Jesus was light in the shadow of death

JESUS WAS LIGHT IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 4:16 16the people living in darkness have
seen a great light; on those livingin the land of the
shadow of death a light has dawned."
Light For Those Who Sit In Darkness
BY SPURGEON
“The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the
sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people which sat in
darkness saw greatLight, and to them which satin the regionand
shadow of death Light is sprung up.”
Matthew 4:15, 16
FULL of love to the place where He had been brought up, our Lord had gone
to Nazareth, and in the Synagogue He had preachedthe most glad tidings.
But, alas, the greatestof Prophets and the Lord of Prophets receivedno honor
in His own country. “He came unto His own and His own receivedHim not.”
Expelled from the city by violence, the Patient One turned His footsteps
another way. And yet, even when justly angry, love guided His footsteps. He
must go, for the Nazarenes had proved themselves unworthy–but where shall
He go? He will go to the outcasts, to that part of His country which was most
neglected–to thatregion where the population was mixed and degenerate so as
to be callednot Galilee ofthe Jews–butGalilee ofthe Gentiles.
He must go a distance from Jerusalemwhere little was knownof the worship
of the temple, where error was rampant, where men’s minds were enveloped
in darkness, and their hearts in the gloom of the shade of death. The loss of
Nazarethshall be the gain of Galilee. Even His judgment upon a place is

overruled in mercy, and even thus, today, there are some in this house who
have often had Jesus preachedto them from their very childhood. And until
this hour they have refused obedience to the Gospel’s command. What if He
should now turn away from them? I pray He may not have done so already.
Yet, in turning away from them, He will deal with others in mercy. As the
casting awayof the Jews was the salvationof the Gentiles, so the leaving of
these privileged ones shall open a door of mercy and hope to those who have
not enjoyed the privilege before this time.
To you who are not familiar with the Gospelsound, to you who count
yourselves more unworthy than the rest of mankind, to you desponding and
despairing ones who write bitter things againstyourselves, to you is the
Gospelsent! As previously, the Lord preached to Zabulon and Nephthalim,
and the people who satin darkness saw a greatlight, even so is He this day
proclaimed among you. From the text it appears that some are in greater
darkness than others. And that, secondly, for such there is a hope of light. But
that, thirdly, the light which will come to them lies all in Christ. And, fourthly
(joyful news!) that light is already sprung up all around them–they have but
to open their eyes to delight in it.
1. SOME SOULS ARE IN GREATER DARKNESS THAN OTHERS. It
appears from the text that it was so in Christ’s day, and certainly it is so
now. Divine Sovereigntyruns through all God’s dealings. He does not
even distribute the privilege of hearing the Gospelto all alike, for some
lands are as yet untrod by the missionary’s foot, while here at the
corner of all our streets the Gospelis preachedto us. Some, from the
very circumstances oftheir birth and parentage, have never attended
the worship of God, while others, even before they had the discretion to
choose, were carriedin their parents' arms to the place where prayer is
likely to be made.
God distributes His Grace and privileges even as He wills. In the text, those
persons who were more deplorably circumstancedthan others are described
first as being in darkness. “The people that sat in darkness,”by which is
meant, first, ignorance. The Galileans were notoriouslyignorant–few teachers
of the Law had been among them. They did not know even the letter of the
Law. So are there many to whom the Gospel, even in the theory of it, is a thing
scarcelyknown. Theymay have gone to places ofworship in this country from
their youth up, and have never heard the Gospel, for the Gospelis a rare thing
in some synagogues.
You shall hear philosophy, you shall hear ceremonialismand
Sacramentarianismcriedup, but the blessedTruth of God, “Believe, and

live,” is kept in the backgroundso that men may come to full age, yes, and
even to old age, in They sit in the darkness ofignorance. The consequence is
that another darkness follows–the darkness oferror. Men who know not the
Truth of God, since they must have some faith, seek out many inventions. If
they are not taught of God, they soonbecome taught of Satan, and apt
scholars are they in his school!Galilee was noted for the heresies which
abounded there.
But what a mercy it is that God can save heretics. Those who have received
false doctrine, and added darkness to darkness in so doing, can yet be brought
into the glorious light of Truth. Though they may have denied the Deity of
Christ, though they may have doubted the inspiration of Scripture, though
they may have fallen into many traps and pitfalls of false doctrine, yet the
Divine Shepherd, when He seeks His lost sheep, can find them out and bring
them home again. In consequenceofbeing in the darkness of ignorance and
error, these people were wrapt in the gloomof discomfort and sorrow.
Darkness is an expressive type of sorrow. The mind that knows not God,
knows not the heart’s best rest. There is no solaceforour griefs like the
Gospelof Jesus Christ, and those who are ignorant of it are tossedaboutupon
a stormy sea without an anchor. Glory be to God! When sorrow has brought
on a midnight, Grace cantransform it into noon. This darkness ofsorrow was
no doubt attended with much fear. We love not darkness becausewe cannot
see what is before us, and therefore we are alarmed by imaginary dangers.
And, in the same way, those who are ignorant of the light of Christ will
frequently be the victims of superstitious dread. Yes, and true and well-
founded fears will arise, too, for they will dread death, and the bar of God,
and the sentence of justice.
Believe me, there is no darkness so black as the horror which surrounds many
an awakenedconsciencewhenit sees its ruin, but cannot find a Savior. When
it feels its sin, and cannot see the way by which it may be expiated. Here, then,
we have consideredone part of this sadcondition–perhaps it describes some
of you. It is said next that they “satin darkness.” Matthew did not quote from
Isaiahcorrectly. I think he purposely alters it. Isaiah speaks,in his ninth
chapter, of a people that “walkedin darkness.” Buthere the Evangelistspeaks
of a people who “sat in darkness.”Thatis a state of less hopefulness. The man
who walks is active–he has some energy left, and may reacha brighter spot.
But a man sitting down is inactive and will probably abide where he is. “The
people which satin darkness”–as ifthey had been there a long while, and
would be there longeryet.

