Sermon Notes: Matthew 4:12-17

Sermon Title: Darkness Gives Way To Light

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-17

Passage Summary: Matthew explains how Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s prophetic message as He, the world’s light, bursts forth in an area scorned and existing in a world of hopeless darkness. The apostle summarizes Jesus’ miraculous work in Galilee to support his claim that Isaiah’s prophecy is being fulfilled.

Main Question: What does this passage teach me about being a disciple who loves God, grows in community, serves others, and shares the gospel who makes disciples who loves God, grows in community, serves others, and shares the gospel?

Main Thought: This passage teaches me to love God by turning from my sins, selfish ways, and my own understanding to Jesus. If I follow Jesus, the light of the world, I will not live in spiritual darkness, for I will have the light that leads to life. When I apply Jesus’ presence and Word to permeate areas of my life, I can experience the abundant life in those areas (1 John 1:7).

HOOK: Desiring a picture of darkness

I was conversing with a friend once when he had to show me a picture his wife had taken in the mountains of North Carolina over the weekend. She had taken an excursion into one of the caves you can tour. There was a river in the mountain’s depths, and fish were in the river. These fish residing in the belly of the cave were blind. The guide explained that these fish cannot see because no light reaches their dwelling. Since there is no light in the cave, their eyes become useless for finding food or navigating, making them a metabolically expensive feature to maintain, thus they shutdown. 

At this point in his speech, the guide turned off the lights that lit the path for him and the group to experience the darkness the fish lived in. It was at this point my friend’s wife took the picture. Amid complete darkness, her camera flashed! The picture he showed me was black with a haze of light caused by the camera’s flash. I asked him what she was taking a picture of, and he said she wanted a picture of what complete darkness looked like! Of course, it was a failed attempt because she forgot to turn off her camera’s flash, and darkness always gives way to light.

TRANSITION

We can all imagine what complete physical darkness looks like without a picture, but what does spiritual darkness look like? The Bible uses darkness to describe the condition of humanity. Biblical writers use darkness as a metaphor to describe people’s spiritual ignorance and sinful lifestyles (Acts 26:17-18; Ephesians 4:18; 5:8, 11). From this spiritual darkness, God called us out into His glorious light (Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9) as believers.

When the Bible describes our demonic enemies, it describes them as “mighty powers in this dark world. (Ephesians 6:12)” As the god of this world, Satan exercises his power over the unbelieving world to keep them from Jesus. 2 Corinthians 4:4 indicates that the devil is responsible for the spiritual blindness of people without Jesus. Satan’s goal is to keep as many living in spiritual darkness, apart from God, as possible.

As the father of lies (John 8:44), Satan has spread deceit far and wide! Many of his lies have taken root and deceived millions. Here are a few of his more popular ones:

• “God doesn’t exist”
• “God doesn’t care”
• “God cannot be trusted”
• “Jesus did not rise again”
• “You can go to heaven if you’re good enough”
• “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere in your belief.”
• “All religions lead to God.”
• “The Bible adapts to culture and time instead of being God’s righteous standards from generation to generation.”

• The rise of churches that are not gospel churches: Church in Dallas Exposed

BOOK: Matthew 4:12-17

The darkness was foretold. (4:12-14)

Matthew 4:12-14 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. ¹³ He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

After hearing about John’s arrest, Jesus headed north to the region of Galilee. He went first to Nazareth before going to Capernaum to operate His ministry. Matthew mentions that the region of Galilee was home to the ancient tribal allotments of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Why did Jesus go north instead of remaining in Judea to begin His ministry?

Why did Jesus go to Galilee? We can only speculate. I believe one reason to be that if He were to stay in Judea and around Jerusalem, He would have garnered more opposition quicker as His actions and teachings would have caught the attention of the religious elite who were responsible for His arrest and death later. Throughout the gospels, Jesus says, “My time or hour has not yet come.” This phrase concerns His redeeming work on the cross as our ultimate atoning sacrifice. There was work to be done before that appointed time. Starting further away from the place most likely to produce the most hostile resistance, Jesus headed north to begin His ministry and would work south until He reached the cross.

