Matthew 4:12-17
[3rd Sunday after Epiphany]
Grace—Benson/Vail, AZ January 26, 2020
In the name of our Savior Jesus, dear friends, The Bible is filled with vivid imagery in contrasts to illustrate the miracle of forgiveness, which God has worked for us. For example, the Bible tells us that God has taken us… from spiritual death to spiritual life; from being lost in sin, to being found by Jesus; from the captivity of sin to freedom in Christ; slaves to sin, now servants of Christ; from spiritually blind to seeing by faith; enemies of God, now friends with God in Christ Jesus. And one of the most common contrasts in Scripture to picture God’s miraculous love is the contrast between darkness and light. If you have ever been caught in the dark, you know how confusing and frustrating and even scary darkness can be. Maybe it’s happened to you that you’ve stayed overnight at a friend or relative’s house and you had to get up in the middle of the night but didn’t know where to find the light switch. You banged your shin on a table or stubbed your toe. You quickly realized how confusing and frustrating darkness can be! Or maybe you’ve been out hiking in the mountains or the woods. You were pretty sure that you knew the way back, but as it grew later and increasingly darker, the harder it became to find the right direction and make your way back. Darkness can be confusing and frustrating and frightening! The Bible writers used the contrast between darkness and light to picture the difference between sin and forgiveness, between being separated from God and being close to him. The darkness of sin causes confusion, frustration and fear. But the light of forgiveness shows the way to God in heaven and ends frustration and fear. The evangelist Matthew, in chapter 4 of his gospel, underscores the importance of spiritual light in our lives. He drives into our hearts the simple truth: JESUS PROCLAIMS THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN 1. Light That Was Foretold by The Prophets 2. Light That Is for People In Need 3. Light That Is A Part Of Our Daily Lives To understand Matthew’s message, you have to know something about the geography of Palestine. The land of Israel is shaped like an upside-down ice cream cone—like a sugar cone tipped upside-down, with the tip cut off on the top. When the twelve tribes of Israel were living there, each tribe got a piece of the cone. The most important tribe was Judah. Those people lived in the south, near the bottom of the cone. 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 neglected the study of the Scriptures. They had closed their ears to the message of the prophets. Micah had predicted that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem and Isaiah had predicted that he would carry out much of His ministry up north in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, as we heard in the first lesson today. But the Israelites didn’t pay attention to God’s message, so they didn’t believe Jesus when He proclaimed the light of heaven. So Matthew penned an important message for them and for us. He says, “If you really want to know the truth, check your Bibles. You will see that Jesus is the One.” He writes this: He 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. There’s something special to learn from Matthew’s words. He gets us to inspect one little detail of the Savior’s life that the prophets foretold—that Jesus served the people in the northern part of Israel. But that one little detail reminds us of the hundreds of prophecies which Jesus fulfilled. It gives us confidence that He is who He says He is. The prophets predicted… that He would be born in Bethlehem… that He would flee to Egypt as a baby… that He would 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… have no bones broken… have his side pierced with a spear… and that He would die and rise again. All of that was foretold by the prophets; all of it fulfilled by Jesus. Do you see what Matthew does for us today? He reminds us, “Keep your noses in Scripture. That’s where you learn the truth. God’s Word is truth! That’s where you get the certainty and confidence that Jesus really is the Savior who proclaims the light of heaven!” But some people don’t believe it. The people living in the northern part of Israel—the top of the upside-down ice cream cone—were at a distinct disadvantage. Whenever enemies attacked, they came through an invasion corridor from the north. So the tribes living up north in those territories were always the first to get hit, the first to pay part of their crops as tribute to an enemy king, the first to bear the heavy burden of slavery, the first to be deported into exile. Can you imagine the feeling of doom and gloom hanging over those people? They were living in the land of darkness! This group of people truly needed relief and good news!
But a far greater tragedy was taking place within their hearts. During the centuries before Christ, the people of the north had fallen prey to the lure of idolatry. Their real need was a spiritual one. They were lost in spiritual darkness. But Matthew, explaining the prophet Isaiah’s words, reveals a shocking miracle: 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. The Savior—Jesus Himself, the Light of the world—made His home up north in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. The people there deserved to be wiped out because of their unbelief and idolatry, but instead they received the gift of the Savior among them! 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 proclaimed the light of heaven! Today we have lights all over the place. If we want light, all we have to do is flip a switch. We keep flashlights in our glove compartments. Streetlights line our roads. We tap an icon on our phones and we’ve got a flashlight. We have lights all around us, so it may be hard to imagine the fear and frustration of being in total darkness. We might even forget how much we need light, but we really do. However, a person’s real need for light is not physical; it’s spiritual. Have you ever felt guilty for doing something wrong? That’s darkness! Have you ever felt so ashamed that you questioned God’s willingness to forgive you? That’s darkness! Have you ever felt surrounded by sin-induced troubles and trauma and wondered how you would ever get out? That’s darkness! Thank God that Jesus proclaims the light of heaven! He gives forgiveness—light for the people who need it most today—you and me. The light of forgiveness that comes through faith in Jesus is for us just as it was for the people of northern Israel when Jesus lived among them. We are people in need and Jesus solves the darkness of our sin. The little girl sat up in bed screaming, “Daddy, Daddy! I’m scared!” The father came running in and asked, “What’s the matter?” She said, “I’m afraid of the dark!” He turned on the light. “Is that better?” The little girl said, “I’m still afraid; it’s still dark.” Her father said, “Well, open your eyes. The light is on.” Some of the people living in the northern part of Palestine 700 years before Jesus and the people living in Matthew’s day were just like that. They closed their eyes to the light which Jesus was freely offering. In doing so, they robbed themselves of the blessings of his light. So Matthew tells us the theme of the Savior’s message: Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near! In the original language of the Bible, you can see more clearly what Jesus was saying: “Continue to repent,” or “Keep on repenting,” “because the kingdom of heaven is near!” is how we should really hear it. Jesus’ message was that this repenting is to be an ongoing thing.
Repent—that’s one of those technical Bible words. I don’t know what you have thought, but many people think that “repent” means, “To be sorry for your sins.” But most often in Scripture it means more than that. It means, “Recognize your sin, AND believe that you are forgiven.” In other words, take to heart the sad news about your heart and life being darkened by sin, then appreciate the good news about the forgiveness Jesus has earned for you. To repent also means to have the attitude that you don’t want to sin this way anymore. Keep on repenting. Do it every day, just as you turn on a light every day. The people then were told to repent, but many would not listen. No wonder Jesus later said of several of the towns up north that their fate in eternity would be worse than that of Sodom and Gomorrah! Wouldn’t it be the most horrible thing imaginable if Jesus ever had to say that to us?! The good news is that He won’t, as we get serious about this business of repentance and take to heart the Savior’s words every single day. We can sit here and nod agreement, “Yes, I’m a sinner; Yes, I’m forgiven—ho-hum! Life goes on.” But that’s not what Jesus is after. Repentance isn’t ho-hum. It’s a big deal! Believe that you are a sinner; believe that you are forgiven! And not just once a week on Sunday mornings, but every day. Then the light of heaven, which Jesus proclaims, will be part of our daily lives and will drive away the darkness. The light of heaven, which Jesus proclaims, offers forgiveness for the times when we don’t please God. It removes the dark cloud of guilt and shame and uncertainty. It puts the troubles of life into proper perspective and gives light at the end of the tunnel when life seems darkest. It eases our frustration and calms our fears as the path to heaven is lit up by Jesus. Because that light is shining on us, we can sing to God with King David in Psalm 27, “The LORD is my light and my salvation (v.1a).” Amen. Now may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.