2023-1-22 "In a dark land, the light shines"

 2023-1-22 Epiphany 3 Isaiah 9:1-4 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 4:12-25

In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Isaiah proclaims a beautiful promise: The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.  But, what made the land of Zebulun and Naphtali a dark land?  There are a couple of answers to that question.  One answer is war. 

At the beginning of winter, we saw on our screens how Russia’s new strategy for undermining Ukrainian resistance is to destroy the power grid. They wanted winter to do the hard work for them. Without electricity and fuel, Ukraine did go dark.  And cold. They are still resisting. But this is a case in point that war of any age brings destruction.  What is beautiful and life giving is destroyed by the invading army. 

Zebulun and Naphtali are the tribes that were assigned the northern area when Israel began to live in the Promised Land. Because they are in the north, they are often the first areas of Israel to be hit by invading armies.  The Assyrians invaded the north and took many of the educated away to serve as slaves.  Not longer after the Babylonians invaded.  Then, the Persians after that.  Alexander the Great and his army also invaded on their way to Egypt.  Each time an army came through, more devastation and more loss of life.  More and more gentiles settled in the area and intermarried. By the time of Jesus, the area of Zebulun and Naphtali had been invaded by the Romans. 

The land knew war and destruction.  In that sense it was a dark and dangerous place to live.  But, the question is asked, “Why does God allow these armies to invade?” God says through Isaiah and the other prophets that the darkness and violence from war is preceded by the darkness of Israel’s hearts and minds.  The people refused to keep separate from the Gentiles.  They intermarried.  They invited false gods into their homes and raised their children in homes that did not observe God’s commands and Holy Days.  Immorality of all kinds became widespread. Isaiah says that “In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt...” God allowed Zebulun and Naphtali to experience punishment for their sin in the hopes that they would repent and return to the LORD.  By and large they did not.  

They remained, by and large, a people who lived and walked in darkness.  Yet, even as Isaiah and the other prophets speak God’s Word of judgment; even as the Law of God is spoken and administered, God also offers hope. God extends both Law and Gospel.  For those with ears to hear, the Gospel is the coming light. 

The Gospel of Matthew makes explicit who the light is that shines on them.  Jesus, born of Mary and guarded by her husband Joseph, is the light that Isaiah speaks of. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. Jesus is raised in Nazareth.  As an adult he moves to and works in Capernaum.  Jesus fulfills the ancient prophecy. 

The coming light that God promises through Isaiah does not come from the dark land. Darkness cannot produce light.  Sinners cannot save themselves.  Sinners cannot produce a Savior. The light comes from outside the dark land.  Jesus is the light because He is unique among men.  Jesus is God incarnate, born of the Virgin Mary.  Jesus is the light because in Him there is no darkness at all.  As the Gospels proclaim, Jesus keeps the Law perfectly.  Jesus does not need to be admonished by the Law.  Nor does he ever need to repent.  He is the Son of God.  He is the light that over comes the darkness of sin through his sacrifice upon the cross.  

But, at this point in Matthew’s Gospel, it is essential that we understand that Jesus is the Light of whom Isaiah prophesied.   People are drawn to the Light of God.  Those who are sick and tired of the ruthless grip of sin in their life.  Those who are sick and tired of being afraid all the time.  Those who are sick and tired of the lies and destruction of Satan, respond to the presence of God that abides in their land of darkness by looking and listening.  They see a new dawn breaking when they see Jesus.  They hear that God is coming for them.  They are not forgotten.  They may be downtrodden, but they now have hope.  The Light of God dwells amongst them.  The Light of God says those simple words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

The Greek word for Repent that is used here is “Metanoiete.” The lexicon explains that Metanoiete means “a serious change of mind and heart about a previous point of view or course of behavior.” The calling of the first disciples is an illustration of metanoiete.  Peter, Andrew, James and John were intent upon their fishing trade. Who knows how many generations the work of fishing goes back in the family? Regardless, they are on the day that Jesus passes by them, they are intent on their work.  Doing what they always do six days a week.  Then, the Light of God speaks, “Follow me.”  Inexplicably, these men immediately change the course of their behavior and mindset and begin to follow Jesus.  What can explain this?  People whom the Holy Spirit began to work faith in their hearts, heard the voice of Jesus, and however dimly, heard God’s call in those words.  They changed the direction of their lives in an instant in a way they could not have imagined when they woke up that day.  

The light in the midst of the darkness cannot be ignored. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

As Jesus traveled the region, visited, taught, preached, and healed, the great light of God’s presence among them became more obvious.  People responded to God’s presence among them by stepping out of the darkness and the cold and drawing near to the warmth of his Light.  People came, repenting, seeking healing.  And, Jesus made people well.  He forgave sins. He healed. He showed them hope personified.  He is the Light in the darkness.  In that land of darkness, the Gospel Light of God shines forth.  

We may not live in Zebulun and Naphtali, but we see darkness all around us in our North American culture. The manifestations of sin, the nihilistic threat of death, and the manipulations of the devil, abide in our land. And, sadly, we know that we sometimes get caught up in this.  Even as baptized children of God who hold dearly to the cross of Christ, in this life, sin will not leave us be.  Because the Holy Spirit is at work in us and because we know God’s Law, we are aware of how we fall short of God’s demands for us.  The Law accuses us.  We cannot save ourselves.  We turn to the cross.  We turn to the Light of God who is crucified and risen for me and you.  We confess our sins.  We pray for the Holy Spirit’s help to turn from crooked thinking and sinful actions.  We cling to the cross of Christ with faith.  We have God’s promise that when he looks upon us, he will see the Son’s cross and not our sin.  We rejoice in His forgiveness.  

We prepare our hearts and minds to receive Jesus sacramentally in the Holy Communion. He is the Light the darkness cannot overcome.  He heals our brokenness.  He takes away our sins. He calls us ever to follow Him into paradise.  

In the name of the Father, +Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.