It’s also possible that Jesus chose the region of Galilee to begin His ministry because it was well-populated. Because of the fertile soil, the area enjoyed agricultural success, so many people lived in the region. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, it is believed that there were 204 villages with no less than 15,000 people living in each one, bringing Galilee’s total population to around 3,000,000 people.

Not only was the area heavily populated, it was also very diverse. There were Syrians located in the north and east, Phoenicians to the north and west, Roman soldiers stationed throughout, and it had a healthy Jewish population, too. The Via Maris was a trade route connecting Egypt to Mesopotamia and ran through Capernaum. News of His initial works and teachings would be apt to spread outside of Galilee with the trading goods flowing in and out of the city. His ministry in a land known for its number of Gentile residents by the Jews also reminds us that He is the Savior for all people.

Along with these practical reasons for why Jesus began His ministry in Galilee, there is also a prophetic one. About 700 years earlier, Isaiah prophesied that a light would appear in this region of spiritual darkness! While darkness represents ignorance of, disobedience to, and separation from God, “light” symbolizes knowledge of, obedience to, and a relationship with God. Jesus reveals God’s purposes and provides freedom from oppression (Isaiah 9:4). In John 8:12, He declares Himself “the light of the world.” Jesus first shines, after His baptism and wilderness victory, in the region of Galilee, where Isaiah says the light will first dawn!

Why did Matthew use Isaiah?

Isaiah ministered during a spiritually dark time in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. King Ahaz had led the nation into idolatry of the worst kind. After having a bronze statue of the god Molech cast, he offered his son in its fire (2 Kings 16:3). In an act of worship to this false god, people would place their newborns in its hands, as the statue’s hands were heated from the fire within its belly, the babes would whither in pain as they cooked to death.

It was a spiritually dark time in Isaiah’s day, but it was politically dark too. The King of Israel had allied with Aram and Syria. Though the three nations came against King Ahaz, they could not conquer him (2 Kings 16:5; Isaiah 7:1). Shaken by the threat of these nations, King Ahaz sent messengers to Assyria’s king, Tiglath-pileser for help (2 Kings 16:7-8). Tiglath-Pileser attacked and defeated the nations allied to come against Ahaz and Judah. In 722 B.C., the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel as prophesied (Isaiah 7:8).

At this point, you might think it doesn’t sound too dark, politically speaking. After all, it looks like Ahaz was able to conquer his foes with a skillful alliance with Assyria. However, because Judah and its king continued to reject the LORD their God, the once ally becomes the adversary (Isaiah 7:17-25; Isaiah 8:1-10). With the change in the political tide, the dark storm cloud of Assyrian oppression hovered over the Southern Kingdom.

With the world’s power having its sights on your land, you would think that the people of Judah and its king would have sought Yahweh with repentance and plead for His protection and deliverance. However, Isaiah, aware of the spiritual darkness in the land, warned against the people looking elsewhere but to God and His Word for help in their time of need.

Isaiah 8:19-22 Someone may say to you, “Let’s ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do.” But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? ²⁰ Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. ²¹ They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven ²² and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.

Yet, because of the LORD’s grace, He did not allow the Southern Kingdom to fall to Assyria, yet because of their stubborn rebellion, they did fall to Babylon in 586 B.C. Isaiah lived in a dark time and was able to see a future time when the political and spiritual landscape was just as dark.

