SHARING BREAD
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he
returned 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 to the sea, along 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 is near."
15 "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, along 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 is near."
Matt
4:12-17 (NIV)
John is now in prison, the mantle has officially passed
hands and Jesus sets out for Capernaum fleeing the dissidents in His hometown
of Nazareth. Luke gives us more
information regarding our Lord’s departure from Nazareth – He left for good
reason:
24 "I tell you the
truth," he continued, "no prophet is
accepted in his hometown. 25 I
assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky
was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout
the land. 26 Yet
Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of
Sidon. 27 And
there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet
not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian." 28 All
the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him
to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down
the cliff. 30 But
he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Luke 4:24-30 (NIV)
Jesus never stayed where He was not welcomed neither could He
be ridden of until He finished the work God had given Him to complete. Upon hearing the news of the Baptist’s
incarceration, our Lord heads out to take up where John had left off. John had been sent to prepare the way and indeed,
Christ was and is the way. God never
leaves Himself without witnesses or His church without able guides. The Baptist was Christ’s forerunner, He was
never to be His rival – the moon and stars must give way to the Sun of
Righteousness just as the Baptist rightly proclaimed:
27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is
given him from heaven. 28 You
yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of
him.' 29 The
bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits
and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice.
That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:27-30 (NIV)
In our verses for today, our Lord heads for the area of
Zebulun and Naphtali to the town of Capernaum fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy that
light would dawn there on those living in the darkness of the shadow of
death. Indeed, Jesus, the Light of the Nations, the
Sun of Righteousness came to shine His Light in the darkness of this world upon
every soul dwelling in the shadow of death. Those who are without Christ remain
in the darkness. When the gospel comes, light comes – and when it comes to a
soul, day dawns to reveal and guide. Though
humble in its beginnings – as compared by Jesus to the small mustard seed which
grows to the greatest plant in the garden - the gospel is continuously growing
and progressing – its forward march cannot be stopped - small yet steady in
growth but great in perfection. I am reminded of its culmination in John’s
words in Revelation regarding the new heavenly Jerusalem:
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on
it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of
the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will
be no night there. 26 The
glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who
does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in
the Lamb's book of life. Rev 21:22-27
(NIV)
Jesus, as John, came preaching this old plain text of repentance. Interestingly, neither He nor His followers ever
considered its subject to be worn out and passé. The reason for the repentance message – until
the return of the Savior – remains ever the same – the kingdom of heaven is near. Sadly, in Jesus’ day – just as in every age – many
missed their window of opportunity. They chose to cling tenaciously to the
darkness rather than to embrace the Light our Lord offered. Jesus states in the Gospel of John regarding
this:
19 “This is the verdict: Light has come into
the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were
evil. 20 Everyone
who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that
his deeds will be exposed. 21 But
whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly
that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:19-21 (NIV)
“Every
sermon, every Bible lesson, every word of testimony, and every verse of Scripture
is a warning, calling us to repentance and revival. Our God is a consuming fire, and a day of
judgment is coming. We must not neglect
the warning, and today’s church must not forget that our message includes the
ministry of warning.” Robert J.
Morgan
What I
glean from this:
·
John the Baptist was the forerunner to
Christ not His rival.
·
Jesus is the Light of the world.
·
The kingdom of heaven is near.
