A LIGHT DAWNS IN THE DARK NIGHT

Passage: Matthew 4:12-17

Key verse: 16,17

NIV

Jesus Begins to Preach

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,(A) he withdrew to Galilee.(B) 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum,(C) which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill(D) 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.”[a](E)

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven(F) has come near.”

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Matthew 4:16 Isaiah 9:1,2
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Jesus Begins His Ministry

12 Now when he heard that (A)John had been arrested, (B)he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving (C)Nazareth he went and lived in (D)Capernaum by (E)the sea, in the territory of (F)Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 (G)so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

15 (H)“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 (I)the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and (J)shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.”

17 (K)From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, (L)“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a]

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Matthew 4:17 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. Jesus begins his work (12-16)

John's arrest reveals the darkness of the times. Herod the king lived in sin and oppressed the people. Nazareth did not welcome Jesus, and so he moved to Capernaum, which was to be the center of his Galilean ministry. Thus he began to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy. Galilee was a backward area. Its people had suffered from numerous foreign invasions. Jesus taught God's word and cast out demons and healed the sick. He was a great light who shined on those living in the land of the shadow of death.

2. Repent (17)

John had preached this same message. This was why he had been arrested. But this call to repentance is God's grace and love for those living in darkness and gloom. When we receive Jesus' word and repent, his great light shines into our souls.

Prayer: Lord, give me a repentant heart so that I may not be a prisoner of the darkness of my sins or a prisoner of these times. Let the light of your salvation shine from my life.

One Word: Repent and let the light in