They sat as though they had been turned to stone. They “satin darkness,”
probably through despair. They had, after a fashion, strived for the light, but
had not found it, and so they gave up all hope. Their disappointed hearts told
them that they might as well spare those fruitless efforts and down they sat
with the stolidity of hopelessness. Why should they make any more exertion?
If God would not hear their prayers, why should they pray any longer? Being
ignorant of His abounding Grace, and of the way of salvationby His Son, they
consideredthemselves as consignedto perdition. They “satin darkness.”
Perhaps they satthere so long that they reacheda state of insensibility and
indifference, and this is a horrible condition of heart, but, alas, a very
common one. They said, “What matters it, since there is no hope for us? Let it
be as fate appoints, we will sit still–we will neither cry nor pray.” How many
have I met with who are not only thus in darkness, but are half-content to
dare the terrible future, and sullenly wait till the storm-cloud of wrath shall
burst over them? It is a most sad and wretched condition, but what a blessing
it is that this day we have a Gospelto preach to such!
Our description is not complete, for the text goes on to speak ofthem as sitting
“in the region of death.” That is to say, these people lived in a territory that
appearedto be ruled by death, and to be death’s haunt and natural abode.
Many at this time, and in this city, are truly living in the domain of spiritual
death. All around them is death. If they have steppedinto this house this
morning, their position is an exception to their generalone. They will go home
to a Sundaybreaking household. They hear oaths habitually, profane
language, and lascivious songs.And thus they breathe the reek of the morgue.
If they have a goodthought, it is ridiculed by those about them. They dwell as
among the tombs, with men whose mouths are open sepulchers, pouring forth
all manner of offensiveness. How sada condition! It seems to such poor souls,
perhaps, being now a little awakened, that everything about them is prophetic
of death. They are afraid to take a step lest the earth should open a door to the
bottomless pit. I remember well, when I was under conviction, how all the
world seemedin league againstme–the beasts of the field and even the stones.
I wonderedif the heavens could refrain from falling upon me, or the earth
from opening her mouth to swallow me up. I was under sentence ofDivine
wrath, and felt as if I were in a condemned cell, and all creationwere but the
walls of my dungeon.
“Theysat in the regionof death.” But it is added that they sat“in the shadow
of death.” That is, under its cold, poisonous, depressing shade. As though grim
Deathstood over them in all they did, and his shadow kept from them the
light of Heaven. They are sitting there this morning–they are saying to

themselves, “Preach, Sir, as you may, you will never comfort me–youmay tell
me of love and mercy, but I shall never be cheered. I am chilled through my
very marrow, as though the frost of death had smitten me–I am unable now to
hope, or even to pray–my desires are all but dead. Like a frozen corpse is my
soul.”
And it is implied, too, that such death itself is very near, for those who are in
the shadow of a thing are near to the thing itself. And the sinner, bewildered
and amazed at the guilt of his sin, is only sure of one thing–and that is that he
is in immediate danger of being castinto Hell. I have known some afraid to
shut their eyes at night, lest they should open them in torment. Others have
been afraid to go to their beds, lest their couchshould become their coffin.
They have not knownwhat to do, by reasonof depressionof spirit. Job’s
language has been theirs, “My soul is wearyof my life.”
It is clearto me that the description of the text very accuratelypictures many
of the sons of men. I pray God that none of you poor darkened souls may be
so foolish as to try to exclude yourself from it, though such is the perversity of
despondencythat I greatly fear you may do so. Howeversmall we make the
meshes of the Gospelnet, there are certain little fish that will find a way of
escaping from its blessedtoils. Though we try to meet the character, we miss it
through the singular dexterity of despair.
The fact is that when a man is sin-sick, his soul abhors all manner of meat,
and unless the BelovedPhysicianshall interpose, he will die of famine with the
Breadof Life spread out before him. DearFriends, may the Lord visit you
with His saving health, and give to the saddestof you joy and peace in
believing.
II. Having given the description of those in the darkness, letus now pass on to
the secondpoint. FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN A WORSE CONDITION
THAN OTHERS THERE IS HOPE AND LIGHT. To the benighted land of
Zabulon and Naphtali the Gospelcame, and evermore to souls wrapt in gloom
the Gospelhas come as a cheering and guiding light. And there are good
reasons why it should be so. For, first, among such people the Gospelhas
reaped very rich fruit. Among barbarous nations Christ has won great
trophies. The poor Karens are wonders of Divine Grace. The cannibals of the
South Sea Islands are miracles of mercy–and among the once enslaved
Ethiopians there are warm and loving hearts which rejoice in Jesus'name.
In this city, I will venture to say that no Churches reflect more honor upon the
Master’s name than those which have been gatheredfrom among the destitute
districts. What wonders God has done by that blessedChurch in Golden

Lane, under our dear brother Orsman! What conversions have taken place in
connectionwith the mission churches of St. Giles'and Whitechapel–Churches
made of the poorestof the poor and the lowestof the low. God is glorified
when the thief and the harlot are washedand cleansedand made obedient to
the Law of Christ. When those who are healed stand at the pastor’s side, even
ribald tongues are silent, or are made to exclaim, “Whathas God worked?”
The same is true of persons mentally depressed, who are despairing of
themselves–manysuch have been converted. Some of us were brought very
low before we found the Savior–lowerwe could not well have been–we were
emptied like a dish that a man wipes and turns upside down. We had not even
a drop of hope left in us. But we rejoice in Christ today and we say to
despairing souls–weare personalwitnessesthat Christ has savedsuch as you
are–He has in our case causedlight to shine on those who satin darkness, and
out of death’s coldshade into life’s full light He has brought us as prisoners of
hope. And, therefore, He can do the same with you. Be of goodcourage, there
is hope for you!
It is a further consolationto sad hearts that many promises are made to such
characters, evento those who are most dark. How precious is that word,
“Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.” Is not that made for you, you burdened and laboring sinners? What do
you sayto that gracious word–“Whenthe poor and needy seek water, and
there is none, and their tongue fails for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the
God of Jacobwill not forsake them”? Is there no light in that word of love–
“Let the wickedforsakehis way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and
let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him. And to our
God, for He will abundantly pardon”?
Is there no music in this passage–“Whois a God like unto You, that pardons
iniquity, and passes by the transgressionof the remnant of His heritage? He
retains not His angerforever, because He delights in mercy. He will turn
again, He will have compassionupon us. He will subdue our iniquities. And
You will castall their sins into the depths of the sea”? I remember when my
soul was stayedfor weeksonthat one short word, “Whoevercalls upon the
Lord, shall be saved.” I knew I did call on His name, and therefore I hoped to
see His salvation. Many have laid hold and restedthemselves on this faithful
saying, “Him that comes to Me, I will in no wise castout.”
He will receive any “him” or “her” in all the world that comes, be he or she
ever so defiled. That also is a rich word, “He is able to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make
intercessionfor them.” What a word was that of our Masterwhen He

