a mixed population, it was not considered a genuinely Jewish land, although many Gentile residents had converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  As many of the Jews there were influenced by the Greek culture and its customs, they were generally considered to be second-class citizens by the Jews of Judea.   Let us note how the text tells us that Jesus deliberately began His ministry here; He departed to Galilee.  This is His journey.

 

 "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 is another term which means ungodliness.  Here it represents the Gentiles' unawareness of God, according to my study Bible, as well as the Jews being under the shadow of the Old Covenant.  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."   Like that of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-2), the first word of Jesus as He inaugurates His public ministry, is "Repent."  My study Bible comments that the kingdom of heaven is present wherever Christ is.

 

 Jesus' first word of His preaching in His public ministry is, Repent.  In fact, what He says is identical to John the Baptist's preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  It's important that we notice Matthew takes time to remark that Jesus has waited to begin His public ministry until after John is put in prison.  With these first words reported in the Gospel, it's clear we're to understand there is no important break between John the Baptist and Jesus in terms of their service to God as part of the same plan of redemption.  Although John, importantly, was a part of the Old Covenant (and in fact, the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets), and Jesus Himself ushers in the New, they are nonetheless on the same continuity, each playing their role in the salvation plan of God.   Jesus will say to the disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11).  This illustrates the place of John the Baptist, and also the continuity between the doctrine of the Old and the New Covenants.  John has come preparing the people for the Messiah with a message and also a baptism of repentance.  But Jesus will usher in a different Holy Baptism.  As John has said in preparing the people, the Christ will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11).  John's baptism of repentance called people to do an "about-face" preparing for the Messiah, to "prepare the way of the LORD" and to "make His paths straight" (in the words of Isaiah 40:3), in order to receive the Christ.  But when Jesus commands repentance, it is He who is the One to turn to and to receive.  We are to prepare to follow Him, and have our own "change of mind" (the meaning of the Greek word for repentance) as He inaugurates us into the kingdom of heaven and we find our way forward.  Our faithfulness is what is asked for, for He takes us not to a set of propositions and laws, but rather onto a journey with Him -- for as my study Bible says, where He is, so is the kingdom of heaven.  Some two thousand years later, we are still on that journey, and it is a new one for each generation, for each person who receives Him and participates in His life and community of the Church and all the communion of saints.  May we continue to bear the fruits of repentance and of the Spirit, for it remains His light that guides us and shows us the way out of our own darkness.