Darkness is not your friend. I don’t care how confident a person you are. I don’t care how capable you are. Go stay overnight at a friend’s house and try to find the bathroom in the middle of the night. You are not a ninja—not even close. You do that awkward shuffle thing with your feet trying not to hit anything, arms stretched out like a timid zombie, trying not to hit a wall and just when you think you’re going to make it bam—you hit a table! You tried, but darkness wins.
Or you’re out hiking You can pretty much walk the path with your eyes closed, and you give no thought to walking the trail back later on. But on your return, as it gets increasingly darker, every shadow looks suspicious, every sound gets your attention, every path looks the same. You panic a little. Darkness has stolen your confidence and replaced it with confusion and frustration—and a little fear! Darkness wins again.
Bring light into the picture and things are entirely different, aren’t they? You see the table. You see the trail. Your shin is fine. You don’t get lost in the desert. What a difference light makes! It doesn’t just make things brighter; it allows you to understand the things around you It eliminates confusion and brings peace where there was anxiety.
God uses this contrast of darkness and light to teach us something more important than to use the light on your phone to find the bathroom and to not forget a flashlight for your hike. Darkness represents a life apart from God. Sin is the thing that distances all people from him and causes confusion and frustration and fear it’s like living in the dark. The arrival of Jesus into this sin-darkened world was like a light switch being flipped on. And Jesus entering the life of a person brings light to the spiritually dark soul. Darkness does not win anymore. JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, the one who helps us to see things clearly and find joy instead of fear.
Light That Was Foretold by The Prophets
When the nation of Israel entered the Promised Land after slavery in Egypt and wandering in the desert wilderness, each of the twelve tribes received a portion of the land. The most important tribe was Judah. Those people lived in the south. They had all the advantages. They had the capital city, Jerusalem. They had the temple. They had the king. They had the promise that the Savior was going to be born from their tribe. As the years went by, most of the Israelites figured that since the Savior would come from the tribe of Judah, he would be born in Jerusalem. They also figured he would be an earthly king.
But Jesus was not an earthly king, and he was not born in Jerusalem. Where did the people get off track? Well, many had closed their ears to the message of the prophets. Micah had foretold that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem, and Isaiah had said that he would carry out much of his ministry in the land of two of Israel’s tribes up north in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. But many didn’t pay attention to what God had said, so they didn’t see Jesus as that promised Light of the World, and they didn’t believe the light of the gospel he proclaimed forgiveness and heaven through him
In order to help, Jesus’ disciple, Matthew, wrote to give people then and to give us an explanation about Jesus, essentially saying, Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah? That was about Jesus. He is the Light of salvation. If you’ll look into the Scriptures, you’ll be able to see him. Just look at what he did, and look where he did it: He (Jesus) left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. He did this to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and on those dwelling in the region and the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Matthew gets us to inspect this one little detail of the Savior’s life that the prophets foretold that Jesus revealed his identity as the Light of the World to the people in the northern part of Israel around the Sea of Galilee. But that one little detail reminds us of the hundreds of prophecies which Jesus fulfilled. They give us confidence that he is the Savior who was promised. The prophets predicted… that he would be born in Bethlehem… flee to Egypt as a baby… grow up in Nazareth… preach in Galilee… lead a humble life… heal the sick… be rejected by his people… enter Jerusalem on a donkey… suffer abuse… have his clothes divided by his enemies at the foot of the cross… have no bones broken… have his side pierced with a spear… and that he would die and rise again.
If you want to know who Jesus is and about the forgiveness he brings to the whole world and to you notice what Matthew does. He points us to the Bible to the things Jesus did that match the very things God’s prophets said the Savior of the world would do when he came. You only find this out from the Bible. That was true for the people who saw Jesus, who needed to revisit what the prophets wrote. It was true for those who first read Matthew’s gospel. It’s still true for us today.