commanded His disciples to preach the Gospelto every creature, beginning at
Jerusalem!They were to commence their labors among His murderers,
among hypocritical Phariseesand proud Herodians. They were to begin
where the devil reigned most supreme, and to present Christ to the worst
sinners first.
Don’t you see, then, that greatsinners, so far from being excluded, are just
those to whom the Good News is to be first published? Be of goodcomfort,
then, you that sit in darkness–thereare specialpromises for you. Moreover,
remember that the conversionof the more deplorably dark and despairing
brings the highest degree of glory to God. When His Glory passes by greatsin,
then it is mercy, indeed. Where it is greatly displaced, it is greatly extolled.
Many are savedby Christ in whom the change is not very apparent, and
consequentlybut little fame is brought to the GoodPhysician through it. But,
oh, if He will have mercy upon yonder mourner who has been these ten years
in despair. If He will say, “Woman, you are loosedfrom your infirmities,” the
whole parish will ring with it!
If Jesus will come and save that evil, ignorant sinner, whom everybody knows
because he has become a pest and a nuisance to the town. If such a demoniac
has the devil castout of him, how all men will say, “This is the finger of God.”
Yes, a poor wretch brought back again, as the sixty-eighth Psalmhas it, “from
Bashan, and from the depths of the sea,” is a splendid trophy to the
conquering powerof Almighty Grace. God’s greatobjectis to glorify His
greatname. And, as this is best accomplishedwhenHis mercy delivers the
worstcases,there is surely hope for those who sit in darkness, bound in
affliction and iron.
Moreover, whenthey happily behold the light, such persons frequently
become eminently useful to others. Their experience aids them in counseling
others and their gratitude makes them eagerto do so. O sweetLight, how
precious are You to blind eyes, when they are newly opened. You do not know
what it is to be blind–thank God that you do not–there are some here,
however, who painfully know what constantdarkness is. It is a grievous
privation–but when their eyes are opened, as they will be in another state, and
they see that best of sights, the King in His beauty, how sweetwill Light be to
them!–
“Nights and days of total blindness
Are their portion here below.
Beams of love from eyes of kindness,
Neverhere on earth they know.
But on high they shall behold

Angels tuning harps of gold.
Rapture to the new-born sight!
Jesus in celestiallight!
So, when the spiritual eye has long been dim and we have mourned and wept
for sin, but could not behold a Savior, light is sweetbeyond expression. And
because it is so sweetthere is a necessitywithin the enlightened soul to tell
others the joyful news! When a man has deeply felt the evil of sin and has at
length obtained mercy, he cries with David, “Then will I teach transgressors
Your ways, and sinners shall be convertedunto You.” John Bunyan’s
impulse, when he found the Savior, was to tell the crows on the plowedground
about it, and he lived to do better than talk to crows, for day by day, from
generationto generation, his works proclaim the Friend of sinners, who leads
them from the City of Destructionto the Celestialglory.
Zealous saints are usually those who once were in greatdarkness. Theysee
what Divine Grace has done for them, and for that very reasonthey feelan
attachment to their dear Lord and Masterwhich they might never had felt if
they had not once sat in the valley of the shadow of death. So, poor troubled
ones, for these reasons, and fifty more I might bring if time did not fail me,
there is hope for you.
III. But now, the best part of our discourse comes under the third head. THE
TRUE LIGHT FOR A SOUL IN DARKNESS IS ALL IN CHRIST. Hear the
text–“The people which sat in darkness saw greatLight.” Now Christ is not
only Light, but greatLight. He reveals greatthings, He manifests great
comforts, saves us from great sin and greatwrath, and prepares us for great
glory. He is, however, a Saviorthat must be seen. “The people that satin
darkness saw greatLight.” Light is of no use unless it is seen. Faith must
graspthe blessings which the Savior brings. “Look unto Me, and be you
saved, all you ends of the earth.” We must see the Saviorwith a glance of
faith–then we have Light. Let us considerhow clearly Christ Jesus Himself is
the Light of every believing eye, and delivers the most troubled soul from its
misery.
In Him is light, and the Light is the light of men. Jesus personallyis the day-
dawn and the morning without clouds. First, there is Light in Christ’s name
for a troubled sinner. What is it? Jesus. Jesus, a Savior!I am a sinner lost and
ruined, but I rejoice, for Jesus has come to seek and to save that which was
lost! My sins trouble me, but He shall save His people from their sins. Satan
annoys me, but He has come to destroy the works of the devil. He is not a
nominal, but a real Savior. We know captains and colonels who have no
troops, and never saw fighting, but not so the Captain of our salvation!He

brings many sons unto Glory. If a man is calleda builder, we expect him to
build. If a merchant, we expecthim to trade. And as Jesus is a Savior, He will
carry on His sacredbusiness–He will save multitudes.
Why, surely there is comfortable hope here! Do you not see the dawning in the
name of Savior? Surely if He comes to save, and you need saving, there is a
blessedsuitability in you for one another. A prisoner at the bar is glad to meet
one who is by professionan advocate. A ship out of its track welcomes a pilot.
A traveler lost on the moors is delighted if he meets one who is by trade a
guide. And so a sinner should rejoice at the bare mention of a Savior.
There is similar encouragementin the secondname, Christ, for it means
Anointed. Our Lord Jesus is not an amateur Savior who has come here
without a commissionfrom God. He is not an adventurer, who sets up on his
own accountto do a kind of work for which he is not qualified–no, the Spirit
of the Lord is upon Jesus, for the Lord has anointed Him to this work of
saving souls. He is Jesus Christ, whom God has sent. God the Father has
sealedHim. He spoke notof Himself, but God who is with Him, and in Him.
Why, BelovedFriend, now that I am in the Light I can see a whole sun full of
splendor in that double name Jesus Christ!
And yet I fear that those who are in darkness may not perceive it. Whom God
anoints to save must surely be both able and willing to save the guilty. This
name is as the morning star! Look at it, and know that day is near. It has such
joy in it that misery itself ought to leap with holy mirth at the sound of it. It is
our delightful task to add that there is light for those who sit in darkness in
our Lord’s Personand Nature. Mark right well who this Jesus Christ is. He is
in the constitution of His Personboth God and man, Divine and human–equal
with God and fellow with man. Do you not see in this fact the love of God, that
He should be willing to take humanity into union with Himself?
If God becomes Man, He does not hate men, but has love towards them. Do
you not see the suitability of Christ to deal with you, for He is like yourself a
Man, touched with the feeling of your infirmities? Born of a human mother,
He hung at a woman’s breast. He suffered hunger and thirst and weariness.
And, dead and buried in the tomb, He was partakerin our doom as wellas
our sorrow. Jesus ofNazarethwas most truly a Man–He is bone of our bone
and flesh of your flesh. O Sinner, look into the face of the Man of Sorrows and
you must trust Him!
Since He is also God, you see there His power to carry on the work of
salvation. He touches you with the hand of His humanity, but He touches the
Almighty with the hand of His Deity. He is Man, and feels your needs. He is

