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JANUARY 27, 2008
Isaiah 9:1–2
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.Matthew 4:12–17
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Isaiah 9:1–2, Matthew 4:12–17 (ESV)
Are we living in an age of darkness or an age of light? It depends. It depends on what you are talking about. Technologically, no one can doubt that we are in an age of light. Economically, our living standards are among the highest in the world. But spiritually we are not biblically well–grounded. This is reflected in our culture’s moral depravity. We are living in an age of profound darkness. In our postmodern world, there is only one sin, that of intolerance. All religions and lifestyles are to be tolerated and never denounced as being wrong. In this regard, Scott Scruggs of Probe Ministries calls attention to the modern mentality. He puts forward three illustrations for our consideration. He says:
Case 1. Recently, I had a conversation with a young man about Christianity. He listened closely to what I had to say ... but immediately became very defensive when I tried to suggest that he too had that same need for Christ as his Savior. ... “You're just being too closed–minded,” he said. “Jesus works for you, just like Buddha works for someone else. So if you want people to respect what you have to say, you need to be more tolerant of beliefs unlike your own.”
Case 2. A dean at Stanford University began to pressure Christian groups on campus to stop the practice of “proselytizing other students.” What angered the dean was not the practice of sharing the content of the Gospel with others. No, what angered him was that, when you approach someone with the Gospel, you are implying that the person's beliefs are inferior to your own. Such an implication is unacceptable because it is self–righteous, biased, and intolerant.
Case 3. Graduate student Jerome Pinn checked into his dormitory at the University of Michigan to discover that ... his new roommate was an active homosexual who expected to have partners in the room. Pinn approached the university’s housing office requesting that he be transferred to another room. Listen to Pinn's own description of what followed: “They were outraged by this [request]. They asked me what was wrong with me—what my problem was. I said that I had a religious and moral objection to homosexual conduct. They were surprised; they couldn't believe it. Finally, they assigned me to another room, but they warned me that if I told anyone of the reason, I would face university charges of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.” In their mind, Jerome had no right to a new room because he was being intolerant.’”1
So it would seem that, today, the new first commandment is, “Thou shalt not be intolerant.” God does not share this viewpoint. But, more to the point, these three cases illustrate the degree to which our culture (in particular) and Western civilization (in general) has sunk.
But, as King Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”2 In the days of the prophet Isaiah (about 740 B.C.), the cultural and religious darkness was just as bad in ancient Israel. The powerful Assyrians frequently attacked them, especially in the northernmost regions. The deepest trouble was concentrated in Galilee — in the old tribal regions of Zebulun and Naphtali (See map). It was here that the invading Assyrians began to settle among the people of God. The conquering Assyrians also brought with them pagan religions. The final assault in 722 B.C. resulted in Israel being taken captive. Yes, the whole region to the West and North of the Sea of Galilee sat in great spiritual darkness.
The people worshipped idols and engaged in acts of gross immorality. Thus, Isaiah describes the people as those walking in darkness. He says that it was a place where the “shadow of death” was upon the land.
But wait! The prophet looks to a time yet future when a great light will shine in Zebulun and Naphtali! Hear the words of Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”3
What is this light? Ah, my friends, it’s not a “what” but a “who.” Listen to the promise . . . Just four verses later, Isaiah introduces him to us with these words: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”4 And, behold, this light would grow up in Nazareth of Zebulun and begin his ministry in Capernaum of Naphtali. Yes, one day there would be great “Light” in deep darkness!
Jesus, “the Light of the world,”5 began his great Galilean ministry in Capernaum. It was a thriving city on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. But Observe: Capernaum just happens to be in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali! St. Matthew, in our text, informs us that when Jesus made this city his base of operations, this was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s ancient prophecy that these two regions would be visited by a great light, indeed by him who is the Light of the world.
How magnificent are the ways of our God! When he makes a promise, prophetic or otherwise, he will make good on it! For us the best promises are the Gospel promises, the promises that assure us that we have forgiveness, life, and salvation through faith alone in Christ. But these promises would never have come to pass if the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament had not been literally fulfilled in the person of Jesus, the enfleshed Son of the living God. And the thing that is hard for us to imagine is that the entire corpus of human history is seen aright when we see it as our own history in which God orchestrates all things to bring salvation to our souls. You are that important to God! His goal is to have you and me with him in heaven.