The darkness was far-reaching. (4:15)

Matthew 4:15 ¹⁵ “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali,
    beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River,
    in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,

If you spoke to people from the many different backgrounds during the time of Jesus and asked them if there was a spiritual darkness in the land, many would have said “no.” Any Roman governing official would have said that with Roman rule came enlightenment and sophistication of barbaric people. The Greco-Roman world was full of temples, feasts, and statues of their many gods and goddesses. If you were to accuse a Greek of being spiritually ignorant, they’d argue the opposite. Their Stoic Scholars teachings and Greek culture dominated the Roman empire, no way were the dull academically or spiritually. Last but not least, the Jews would also have said that they were not spiritually blind, for they had their Jewish Scriptures and scribes and Pharisees as their guides.

But while you may be hard-pressed to find one close enough to the heart of God to admit that the landscape of Galilee was spiritually dark, it very much was. Verse sixteen describes the darkness as death’s shadow. It was a dark time when Jesus traveled north.

It was a dark time politically.

There were Roman soldiers everywhere to keep the peace. During this time, the Zealots emerged. The Zealots were Jewish nationalists who looked to try any way to throw off the iron fist of Roman dominance. This group gave rise to assassins.

It was a dark time economically.

Rome’s tax policy was remarkable for its ruling class, but it was crushing for the everyday citizens. The Roman government collected a poll tax, summarized as a tax to breathe Roman air. This poll tax was collected from females age 12 to 65 or a males age 14 to 65. On top of the right-to-live tax was an income tax of 10%. The 10% income tax did not include the road, harbor, import, sea (taxed per net owned and fish caught), or cart tax (taxed you according to the number of wheels on your cart). There was also a ground tax where one had to give a tenth of your grain and one-fifth of your wine to Rome.

But wait, there is more. Because the Roman government allowed the highest bidder to collect taxes in each region, the tax collector could keep anything they could clear above what the government mandated. Thus, tax collectors did what they could to make as much profit as possible, which increased the financial pressure on everyday people.

It was a dark time morally.

In the Greco-Roman world, a wife stayed at home and was expected to live in utter seclusion and maintain absolute marital purity. However, men had a “hall pass.” Prostitution was an essential part of Greek life. Demosthenes had laid it down as the accepted rule of life: “We have courtesans for the sake of pleasure; we have concubines for the sake of daily cohabitation; we have wives for the purpose of having children legitimately and of having a faithful guardian for all our household affairs.” 

In ancient Rome, it was legally and socially acceptable for a father to expose (abandon) an unwanted newborn, a practice known as expositio. This was especially common if the baby was a daughter, though unwanted sons were also sometimes abandoned, particularly if the family was too poor to support another child or if the baby had visible deformities. The value of a newborn’s life was in proportion to its usefulness to its father.

Even the Jews had devalued the covenant of marriage, allowing men to divorce their wives for any reason to fulfill their lustful and selfish desires (Matthew 19:1-12).

It was a dark time spiritually.

Amid a very pagan religious buffet due to the influence of Greece and Rome, the Jews had evolved the religious code given to them by Yahweh to empty religious rituals. What we know today as the Ten Commandments, Jesus summarized in two commands: love the LORD your God supremely and others as yourself (Mark 12:31). Before the nation of Israel invaded the Promised Land, Moses reiterated that they were to love God supremely by keeping His commands and teaching them to the next generation (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

At the time of Jesus, there were so many man-made rules for the people to follow so as not to break one of the Ten Commandments that the way of the Lord was crushing and joyless (Matthew 11:28-30). The religious leaders fasted and prayed for people’s applause instead of God’s approval (Matthew 6:5-6; Matthew 6:16-18; Matthew 23:5-7). Jesus’ harshest rebuke was to the Scribes and Pharisees, as He described them as white-washed tombs. They looked spiritually pure on the outside but were spiritually dead on the inside as hypocrisy and lawlessness characterized their hearts (Matthew 23:27-28). The people of God hadn’t heard God’s prophetic voice since Malachi and their leaders were off track!

Yes, it was a dark time spiritually as false gods dominated the landscape, and the people whom the LORD had chosen to make Him known to the nations failed to do so accurately. Though darkness permeated the landscape, dawn neared, bringing the Hope of all people with it!