God, and is able to supply them. Is anything too tender for His heart of love?
Is anything too hard for His hand of power? When the Lord Himself, that
made the heavens and dug the foundations of the earth, comes to be your
Savior, there remains no difficulty in your being saved!Omnipotence cannot
know a difficulty, and, O Sinner, to an Omnipotent Saviorit is not hard to
save even you! A look of faith will give you perfect pardon. A touch of the hem
of the Redeemer’s garmentwill heal you at once. Come, then, and trust the
Incarnate God. Castyourself into His arms at once.
There is light, moreover, in His offices, and, indeed, a brightness of Glory
which a little thought will soonperceive. What are His offices? I cannot stayto
mention a tithe of them, but one of them is that of Mediator. Your soul longs
to speak to God and find acceptancewith Him, but you are afraid to venture
into His terrible Presence.I wonder not at your fear, for “evenour God is a
consuming fire.” But be of goodcomfort, the way of accessis open, and there
is One who will go in unto the King with you, and open His mouth on your
behalf. Jesus has interposed and filled the greatgulf which yawnedbetween
the sinner and his righteous Judge. His blood has paved the crimson way. His
Cross has bridged eachstream. His Personis the highway for those who
would draw near to God.
Now, as Christ Jesus is the Mediator betweenGod and man, and you want
one, take Him and you will have Light at once. You desire, also, this day a
sacrifice to make atonement for your iniquities. That, also, you will find in
Christ. God must punish sin. Every transgressionmust receive its just
recompense ofreward. But, lo, Christ has come, and as the ScapegoatHe has
carried sin away. As the sin-offering He has removed transgression. Is not this
goodnews? But I hear you saythat your sins are too many and great. Do you,
then, foolishly think that Christ is a sin-bearer for the innocent? That would
be ridiculous!
Do you suppose that Christ bore little sins only? That is to make Him a little
Savior. Beware ofthis! No, but mountain sins, Heaven-defying sins, were laid
on Him when He hung upon the tree, and for these He made effectual
Atonement. Is there no Light in all this? Moreover, to mention only one other
office, our Lord is an Intercessor. Perhaps one of your greatestdifficulties is
that you cannotpray. You say, “I cannot put a dozen words together. If I
groan, I fear I do not feelin my heart what I ought to feel.” Well, there is One
who can pray for you if you cannotfor yourself. Give Him your cause to
plead, and do not doubt but that it shall succeed. Godgrantyou Grace, as you
see eachoffice of Christ, to perceive that it has a bright side for sinners.

I doubt not that light streams continually from every part of the sun to cheer
the worlds that revolve around it. So, from the whole of Christ there issues
forth comfort for poor and needy souls. He delights in mercy. He is a Savior
and a greatone. He is all love, all tenderness, all pity, all goodness. And the
very chief of sinners, if they do but see Him, shall see Light.
Once again, if you want Light, think of His Characteras the meek and lowly
Savior. Little children loved Him. He calledthem and they willingly came, for
He was meek and lowly of heart. O Sinner, could He refuse you? Do you think
He could give you a hard word and send you about your business if you were
to seek mercy today? It could not be! It is not in the nature of Him, who was
both the Sonof Godand the Son of Man, everto repel a heart that gladly
would cling to Him. Until He has once actedharshly to a coming sinner, you
have no right to dream of His rejecting you if you come to Him. Think for a
minute of His life. He was “separate from sinners,” we are told, and yet it is
elsewhere saidof Him, “this man receives sinners, and eats with them.”
Friend of sinners was His name, and is still. Think of that self-denying life
spent among the sick and the sinful for their good. And then think of His
death, for here the Light of Grace is focused. The Cross, like a burning-glass,
concentrates the light and heat of Christ’s love upon the sinner. See Him
agonizing in the garden for sins that were not His own–see Him scourgedwith
awful flagellations for transgressions in which He had no share. Behold Him
bleeding and dying on the tree for His enemies–Suffererforiniquities in
which He never was a participator–forin Him was no sin.
It must be true that God can save me, if Christ has died in the place of the
guilty. This argument has killed my unbelief. I cannotdisbelieve when I see
Incarnate God suffering for the guilty, the Just for the unjust, to bring them
to God–
“Sinners!Come, the Savior see,
Hands, feet, side, and temples view.
See Him bleeding on the tree,
See His heart on fire for you!
View awhile, then hasten away,
Find a thousand more, and say–
Come, you sinners! Come with me,
View Him bleeding on the tree.”
I wish it were in my powerto conveythe Light which I see in the Cross into
the mental eyeballs of all my hearers, but I cannot. God the Holy Spirit must
do it. Yet, Beloved, if ever you getLight, it will be in this way–Christmust be

a greatLight to you. Nobody ever found light by raking in his own inward
darkness. Thatis, indeed, seeking the living among the dead. You may rake as
long as ever you will among the embers of your depravity before you will find
a spark of goodthere. Away from self! Away from your own resolutions!
Away from your own prayers, repentances, andfaith! Away to Christ on the
Cross must you look!
All your hope and help are laid on Immanuel’s shoulders. You are nothing.
Not a rag nor a thread of your own righteousness willdo. Christ’s robe of
righteousness must coveryou from head to foot. Blow out your paltry candles!
Put out the sparks which you have vainly kindled, for behold the Sun is risen!
“Arise, shine. For your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon
you.” You want no other light than that of Jesus–dreamofno other. Give up
self, give up self-hope–be in utter despair of anything that you can do. And
now, whether you sink or swim, throw yourself into the sea of Christ’s love–
rest in Him and you shall never perish, neither shall any pluck you from His
hands–
“Castyour deadly ‘doing’ down,
Downat Jesus'feet,
Stand in him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete.”
IV. But, lastly, we would say to every poor soul in darkness, you need be in
darkness no longer. For LIGHT IS ALL AROUND YOU–it has already
“sprung up.” What a mercy, my dear despairing Hearer, that you are not in
Hell! You might have been there–many no worse than you are there. And yet,
here you are in the land of hope. This day God does not deal with you
according to the Law, but after the Gospelfashion. You are not come to Sinai
this morning–no burning mountain is before you–and no tones of thunder
peal from it. You are come unto Mount Zion, where the Mediatorof the New
Covenantspeaks peace andpardon.
I have no commissionto curse you, but I have distinct authority from my
Masterto bid you come and receive His blessing. On Zion’s top today you
have come to the blood of sprinkling. You might have been calledto the blood
of your own execution! No devils are around you–just an innumerable
company of angels who wish you well. See that you refuse not him that speaks.
Remember, dear Hearers, that today the Gospelcommand is sent to you all.
You that are most despairing–youare bid to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Prove that,” you say. I prove it thus–He bade His disciples go into all the
world and preach the Gospelto every creature.