Since we’re talking about the Sea of Galilee, I would like to tell you a fish story. It’s one in which you play a big role. Let’s begin by supposing that you are a baby fish. Your parents want to warn you of a great danger. “Fishermen,” they say, “will put bait on the ends of hooks and drop a fishing line to catch us and eat us. But you must never eat bait that takes the form of a hook. And there is another thing you must never, ever do. Never swim down to the deep dark water because you can’t see well enough to tell if a piece of food has a hook in it.”
But one day you make a new friend. He tells you that the best food is in the dark water. So he says to you, “Follow me.” You do. And there’s food all over the place. But then you remember your parents warning not to eat food in the deep darkness. Too many hooks down there. And so you say to your friend, “My parents told me it’s not safe to eat down here.” “Nonsense,” says the other, “they just don’t want you to have any fun.” Pretty soon you follow your friend and start swallowing all the food.
“It’s wonderful,” you say to yourself.” But when you take the next bite, you feel a sharp, piercing pain in the roof of your mouth. You try to dislodge it, but you can’t. Then you feel something pulling you up. And then it hits you! The enemy fisherman has caught you and you are going to die. You won’t even have the chance to say goodbye. And as you are pulled to the surface, you say to yourself, “Why was I so foolish? Why didn’t I listen to my parents?” You know the rest of the story. It’s not pretty. Death never is!
My friends, as you have probably guessed by now, this is not a fish story at all. It’s a story about life, your life and mine. And the truth of the matter is that we’ve been eating and nibbling on forbidden fruit. God says, “Don’t,” but we do. God says, “Do this!” but we don’t. Ah, my friends, welcome to the sinful self. Our sinful flesh paints sin in very seductive colors. Whether it’s another’s spouse, drunkenness, fits of rage, discontentedness, or impatience, we often cave in. And far too easily! And God looks at us and says, “To hell with you!” And it stays “to hell with you” so long as we say no to repentance.
And we have been taught what repentance sounds like. Peter, after the first miraculous catch of fish, cried out to Jesus and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”6 The patriarch Job, knowing his sins, cried to God, “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”7 And then there is Isaiah, who, when he saw the Lord’s holiness, cried out in distress, “Woe is me, for I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips.”8
Hence, Jesus says to sinners, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”9 Yes, like Peter, Job, and Isaiah, we turn away from our sins. But the Law is not God’s final word. The Gospel is. And the Gospel’s cry is always louder than the Law’s. God not only kills with Law, he also makes alive with the Gospel. He not only places the dead in the grave, but he also raises the dead. He not only says, “Repent,” but he also creates what he commands, when he says to us, “Believe the Gospel.”10 The Good News of the Gospel says, “Jesus Christ has died and risen for you.” Trust his promise and the kingdom of heaven is yours.
His kingdom, the reign of his forgiveness, is yours, for the Bible says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”11 Jesus imparts this very forgiveness to you when he says “believe.” Yes, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Indeed, Jesus the great Light has come to you and forgiven you. And what is your status now? St. Paul replies, “Now you are light in the Lord.”12 Yes, we penitent nibblers and plungers into the darkness are now declared to be light! By God himself!
Speaking of light, some years ago a businessman bought his wife an elegant matchbox in Paris. He was told that it would glow in the dark. When he brought it home and gave it to her, he was greatly disappointed to find that it was not at all visible in the dark. But the next day his wife noticed some French words on the box. They were directions. The words, when translated, read, “If you want me to shine at night, keep me in the sunlight all day.” This she did. That evening, when her husband came home, she turned out the light, and behold, the matchbox had a brilliant glow. “What did you do?” he asked. “I read the directions,” she said. “Before it can shine in the dark, it must be exposed to the light.”
Just as the matchbox, having been exposed to the sun, took on the nature of the sun and began to shine, so believers constantly expose themselves to the Son, to the Son of God, not directly but through means. They expose themselves to the Son of God by exposing themselves to God’s Word and the Lord’s Supper. In this way the Spirit increases their faith. Thus, they are like bright lights in a dark, dark world.
This, then, is my heart’s desire: I will be, by the grace of God, the honest, loving, forgiving, generous, committed child of God—weekly at his table, daily in his Word—growing in his grace, transformed from within. May God grant this to you and me for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Endnotes
1 Emphasis mine. Adapted. See the essay by Scruggs at http://www.probe.org/content/view/914/77/.
2 See Ecclesiastes 1:9.
3 Isaiah 9:2.
4 Isaiah 9:6.
5 See John 8:12.
6 See Luke 5:8.
7 See Job 42:5.
8 See Isaiah 6:5a.
9 See Matthew 4:17.
10 See Mark 1:15, a parallel account of our text.
11 Romans 8:1.
12 Ephesians 5:8.
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