Mt. 4:13-17, Is.9:1-2; Behold! Proclaim the Great Light!

Mt. 4:13-17, Is.9:1-2; Behold! Proclaim the Great Light!

There are times in life when we feel like we are going through a long tunnel with no end in sight. Physical illness, financial hardship, broken relationships, or uncertainty about the future can weigh down our souls. The Bible compares this world to "darkness." And God always reveals Himself as the one who shines a light into the darkness. Today's passage is about the heavenly hope that comes to those trapped in such "darkness." Let's listen to the word of God about how Isaiah's prophecy from 700 years ago was fulfilled through Jesus Christ, how that light changes our lives,&how we should live.

1. See! The Great Light!(Is.9:1-2) 2730 years before Isaiah proclaimed this prophecy, Israel was in spiritual, political, and moral darkness. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali in the north, Galilee, was a Gentile territory, a border region, and a despised area. It was a place overlooked, a place where hope had disappeared! "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." (Isaiah 9:2) God's light shines first in the darkest places. In verse 16, Matthew declares that Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled by "Jesus Christ," saying, "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." God does not abandon the places that people have given up on. This great light is not an ideology or a system. It is a person, Jesus Christ.

2. Jesus Christ, the Fulfillment of Prophecy(Mt.4:13-16) Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. From there, he fled to Egypt to escape the deadly threat posed by King Herod, who was killing all children under the age of two. After Herod's death, instead of returning to Judea, he went to Nazareth in the land of Zebulun in Galilee. Nazareth was Jesus' hometown, where he lived for about 30 years. Now, he left there and went to Capernaum in the land of Naphtali, his second home. He carried out much of his public ministry in this area and its surroundings. He went to the very land of Zebulun and Naphtali, the land prophesied by Isaiah. At that time, this was a land of darkness and despair. This is not a coincidence. It shows that God's salvation begins at the periphery and expands to the center. Matthew clearly states (14): "This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah." Yes, the prophecy was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, the great light. Truly amazing things happen. With the coming of Jesus, who is the light, the darkness recedes. The light of life shone on those who were under the shadow of death. Jesus is the light itself(Jn1:5,8:12,9:5). With the coming of Jesus, the great light, darkness is transformed into light. With the coming of Jesus, who is hope, despair begins to change into hope.

3. Those who see the great light are transformed(Mt.4:17)/ Jesus' first message is, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (17). The reaction that inevitably occurs in those who see the light is repentance. Repentance is not simply regret, but a change of direction, a turning from darkness to light. It is changing the master of one's life from the devil to God. We cannot continue to live as we did before after seeing the great light. The light inevitably reveals and transforms life. "Even the smallest light can overcome darkness." [Example: The 'Starlight' that overcame 2,000 hours of darkness]  Recently, a true story that touched the world unfolded. In 2023, a small plane crashed in the middle of the Colombian Amazon jungle. While all the adults perished, four children—a 13-year-old girl named Lesly, and her siblings aged 9, 4, and 1—survived. The time it took for them to be rescued (June 9th) was over 40 days, more than 1,000 hours of darkness. What was the secret to the children's survival amidst snakes, wild animals, poisonous insects, hunger, and the impenetrable darkness of the jungle? The truth revealed after their rescue was astonishing. Every night, 13-year-old Lesly whispered to her younger siblings who were crying in despair, "Look at the starlight shining through the trees. That light is watching over us like our mother's eyes. We will definitely follow the light and get out of here." The children wrote "We are alive" on the muddy ground with branches, and held each other's hands tightly as they watched the letters sparkle in the light. Ultimately, the children who never gave up on that small "light of hope" were miraculously rescued after 40 days.

[Application] Brothers and sisters, the jungle these children endured is very similar to the world we live in today. We seem to be surrounded by enemies on all sides, and there is only pitch-black darkness, with no idea where to go. But remember, darkness can never overcome light. Just as the small starlight seen by a 13-year-old girl saved four young lives, we have the great light of life, "Jesus Christ," who is greater than the universe (Matthew 4:16, 1 John 1:5). When the world calls your circumstances "the shadow of death," the Lord is shining "the starlight of heaven" upon your life. Like the letters children write in the mud, let us engrave our confession of faith today: "I live in the great light of the Lord! I am never alone! Immanuel! God is with us!" This great light of faith will surely deliver you from this jungle-like world. Therefore, we have been renewed by faith and the Holy Spirit in this great light. The Apostle John was a hot-tempered and greedy fisherman, even called a "son of thunder." But he was transformed by encountering the great light of love, Jesus. In 1 John 1:1-2, he says that he heard, saw with his own eyes, carefully observed, and touched Jesus with his hands. He confesses that he saw and heard the life of Jesus. He was transformed into an apostle of love in Jesus Christ, the light of life. John pastored the church in Ephesus &was later exiled to the island of Patmos. Even there, he preached about the loving Jesus. When he was released after the age of 90&returned to the church in Ephesus, he shared the love of the Lord, who is light, with the believers. "Jesus is love. Love one another."