You are a creature, therefore we preach it to you. And what is the Gospel?
Why, just this–“He that believes and is baptized, shall be saved. He that
believes not shall be damned.” That Gospel, then, comes to you–God
commands all men, everywhere, to repent. O what mercy it is that the Light of
the Gospelshines around you still! Will you shut your eyes to it? I beseech
you, do not! Moreover, the provisions of the Gospel, which are full of light and
love, are all around you at this moment. If you will now believe in Christ
Jesus, everysin that you have committed shall be forgiven you for His
namesake.
You shall be to God as though you had never sinned. The precious blood shall
make you as white as snow. “But that will not suffice,” says one, “forGod
righteously demands obedience to His holy Law, and I have not kept His
Commandments. Therefore I am weighedin the balances and found
wanting.” You shall have a perfect righteousness inone moment if you believe
in Jesus, “evenas David also describes the blessednessofthe man unto whom
God imputes righteousness withoutworks.” Happy is the man to whom Jesus
Christ is made wisdom and righteousness, and He is so to everyone that
believes."
“There is, therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
“Ah,” you say, “but I have a bad heart and an evil nature.” If you believe,
your nature is changedalready, “A new heart also will I give them, and a
right spirit will I put within them.” “They shall also walk in My judgments,
and observe My statutes, and do them.” He canchange you so that you shall
scarcelyknow yourself. You shall be a new creature in Christ Jesus. Old
things shall pass away and all things shall become new. He will take awaythe
heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh.
“Alas,” you say, “even this is not enough, for I shall never hold on in the ways
of righteousness, but shall go back unto perdition.” Hear, O Trembler, these
gracious words–“Iwillput my fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart
from Me.” And what says our Lord, Himself? He says, “Theyshall never
perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand.” “The waterthat I shall
give him shall be in him a well of waterspringing up unto everlasting life.”
“But what, if I go astray?” asks one. ThenHe will heal your backslidings,
receive you graciously, and love you freely. “He restores my soul.” He will not
suffer even His wandering sheepto perish, but once againwill He put them in
the right way. “Ah, but my soul-poverty is deep, and my wants will be too
great.” How can you saythis? Is He not the God All-Sufficient? Has the arm
of the Lord waxedshort! Did He not furnish a table in the wilderness? Is it
not written, “My God shall supply all your need?” He shall cause all Grace to

abound towards you. “Fearnot you worm, Jacob, I will help you, says the
Lord.”
“Ah, but,” says one, “I shall surely be afraid to die, for I am afraid of it even
now.” “He that lives and believes in Me, victory. Having loved His own which
are in the world, He will love them to the end. You shall have such faith in
dying moments that you shall say–"O Death, where is your sting? O Grave,
where is your victory?” “But you do not mean me,” says one.
I mean you that sit in darkness, you that are ignorant, you that are depressed,
you that have no goodthing of your own, you that cannothelp yourselves, you
lost ones, you condemned ones, I mean you! And this is God’s messageto you–
“Godsent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.” “WhomGod has setforth to be a
Propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness forthe
remissionof sins that are past, through the forbearance ofGod. To declare, I
say, at this time His righteousness:that He might be just, and the Justifier of
him which believes in Jesus.” “He that believes on Him is not condemned.”
Oh, come, you guilty ones!For He is ready to forgive you. Come, you filthy!
The fountain is ready for your cleansing. Come, you sorrowfulones, since joy
is prepared–His oxen and fatlings are killed, for all things are ready–come to
the feastof love. But I hear you say, “I must surely do something.” Have done
with your doings! Take Christ’s doings. “Oh, but I do not feel as I should.”
Have done with your feelings–Christ’s feelings onthe Cross must save you,
not your own feelings. “Oh, but I am so vile.” He came to save the vile–
“Come, in all your filthy garments,
Tarry not to cleanse ormend.
Come, in all your destitution,
As you are, and He’ll befriend.
By the Tempter’s vain allurements,
Be no longeryou beguiled–
God the Father waits to own you
As His dear adopted child.”
“But I have been an adulterer, I have been a thief, I have been a
whoremonger, and everything that is bad.” Be it so,yetit is a faithful saying,
and worthy of all acceptationthat Christ Jesus came into the world to save
SINNERS. All manner of sin and of blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men. It
is true that you are very much worse then you think you are–youmay tell me
you are horribly bad, but you have no idea how bad you are–youdeserve the
hottest place in Hell. But it is to you the mercy is sent! To you, Man! To you,

Woman! To you who have defiled yourself with all manner of unmentionable
enormities–evento you!
Thus says the Lord, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions,
and as a cloud your sins. Return unto Me and I will have mercy upon you.” I
cannot saymore. I wish I had the power to speak, I was about to say, with the
tongues of men and of angels, but I have such a blessedmessageto deliver to
you that I feel it need not fancy words. The messageitselfis all that is needed
if the Spirit blesses it. Oh, do not rejectit, I beseechyou, you guilty ones!You
despairing ones, do not turn from it! Put not awayfrom you the kingdom lest
you prove yourselves unworthy, and bring upon yourselves wrath unto the
uttermost. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eatthe goodof the land.
Receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior, now, on the spot. May God the Holy
Spirit lead you to do this, for Jesus'sake. Amen. PORTIONSOF
SCRIPTURE READ BEFORESERMON–Matthew 4:12-25, and5:1-12.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Extremes Of Light And Darkness
Matthew 4:16
P.C. Barker
The interval betweenthe place of this verse and the close ofthe three
temptations is considerable, and is not evident from the passagebefore us. It is
also even obscuredby the order of the verses here. Much history belongs to
the gapbetweenvers. 11 and 12. The seventeenthverse, as regards the matter
of it, follows the twelfth. That, again, begs the fuller explanations of Matthew
14:3-5; and lastly, after all the history of Jesus visiting the synagogue ofthat
Nazareth"where he had been brought up," given us in Luke 4:16-31, the
proper chronologicalplace of our vers. 13-16 is found. The one chief factof
history revealedby these verses is to the intent that Jesus, forwhatsoever
reason, takes up his abode in Capernaum; and certainly one chief moral
significance is exhibited as attaching to that fact, namely, that so far from
being an enlightened place, or a little more enlightened haply than some
others, it was in and of itself, as also of the announcement of signalprophecy,
the head-quarters and metropolis of darkness. The place wan dark, the