The darkness faded away to light. (4:16)

Matthew 4:16
¹⁶ the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light.
And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow,
    a light has shined.”

Matthew loosely quotes from Isaiah 9:1-2.

Isaiah 9:1-2 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. ² The people who walk in darkness
    will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
    a light will shine.

A notable difference between Isaiah’s words and Matthew’s paraphrasing of the passage is the verbs he uses to describe the people in darkness. Isaiah says that the people who walk in darkness will see a great light compared to Matthew, who says those who sat in darkness have seen a great light. It’s almost as if Matthew describes the people in the area as having grown tired from groping around, blindly seeking spiritual truth, and sitting down, hopelessly determining that this is how things are. But when all hope seems lost, the light of the world bursts forth!

How did Jesus fulfill Isaiah’s words?

Jesus performed His first miracle in Cana in Galilee.

John 2:1-2, 11 The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration…This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Matthew records Jesus’ initial work for us in Galilee, thus explaining how He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy.

Matthew 4:23-25 Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. ²⁴ News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. ²⁵ Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.

Matthew shows us that Jesus wasted no time making the presence of God’s Kingdom and its Messiah known to those in Galilee. From preaching to miraculous acts, the radiance of the God-man brought light to a darkened region of the world. Jesus illuminated people’s sin and the world’s brokenness because of sin and revealed the way to the Father through His preaching and teaching.

Jesus would preach the world’s most potent sermon beside the Sea of Galilee, and 60 to 70% of His earthly ministry was done in the region of Galilee (Matthew 4-18). The portion of the nation that saw Assyrian soldiers felt the cutting of their swords, the pain of losing loved ones to the enemy, and being uprooted first was able to experience the Redeemer of people and the world first! But would they walk in it even though they were exposed to this great light? Would they follow Him?

LOOK:

How to go from sitting in the darkness to following the light (4:17)

Matthew 4:17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

John’s message in Matthew 3:2 centered on a call to repentance, anticipating the Messiah’s mission described in Matthew 1:21. In Greek, repentance traditionally signified a change in mind or attitude, but under Old Testament influence, it also came to imply a transformation in behavior. This means John was urging his listeners to undergo a complete change in thought and action regarding sin and righteousness. His radical appeal was rooted in the belief that a new era in world history was beginning.

In Matthew 4:17, Jesus preaches the same message. His message is to turn away from sin, self-reliance, or false gods and turn to Him. Turn away from all else and towards Him so you can follow Him! To leave the dark and walk in the light that leads to life (John 8:12). Jesus’ message was urgent; the kingdom’s Messiah was near—in fact, He had arrived! Many turned to Jesus, many didn’t – but the most critical question for you and me is, “Will we follow Jesus?”

BOGOTA’S SEWER CHILDREN

In Bogotá, Colombia, a heartbreaking reality exists: thousands of children and adults live in sewers meant to carry away the city’s sewage. In Colombia, a form of hate crime known as social cleansing specifically targets groups deemed undesirable by society or certain factions within it. Among the most vulnerable are street children, often labeled as “disposable people.” Each week, social workers report discovering the bodies of these children—shot, burned, suffocated, or beaten to death by death squads, vigilantes, and, at times, even the police. The silent tolerance of Colombian society enables these atrocities to continue unchecked.

In an attempt to find refuge, these children hide underground despite the risks. Whether abandoned, orphaned, or running from abuse, they survive in absolute filth, scavenging for food and trying to avoid being taken advantage of by older sewer dwellers. The darkness, stench, and danger of the tunnels are their home.

Yet, despite the terror, stench, and darkness, some refuse to leave these children underground. Brave individuals, moved by compassion, like Jaime Jaramillo, a wealthy businessman who witnessed a young girl climbing down a manhole into the sewers during the seventies, went home, donned a wetsuit, and followed her underground—only to discover nearly 90 children living in the filthy, rat-infested tunnels beneath the city.