4. The Mission of Those Who Have Seen the Great Light: Proclaim It / Brothers and sisters, today we have seen the great light, and we live under that light, and now we have received the mission to proclaim that light. We are already people who have seen the great light. In the darkness of sin and despair, in the meaningless wandering of life, under the shadow of death, the light of Jesus Christ shone upon us. But light is not something to be possessed, but something to be shone. A lamp is not meant to be hidden, but to be held up. Even today, the world is dark. God sees people still living under the shadow of death, those standing on the fringes of life like those in Galilee, and those who don't even know that light exists. God doesn't ask, "How much light do you know?" He asks, "Are you sharing the great light you have seen?" Jesus called four fishermen, two pairs of brothers, by the Sea of ​​Galilee: Peter and Andrew, James and John. After seeing the great light, Jesus, they left their boats, nets, and even their father behind to follow Him. Jesus told them that while they had been fishermen catching fish, from now on they would be fishers of men. After Jesus' death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and lived as those who proclaimed the great light of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem and the early church.
*This is the story of Roselle, the guide dog hero of the 9/11 attacks. the great light, the 'true guide.' While people in the world hide in fear or despair when darkness comes, we Christians are different. Because we have Jesus, who knows the way to the Kingdom of God even in the deepest darkness. Is your life currently as dark as the scene of the 9/11 terrorist attack? Don't try to find your way on your own. Take the hand of Jesus, the light, who is already by your side. He is the one who knows how to break through the darkness,&He will ultimately lead us to the eternal light of life in God's kingdom."

[Application Questions] What areas of my life still feel like 'darkness' and 'the shadow of death,' where I desperately need the great light of the Lord? Am I pursuing the artificial light of worldly success, or am I following Jesus, the true light of eternal life? Who are the "Galilees around me" (the marginalized neighbors) to whom I must deliver that great light today?
Conclusion: The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this: In a land of darkness, in a world of despair, Jesus came as a great light. Isaiah prophesied it, John saw the great light, and Matthew testified to it. We too have seen that light. Now, what we who have seen that light must do is clear: to see the great light, to live according to the great light, and to proclaim the great light. We hope that today, through us, someone in darkness will once again make this confession: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” Isaiah 9:7 promises, “The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this.” We are not striving to create the light ourselves. Jesus Christ, who dwells within us, the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,” Himself becomes our light. We simply need to receive that light and reflect it. Brothers and sisters, Is.60:1 says, “Arise, shine!” Now, arise! In your homes, in your workplaces, and alongside your suffering neighbors, shine the great light of Jesus. A single warm word you speak, a single honest action you perform, will be a “great light” that gives someone sitting in the shadow of death a reason to live.

Prayer: May You enable us to break through the darkness and triumph with light / “Remembering the message we have heard this hour, let us make a resolution and pray together!” Heavenly Father, the source of love and light, today we have encountered Jesus Christ, who came as a “great light” to save us who were trapped in the deep darkness of sin and despair. Our hearts are warmed by the meticulous love of the Lord, who first sought out Galilee, a place of marginalization and contempt, rather than the glorious Jerusalem of the world. Lord, establish us as children of light! Thank you for breaking through the darkness. Lord, we make this resolution this hour! In the face of the darkness of disease, the shadow of economic hardship, and the brokenness of relationships that still linger in our lives, may we no longer tremble in fear. Hearing the voice of the Lord who proclaimed, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near," we now resolve to cast off the habits of darkness and put on the armor of light. Since we cannot do this in our own strength, we earnestly pray that the Almighty God, the Wonderful Counselor, the great light, Jesus, will uphold us! We humbly ask that from the moment we leave this sanctuary, we may become "bearers of light." May our homes be brightened because of us, may our workplaces see hope because of us,&may souls dying in despair see the light of Jesus shining through us and return to the Lord. We believe in the promise, "The zeal of the Lord will accomplish this." We trust that it is not our own abilities, but the Lord's zeal that will glorify our lives. May this resolution not be a one-time commitment, but may our lives this week become a beacon of salvation for someone. We pray this earnestly in the name of Jesus Christ, our eternal great light&life. Amen!