district was dark, the people were dark - they even "satin darkness." This
spot was the principal residence ofJesus, this district the principal scene of his
ministry, and "mighty works" and"gracious words." Notice in this prophetic
announcement, now reduced to fact -
I. A SPLENDID ILLUSTRATION OF ONE LEADING METHOD
FOLLOWED BY CHRISTIANITY FOR THE REGENERATION OF
MANKIND. The Light comes to the darkness, though it take the darkness a
long time to "comprehend" it.
II. A CONVINCING ILLUSTRATION OF THE GENUINELY
CONDESCENDINGCHARACTER OF THE FOUNDER AND EXEMPLAR
OF CHRISTIANITY. The personalLight comes to those thick-coveredand
sunk in the very degradationof darkness, and endures patiently all the
consequence.
III. A CONSUMMATE ILLUSTRATION OF THE THRILLING
RESPONSIBILITYTHAT GATHERS UPON MEN ON WHOM
CHRISTIAN GIFT IS BESTOWED. Light itself is offered them - the light of
(1) correctinformation about themselves;
(2) correctinstruction about their Help and Deliverer;
(3) perfect holiness and goodness;
(4) a perfect Example and Model;
(5) the unseen future and eternal. These are the things that make
responsibility. - B.
Biblical Illustrator

Sat in darkness.
Matthew 4:16
Darkness andlight
A. Tucker.
I. The DEEP DARKNESS which envelops the world without the gospel.
"Darkness" and "the region of the shadow of death," striking emblems of
error, ignorance, sin, guilt, misery, danger.
1. The heathen world is in this darkness (Romans 1:18-32).
2. In the very midst of Christendom there is this darkness. Home heathenism,
etc. The condition of all unregenerate men.
II. The UPRISING OF A GLORIOUS LIGHT for the transformation of the
darkness. There is no redeeming principle in man's apostate nature. But for
the prospects openedby the gospel, there must be the darkness offinal and
absolute despair. Materialism, etc., are as powerless as the ancient systems to
reachthe conscienceandrenew the heart (Isaiah 38:17; Isaiah45:8, and
others). But glorious is the view in the text, etc. Concerning this light, observe
—
1. Its source. The gospelis "light," and this marks its divinity. "Godwho
commanded," etc.
2. Its adaptation: To every stage ofhuman society;to the common wants of
man — instruction, comfort, etc.; to every order of mind; to every possible
condition, etc. The gospeloffers pardon for the guilty, etc.
3. Its diffusiveness. A " greatlight" — penetrating. Progressofthe gospelin
apostolic times, etc. In how many dark places has "light sprung up," etc.
4. Its efficacy. Nota dead letter, but " the power of God," etc.It will finally
prevail — "All the ends of the earth shall see,"etc.
1. Has the Sight arisen upon your soul?
2. Are you manifesting it in your life, etc.?
3. Are you doing what you can to communicate it to others?
(A. Tucker.)
Light for those who sit in darkness
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. SOME SOULS ARE IN GREATER DARKNESSTHAN OTHERS.

1. The darkness of ignorance.
2. The darkness of error.
3. The gloom of discomfort and sorrow, attendedwith fear.
4. Hopelessness, "satin darkness."
5. In the regionof death.
II. For those who are in a worse condition than others THERE IS HOPE AND
LIGHT.
1. In barbarous nations Christ has won greatvictories.
2. In the worsthearts Christ has dawned.
3. When these have beheld the light, they frequently become eminently useful
to others.
4. The conversionof the deplorably dark brings the highest degree of glory to
God.
III. The true light for a soul in darkness is ALL IN CHRIST.
1. There is light in Christ's name for a troubled sinner.
2. In His personand nature.
3. In His offices.
4. In His character.
IV. The poor soul in darkness neednot despair, FOR LIGHT IS ALL
AROUND YOU. It has already "sprung up."
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
COMMENTARIES
BensonCommentary
Matthew 4:16. The people who sat in darkness — They whose predecessors
were afflicted by the Assyrians, and who, before Christ visited them, were
captives of Satan, and had lived in gross ignorance ofGod and religion, being
far from Jerusalem, the place of worship, and intermixed with the Tyrians,
Sidonians, and other wickedheathen: saw a greatlight — This is spokenby
Isaiahin the prophetic style, which represents things future as already
accomplished, becausecertainlyto be accomplished. This whole country had

been overspreadwith spiritual darkness, but, by the example and preaching
of Christ, the day-spring from on high visited it, diffusing among its
inhabitants knowledge and holiness, and guiding their feet into the way of
peace. “There were severalreasons,” saysDr. Macknight, “whichmight
determine Jesus to be so much about the sea of Galilee. 1st, The countries
which surrounded this sea were large, fertile, and populous, especiallythe two
Galilees. For, according to Josephus, Bell., Matthew 3:2, they alone had many
towns, and a multitude of villages, the leastof which contained above 15,000
souls. On the eastside of the lake were Chorazin, Gadara, and Hippon; on the
west, Capernaum, Tiberias, Bethsaida, and Tarrichea, with other places of
inferior note. Wherefore, as it was agreeable to the end of Christ’s coming
that his doctrine should be spread extensively, and his miracles wrought
publicly, no country could be a fitter scene forhis ministry than this. Besides
its numerous inhabitants, there were at all times many strangers resorting to
the trading towns on the lake, who, after hearing Jesus preach, couldcarry
home with them the glad tidings of salvationwhich were the subjects of his
sermons. Capernaum, chosenby Christ as the place of his residence, was a
town of this kind, and much frequented. 2d, The countries round the lake
were remote from Jerusalem, the seatof the scribes and Pharisees, who would
not have borne with patience the presence ofa teacherheld in such estimation
as Jesus deservedlywas. We know this by what happened in the beginning of
his ministry, when he made and baptized many disciples in Judea. They took
such offence at it, that he was obligedto leave the country. Wherefore, as it
was necessarythat he should spend a considerable time in preaching and
working miracles, both for the confirmation of his mission, and for the
instruction of his disciples in the doctrines they were afterwardto preach,
these countries were, of all others, the most proper for him to reside in, or
rather, they were the only places where he could be with safety for any time.”
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
4:12-17 It is just with God to take the gospeland the means of grace, from
those that slight them and thrust them away. Christ will not stay long where
he is not welcome. Those who are without Christ, are in the dark. They were
sitting in this condition, a contentedposture; they chose it rather than light;
they were willingly ignorant. When the gospelcomes, lightcomes;when it
comes to any place, when it comes to any soul, it makes day there. Light
discovers and directs; so does the gospel. The doctrine of repentance is right
gospeldoctrine. Not only the austere John Baptist, but the gracious Jesus,
preachedrepentance. There is still the same reasonto do so. The kingdom of

