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Sermon Text: Matthew 4:12–23
(Matthew 4:12–23) 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” 17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
In Christ Jesus, the Light of the world, dear fellow redeemed,
Most of us have heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD. When the days get shorter and the light dims, some people experience more than inconvenience. Their energy drops. Their motivation fades. They find little or no joy in life. Over time, they may simply assume that this is how winter feels. It’s a terrible disorder.
But as bad as it is, there is an even worse condition—one that affects every human being by nature. We might call it Spiritual Affective Disorder, or perhaps more to the point, Sin Affective Disorder. Either way, it is far more than SAD. It is devastating and deadly.
This is the condition Matthew describes in our text. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, he tells us of a people living in darkness—darkness so blinding that they cannot even perceive a life that could be different. Instead, the darkness feels normal to them. It is into this settled darkness that Matthew announces something startling—something wonderful. He tells us that The Light has dawned. Not because people were longing for it. Not because they were ready for it. But because God keeps his promises. Today we see that The Light has dawned 1) in the darkest places, and 2) with the greatest effects.
Our text begins on a dark note: “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.” (Matthew 4:12). John the Baptist was imprisoned for speaking God’s truth to power. Herod the Tetrarch had taken his brother’s wife for himself, and John exposed the sin. Herod did not want to hear it. He locked John up and soon had him executed.
When Jesus hears the news, he returns to Galilee—first to his hometown of Nazareth. He was not running away from danger. Like a first responder, he was running toward it. In Nazareth, as everywhere else, Jesus taught God’s Word with the authority of God’s own Son. But his hometown would not have it. Instead, they tried to throw him off a cliff.
Acknowledging the sad truth that a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, Jesus left that place to establish his ministry in nearby Capernaum, which, as Matthew points out, lay in the territory long ago promised to the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali. And here is where it all becomes clear. Matthew tells us that Jesus’ movements were not accidental. Everything happened “to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:14-16).
More than seven centuries earlier, this region had been among the first to fall to foreign invasion. After hundreds of years of their unfaithfulness, God allowed his people living there to be conquered, scattered, and finally, replaced by pagan nations. And so, this region became ground zero for spiritual darkness. Generation after generation grew up in what Isaiah calls “the land of the shadow of death.”
It is exactly there in Galilee of the Gentiles, that the Light dawns. Notice, Jesus does not wait for darkness to lift. He doesn’t tell the people that they must first “shape up.” He goes straight into the darkest places, because that is where his light is needed most. And you’ll notice something else: the light does not dawn in order to be admired. Light reveals. Light exposes. Light changes reality. With this in mind, Matthew tells us that something new began to happen in Capernaum. From that time on, Jesus began to preach there.
The dawning light is not silent. He speaks! And the first words that come from the Light are not condemnation, they are words of invitation: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17).
These words, spoken by our Savior God and packed with his power, work the very miracle they call for. To repent, in the fullest sense of the word, is to turn from sin’s darkness to God’s saving light. Jesus does not say, “Repent so that the kingdom can come.” The kingdom has already come near in the person of God’s own Son. He has come not to scold, not to threaten, not to punish, but to forgive and to save.
Isn’t this what Jesus has done for us? From the moment of our birth and even before, our sinful hearts were among the darkest places imaginable. Upon our arrival in this world, we became immediate residents of the land of the shadow of death. But then, the Light dawned for us through the miracle of Baptism. In that holy sacrament, Jesus himself drew near to us. He came right into the darkness of our hearts and made them shine with the light of his forgiveness. By the power of his Word at work in and with those few drops of water splashed on our head, Jesus turned us from sin and death to the newness of life. In that moment, he gave us faith to trust that on his cross, the death he died to sin in hell, counts as our death to sin once and for all. He worked in us the very repentance he calls for.
But repentance is not a one-time event for the Christian. It is our way of life! It’s our daily journey into the Light. Don’t’ you see? Every day, at Christ’s invitation, we get to bring our sins and struggles to our Savior who is always ready to listen and better yet, who never fails to forgive. Daily repentance is vital to our spiritual wellbeing because we live in a world thick with sin’s darkness, a world where danger hides and evil thrives. This world is always begging us to come back into sin’s night, and our own sinful nature—still dark and stubborn, is far too eager to answer its call.
Our gracious God know this. So, in mercies that are new each morning, the Holy Spirit turns us from all the darkness in and around us to the light of Christ—light that beams from his every gospel promise. This light does not convey some vague feeling of hope. It offers nothing but certainty in all of life’s troubles. For example, when guilt weighs us down, Christ assures us: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has [God] removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12). When we suffer the hurt caused by sin—ours or someone else’s, Jesus reminds us: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18). Even when death draws near and we find ourselves walking through its dark valley, Jesus brightens the way with the greatest promise of them all: “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19).
Never forget that after paying for the sins of the whole world, Jesus died and was buried. He did this for us as well, to show that for believers the grave holds no terror. In fact, you might even say that though he rose from the grave just three days later, Jesus made sure to leave the light on for us there—a night-light of sorts—one that will glow ever so softly until the day he wakes us from the sleep of death.
Now, if The Light Has dawned darkest of all places—the valley of the shadow of death—then it should not surprise us to discover that this Light dawns with the greatest effects for us who still live on earth. The Light that overcomes death does not wait for the end; it reshapes our lives right now. Matthew shows us what this looks like as Jesus, the Light of Life, calls, gathers, and reorders lives on this side of the grave.
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:18-19). These men who already knew Jesus as the promised Messiah, were busy working at their day jobs as fishermen. But now, as Jesus was beginning his ministry in the region of Galilee, he had work for them to do, and not for them alone. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee,preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:21-22).
Jesus isn’t extending a job offer. He doesn’t say, “Follow me and let’s see what happens.” His is a divine call into public ministry. He’s not taking these men on a trial basis to see if they are made of the “right stuff.” He is sending them out in his Name with the promise that he will make them what they need to be in order to fish for people. His call produces the greatest effects. Did you notice? Their response is immediate! These men leave their nets, they leave their families and they follow. Knowing Jesus has given them new priorities, a new purpose, and a clear sense of direction. They are now spiritual first responders learning from and working with Jesus as he ministers to the people of Galilee, “…teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23).
Jesus does not call you and me to be apostles. We are not sent to lay the foundations of the Church or to pen the inspired Scriptures. But Jesus does call us, and his call still produces the greatest effects. He calls us out of darkness into his light, and that call reshapes and reorders our lives—not by removing us from our daily responsibilities, but by giving us a new perspective. Our families, our work, and our routines do not lose their importance; they are drawn into of a life of service shaped by Christ’s love. Because Jesus has come near to us with forgiveness and life, he can and does send us into our own circles—as spouses, parents, workers, neighbors, and friends—to point people to him, the Light of the world. Not all of us will leave our nets behind to do this work full-time, but all of us do leave behind a life centered on ourselves. Christ has given us a new life in which his Light has dawned, and because it has, our priorities are realigned, our purpose is reset, and our once ordinary lives are now devoted to God’s extraordinary work.
We began with some thoughts about Seasonal Affective Disorder—a condition that does not end because someone decides to feel better. It ends when the light returns—when the sun rises and does what only light can do. The same is true spiritually. Sin Affective Disorder isn’t cured by trying harder or doing more; it is cured when Christ brings his light into our lives—when his forgiveness is spoken, hope is restored, and life is re-centered on him. By grace alone, the Light shines on you and me. No longer do we sit in darkness. In the light of Christ we live, we walk, and we serve, until the day when eternity itself dawns and we awaken to the everlasting light of heaven, all for Jesus’ sake. Amen.