The verses we will cover today set the stage for Jesus’ entire ministry in Galilee. Hia work in Galilee takes up nearly one-half of Matthew’s Gospel.
Matthew quotes verses from Isaiah 9:1-2 and explains the deeper significance of this prophecy about Jesus’s life.
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
The people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.” (Matthew 4.12-16)
What kind of light has dawned upon those who sat in darkness? The long-awaited moment of Isaiah’s prophecy has finally arrived on Earth.
For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders,
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Great will be his authority,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9.6-7)
Matthew will tell the story of how Jesus exercised his authority, displaying the characteristics of being a Wonderful Counselor and a Prince of Peace. He will also illustrate how Jesus established justice and righteousness, and how the power of the Holy Spirit accomplished this throughout his life.
In light of all that is happening, the people were called to recognize the presence of God’s Kingdom and to repent.
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4.17).
I need to clarify three things about Jesus’s proclamation.
(1) The Kingdom of Heaven does not refer to heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is another way of saying the Kingdom of God. Jesus is saying that God’s rule on earth, His kingship, has arrived because Jesus is there.
(2) The Kingdom of Heaven has come near, meaning God’s kingship is present on earth. It is present because Jesus is there, and in our age through the Holy Spirit’s activity.
(3) The basic meaning of repentance is to change your mind (Greek). In Hebrew, it means to return to God.
We are to change our minds about what the world is like because God’s kingship is present through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and we are to return to God.
Between the Times
The theologians describe the age in which we live as the “already but not yet.” When we think about God’s kingship, we can say it has come, it is coming, and it will come.
God’s kingdom came when Jesus arrived in Galilee. God’s kingdom is still present through the activity of the Holy Spirit. God’s kingdom will be consummated at the end.
Mark’s version of Jesus’ proclamation is: “The kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1.15).
We need to trust that God’s kingship is a reality. When we pray, “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6.10), we invite God to rule our lives and trust that He is doing just that.
We trust that God is active in history and moving this world to the end where He is seen as the King over all the earth.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 