An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
(Ben Chidester)
Matthew 4:12-25 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 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.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
————————————
The arrest of John the Baptist is the catalyst that sends Jesus out into the distant parts of Israel and even into Gentile lands. It’s an example of how God uses the evil plans of men to accomplish his sovereign purposes. In this case, his purpose is to bring the outcasts of Israel, and even Gentiles, into his fold.
Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the most northern tribes of Israel. When the Assyrians invaded Israel around 732 BC, coming down from the north, the lands of these two tribes were the first to be overrun. They were the first to experience the brunt of the horrors of invasion and of being exiled into a foreign land. But God remembered their tribulation, and when Isaiah prophesied of the coming hope of the Gospel, like a light in the midst of deep darkness, God directed his comfort especially to his people in these lands.
When Jesus began his ministry, he carried the comfort of his Gospel of peace to these lands first — to the outcasts of Israel, to those who are sick and sorrowful, even to Gentiles. He showed us God’s heart for those who are downcast. And he affirmed that God does not forget the affliction of his people nor the promises he has made to them.
It’s easy for us to feel that we are on the periphery of God’s view. We wonder if God sees our sorrows — our diseases and sicknesses, whether physical or spiritual. Our sins and anxieties are so overwhelming, we doubt that any light can break through into our spiritual darkness. This passage reminds us that Jesus cares for all of his people, and comes especially to comfort those who feel their need of him. He does not forget you, nor is he blind to your affliction. He stands ready, even now, to bring the light of his Gospel into your heart, to dispel from it the gloomy darkness. Go to him, as the crowds did in Galilee, that he might heal you; surely any that come to him, he will never cast out.