heaven was not reckonedto be fully come, till the pouring out of the Holy
Spirit after Christ's ascension.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
The people which satin darkness - This is an expressiondenoting great
ignorance.
As in darkness ornight we can see nothing, and know not where to go, so
those who are ignorant of God and their duty are said to be in darkness. The
instruction which removes this ignorance is calledlight. See John3:19; 1 Peter
2:9; 1 John 1:5; 1 John 2:8. As ignorance is often connectedwith crime and
vice, so darkness is sometimes used to denote sin, 1 Thessalonians 5:5;
Ephesians 5:11; Luke 22:53.
Saw greatlight - That is, as the passageis employed by Matthew, the light
under the Messiahwouldspring up among them. In that regionhe grew up,
and in that regionhe preacheda greatpart of his discourses andperformed a
greatpart of his miracles.
The regionand shadow of death - This is a forcible and beautiful image,
designedalso to denote ignorance and sin. It is often used in the Bible, and is
very expressive. A "shadow" is causedby an objectcoming betweenus and
the sun. So the Hebrews imaged death as standing betweenus and the sun,
and casting a long, dark, and baleful shadow abroad on the face of the
nations, denoting their greatignorance, sin, and woe.. It denotes a dismal,
gloomy, and dreadful shade, where death and sin reign, like the chills, damps,
and horrors of the dwelling-place of the dead. See Job10:21; Job16:16; Job
34:22;Psalm 23:4; Jeremiah2:6. See also the notes at Isaiah9:2. These
expressions denote that the country of Galilee was especiallydark. We know
that the people were proverbially ignorant and stupid. They were
distinguished for a coarse, outlandishmanner of speechMark 14:70, and are
representedas having been also distinguished by a generalprofligacyof
morals and manners. It shows the great compassionofthe Saviour, that he
went to preach to such poor and despisedsinners. Instead of seeking the rich
and the learned, he chose to minister to the needy, the ignorant, and the
contemned. His office is to enlighten the ignorant; his delight to guide the
wandering, and to raise up those that are in the shadow of death. In doing
this, Jesus setan example for all his followers. It is their duty to seek out those
who are sitting in the shadow of death, and to send the gospelto them. No
small part of the world is still lying in wickedness -as wickedand wretchedas
was the land of Zabulon and Naphthali in the time of Jesus. The Lord Jesus is
able to enlighten them also, and every Christian should regard it a privilege,

as well as a duty, to imitate his Saviour in this, and to be permitted to send to
them the light of life. See Matthew 28:19.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
16. The people which satin darkness saw greatlight; and to them which sat in
the regionand shadow of death light is sprung up—The prophetic strain to
which these words belong commences withthe seventh chapter of Isaiah, to
which the sixth chapter is introductory, and goes downto the end of the
twelfth chapter, which hymns the spirit of that whole strain of prophecy. It
belongs to the reign of Ahaz and turns upon the combined efforts of the two
neighboring kingdoms of Syria and Israelto crush Judah. In these critical
circumstances Judahand her king were, by their ungodliness, provoking the
Lord to sell them into the hands of their enemies. What, then, is the burden of
this prophetic strain, on to the passage here quoted? First, Judah shall not,
cannot perish, because Immanuel, the Virgin's Son, is to come forth from his
loins. Next, one of the invaders shall soonperish, and the kingdoms of neither
be enlarged. Further, while the Lord will be the Sanctuary of such as confide
in these promises and await their fulfilment, He will drive to confusion,
darkness, and despair the vast multitude of the nation who despisedHis
oracles, and, in their anxiety and distress, betook themselves to the lying
oracles ofthe heathen. This carries us down to the end of the eighth chapter.
At the opening of the ninth chapter a sudden light is seenbreaking in upon
one particular part of the country, the part which was to suffer most in these
wars and devastations—"the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, the
way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee and the Gentiles." The rest of the
prophecy stretches overboth the Assyrian and the Chaldeancaptivities and
terminates in the glorious Messianicprophecyof the eleventh chapter and the
choralhymn of the twelfth chapter. Well, this is the point seized on by our
Evangelist. By Messiah's taking up His abode in those very regions of Galilee,
and shedding His glorious light upon them, this prediction, He says, of the
Evangelicalprophet was now fulfilled; and if it was not thus fulfilled, we may
confidently affirm it was not fulfilled in any age of the Jewishceremony, and
has receivedno fulfilment at all. Even the most rationalistic critics have
difficulty in explaining it in any other way.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Ver. 14-16. The text in Isaiah 9:1,2, where the words are, Nevertheless the
dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly
afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did
more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of
the nations. The people that walkedin darkness have seena great light: they

that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
The Jews make a greatmany objections againstthe application of this text
unto Christ, as indeed they do againstthe application of all texts cited out of
the Old Testamentby the evangelists. Christians, believing that the evangelists
being holy men, who wrote not from a private spirit private interpretations,
have not any reasonto regard what their interest leadeththem to object:but
even Christian interpreters are divided in their sentiments whether these
words are said to be fulfilled, in this motion of Christ unto Galilee, in a literal,
or typical, or a more improper and analogicalsense;nor is it any greatmatter
with which of them we agree. Formy own part, I see no reasonwhy Isaiah 9:2
should not be literally understood of and applied unto Christ. There is nothing
more ordinary in the prophets, than, after a threatening of judgment and
captivity unto the people, to comfort such as feared God amongstthem with
promises of the Messiah, and the spiritual salvationwhich was to be brought
in. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali suffered much by Benhadad, 1 Kings
15:20, and more by Tiglath-pileser, 2 Kings 15:29, before the generalcaptivity
of the ten tribes, 2 Kings 17:6. The Lord by the prophet, Isaiah8:1-22, had
been threatening this generalcaptivity; possibly the prophet might saythe
affliction of those parts should not be so greatas the secondmentioned, 2
Kings 15:29; because by the story it seems they were generallycarried into
captivity before the more generaldestruction of the other tribes there. Saith
he, This darkness shallbe abundantly hereaftercompensated, by the coming
of the Messiah, andpreaching amongstthis people;who living at a great
distance from Jerusalem, never had such a light as some other parts of Judea,
and first drank of the cup of God’s wrath in their captivity. It was called
Galilee of the Gentiles, because it was near to the men of Tyre, who were
Gentiles, and had doubtless in it a greatermixture of Gentiles than any other
part of Canaan, ever since Solomongave Hiram twenty cities in this Galilee, 1
Kings 9:11.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
The people which satin darkness,....The inhabitants of Galilee, who sat or
"walked",as in Isaiah;that is, continued in spiritual darkness, in ignorance,
blindness, error, and infidelity, "saw greatlight";Christ himself, who came a
light into the world; he conversedwith them, preachedunto them, and opened
the eyes of their understandings to behold his glory, and to know him, and
salvationby him.