Light That Is for People in Need
The people who lived up in that northern region were at a distinct disadvantage in so many ways When trouble came to the nation of Israel, it came roaring in from the north. So, those people were always the first to see enemy armies, the first to lose their crops as tribute payments to an enemy king, the first to feel the chains of slavery, the first to be marched away into exile. Imagine the weight of that on generation after generation. Can you imagine living like that? “Doom and gloom” doesn’t even begin to describe it. This was a land wrapped in darkness.
But a far greater tragedy is what was happening in the people’s hearts. Over the centuries, the people had traded the one true God for the worship of idols. Part of the reason was that they were looking for anything at all to relieve the pressures they felt. The other reason is found in the name “Galilee of the Gentiles.” It was a mixture of people up there. Those who were not Jewish influenced those who were steering them to the idols they worshipped None of that is an excuse for leaving the Lord Their biggest problem wasn’t the dark shadow of foreign threats, it was the spiritual darkness they were living in. An entire region living in the darkness of sin didn’t need a stronger army, they needed the Light of the World.
Then it happened! It happened just like God said it would! That sin-darkened land with death hanging over it saw the Light shine on it! It can be hard to tell sometimes when you’re reading your Bible because there are so many cities and areas mentioned, but Jesus the Light of the World spent most of his time up north in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and Galilee of the Gentiles
Understand what that means: The people there deserved to be annihilated in a way far worse than any warring nation could do. God should have destroyed them eternally because of their rejection of him, their idolatry. What does he do instead? He sends the Savior of the world to live among them! So, he preached, he taught, he changed water into wine, healed a centurion’s servant, raised Jairus’ daughter, fed a crowd of over 5,000 people—all in their midst. He brought the light of God’s love and salvation to those people! This was great news! This was the best thing, literally, to ever happen to them!
Light That Is A Part of Our Daily Lives
But you know, God wasn’t changing the terrain. Armies would still come and go through that northern corridor. Everything would not be perfect up there just because Jesus came into their land and said and did great things. It’s the same with us. There will be dark days. There will be problems. We are sinful people sharing the planet with other sinful people. BUT, through whatever darkness we have in life, there is a light that shines. It is the love of God in Jesus. The one who is the Light of the World is the light in your life too.
So, think about whatever darkness you’re living under
Are you feeling overwhelmed by life?
Does the future scare you?
Is there uncertainty?
Do you feel like lately it’s just one bad thing after another?
Are you in spiritual crisis unsure about God?
Have you lost interest in him?
Are you questioning whether he is really there…really loves you…really looking out for you?
Are you looking in places you shouldn’t be to deal with the stress and pressure of your dark things?
Is it so bad that you don’t care about God much at all?
You can grope around in the darkness and foolishly hope you don’t get hurt or lost, or you can pay attention. This is not merely a history lesson Matthew is telling us. An incredible thing happened at that moment in time and that particular place, but it affects every one of us here and now.
The very Son of God, Jesus Christ, came into this world and stepped into the deepest darkness so that you will never have to. That dark Friday spent on a cross was so that you will never have to feel the cold darkness that comes when God leaves. He suffered for your sins so that you won’t.
But remember, darkness didn’t win. Oh, it seemed to. It was bad. But what happened on the Sunday following that Friday? You know. A bright morning was made even brighter when the Light of the World left the darkness of the tomb that held him. The Light of Life was alive, and dark death was defeated.
This is why Jesus came—to do those things for the world and to do them for you. He loves you, and he does not want you to go through life weighed down with guilt or feeling like things are hopeless or trapped by fear or confused about where you stand with God. He came to spare you from spiritually struggling and stumbling around.
He forgives your sins completely and promises you eternal life in heaven. And just as he called his first disciples, he now calls you to walk with him through this life until he takes you there.
This has the power to brighten your day, doesn’t it? It brings joy and clarity and direction to life. It gives courage and confidence. So today, thank God for sending the Light of the World to drive away the darkness of sin and death, and to give you the light of life with him now and forever in heaven. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