Deeply moved, Jaramillo—known affectionately as ‘Papa Jaime’—dedicated his life to rescuing these children. Using his wealth, he built a home where they received education, care, and the love of a Christian community. His efforts have transformed thousands of lives, offering hope where society had abandoned them.

Others continue to descend into those sewers, crawling through the filth and risking their own safety to bring these children out. Some children initially resist—they have grown accustomed to the darkness and the safety it seemed to provide—but the rescuers patiently show them that a better life is waiting beyond the sewer walls – in the light.

Isn’t this precisely what Jesus did for us?

We were trapped in the spiritual sewers of sin—living in the filth of our own rebellion, unable to rescue ourselves. But Jesus, the Son of God, didn’t stay at a safe distance. He entered our world, our mess, our filth, to save us. Philippians 2:7-8 says He “made Himself nothing… taking the very nature of a servant” and humbling Himself to the point of death—all to pull us out of darkness.

Many of those children in Bogotá didn’t realize how desperately they needed to be rescued or that their rescue was possible. Likewise, many people today are content living in spiritual darkness, unaware of the hope that Jesus offers. But just as the rescuers never gave up on those kids, Jesus never gives up on us. He is calling us out of the sewer and into His marvelous light.

YOU MAY BE IN DARKNESS, BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMAIN IN THE DARKNESS.

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

LIGHT THERAPY FOR THE SOUL

Imagine someone struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)—a condition where the lack of sunlight during winter months leads to depression, fatigue, and a sense of darkness. Doctors often prescribe light therapy, where exposure to bright artificial light helps reset the body’s internal clock, lifting the heaviness and restoring energy.

In the same way, many people suffer from Spiritual Affective Disorder—a soul weighed down by sin, doubt, fear, or distance from God. The darkness of life’s struggles can make it hard to see clearly, leading to spiritual fatigue, pain, and hopelessness. There may be areas in your life that are dying and joyless because you are blocking the light of Christ and His Word to infiltrate it because of your sin or another’s rebellion against Christ and His Word in an area or relationship.

The people who were part of the ancient tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali sat in a physically dark world of Assyrian oppression and eventual defeat because they replaced the LORD (1 John 1:15) and the light of His Word with worthless idols and sinful lifestyles. They rejected the light that they had been given and lived in darkness instead, resulting in suffering, death, and uprooting caused by the Assyrians. These horrific experiences could have been avoided if they had walked in the light of Yahweh’s commands (Deuteronomy 29:1-29; Psalm 119:105). Much of the brokenness we encounter in our lives and relationships is because we choose to live without the healing and transforming power and authority of the light of the world in that area of life. Just as light therapy treats SAD, exposing ourselves daily to the light of Christ—through His Word, application of His Word, prayer, and fellowship—restores our spiritual health.

Are you sitting in the darkness or stepping into His light? Are you inviting Jesus into all areas of life and applying His Word to them? Just as a person with SAD must intentionally seek light therapy, we must actively seek Jesus, allowing His presence to heal, renew, and brighten our souls.

The presence of darkness in an area of your life could be due to the absence of spiritual light, Jesus’ presence, and the application of His Word to that area by one or all involved.

TOOK:

Follow Jesus, the Light of the World

Are you still clinging to the filth of the past and your sin, resisting the One who came to rescue you? Jesus has already stepped into the darkness for you—will you take His hand and let Him lead you out?

Walk the Light of Christ

1. Spend Time in and Apply His Word – Just as light therapy restores the body, Scripture renews the mind (Psalm 119:105). Are you letting His truth illuminate your path?
2. Pray & Seek His Presence – Light therapy works best with daily exposure. Have you regularly sat in God’s presence, or are you living in shadows?
3. Stay in Fellowship – Darkness isolates us, but light draws us together (Matthew 5:14-16). Surround yourself with fellow believers who reflect Christ’s light.

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