And to them which satin the regionand shadow of death: the same persons
who sit in darkness, sit also in the region of death; for such are dead in
trespassesandsins: where there is no spiritual light, there is no spiritual life,
and such are in dangerof the seconddeath; but the happiness of these people
was, that to them "light is sprung up", like the rising sun, and this without
their asking or seeking for:Christ, the sun of righteousness, aroseupon them,
without any desert, desire, or expectationof theirs, with healing in his wings;
and cured them of their darkness and deadness, turned them from darkness
to light, and causedthem to pass from death to life. "Light" is not only a
characterunder which Christ frequently goes in the New Testament, see John
1:4 but is one of the names by which the Messiahwas knownunder the Old
Testament;see Daniel2:22 and which the Jews give unto him: says R, Aba (a)
Serungia, "and the light dwelleth with him"; this is the king Messiah. The
note of R. Sol. Jarchi on these words, "send forth thy light", is, the king
Messiah;who is compared to light, according to Psalm 132:17 the days of the
Messiahare by them said to (b) be "days of light"; and so these Galilaeans
found them to be; as all do, to whom the Gospelof Christ comes with power
and demonstration of the Spirit. And these days of light first begun in the land
of Zabulon which, according to Philo the Jew (c), was
"sumbolon fwtov, "a symbol of light"; since (adds he) its name signifies the
nature of night; but, the night removing, and departing, light necessarily
arises.''
As did, in a spiritual sense, here, when Christ the light arose.
(a) Bereshith Rabba, fol. 1. 3. & Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2.((b) BaalHatturim in
Gen. fol. 2. 2. (c) De Somniis, p. 1113.
Geneva Study Bible
The people which satin darkness saw greatlight; and to them which sat in the
regionand shadow of death light is sprung up.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 4:16. Ὁ λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος, κ.τ.λ.]In opposition to Γαλιλαία τῶν
ἐθνῶν, whose inhabitants are characterizedas darkened, that is, devoid of
divine truth, and sunk in ignorance and sin. The greatlight, however, which
these darkened ones saw is Jesus.
καὶ τοῖς καθημένοις,κ.τ.λ.]repeats the same thought, with the climactic
designationof darkness:ἐν χώρᾳ κ. σκιᾷ θανάτου, in the land and darkness,

which belong to death. Death, that is, spiritual death (Matthew 8:22, see on
Luke 15:24), the negationof that living activity which recognises the truth and
is morally determined, is personified; the land, whose inhabitants are
spiritually dead, belongs to it as the realm of its government, and darkness
surrounds it. The common interpretation of it as ἓν διὰ δυοῖν: “in regione etin
spissis quidem tenebris = in regione spissis tenebris obducta” (Fritzsche), is,
indeed, admissible (see Fritzsche, Exc. IV. p. 856;NägelsbachonHom. Il. iii.
100), but unnecessary, and takes awayfrom the poetic description, which is
certainly strongerand more vivid if θανάτου is connectednot merely with
σκιᾷ (‫ַצ‬‫ל‬ ְ‫מ‬ָ‫ו‬ֶ‫,ת‬ infernalis obscuritas, i.e. crassissima), but also with χώρᾳ. On the
significant καθήμενος, comp. Lam. l.c. Pind. Ol. i. 133:ἐν σκότῳ καθήμενος.
“Sedendiverbum aptum notandae solitudini inerti” (Bengel). Comp.
especially, Jacobs, adAnthol. VI. p. 397;Bremi, ad Dem. Phil. I. p. 119.
NägelsbachonHom. Il. i. 134.
αὐτοῖς]see Winer, p. 139 f. [E. T. 265];Buttmann, p. 125 [E. T. 381].
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 4:16. ἐν σκοτίᾳ:the darkness referredto, in the view of the
evangelist, is possibly that causedby the imprisonment of the Baptist
(Fritzsche). The consolationcomes in the form of a greaterlight, φῶς μέγα,
great, even the greatest. The thought is emphasisedby repetition and by
enhanceddescription of the benighted situation of those on whom the light
arises:“in the very home and shadow of death”; highly graphic and poetic,
not applicable, however, to the land of Galilee more than to other parts of the
land; descriptive of misery rather than of sin.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
16. the people which satin darkness]The invasion of Tiglathpileser, whom
Ahaz called in to assisthim againstRezin and Pekah, fell with great severity
on the Northern tribes (2 Kings 15:29). Yet even they are promised a great
deliverance [“there shall not hereafter be darkness in the land that was
distressed,” Isaiah9:1], in the first instance, by the destruction of
Sennacherib, from temporal distress (cp. Is. chs. 10 and 11 with ch. Matthew
9:1-6); secondly, by the advent of the Messiah, from spiritual darkness.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 4:16. Ὁ πορευόμενος, that walketh)There is here a threefold
ascending climax.[153]

[153]i.e. The three experssions usedin the latter clause ofthis sentence are
respectivelystrongerthan those used in the former clause.—(I. B)
First Clause.
SecondClause.
The people that Walketh
And on those sitting
In Darkness
In the Regionand Shadow of Death,
Hath seena GreatLight.
A Light hath arisen.
It is worse to sit, detained, in darkness, than to walk in it.[154]—εἶδε, hath
seen—φῶς, a Light[155])No one is savedexcepthe be illuminated [by that
Light]. See Acts 13:47.—καὶ τοῖς κυθημένοις, κ.τ.λ., andto those sitting, etc.)
The LXX. in Psalms 107(106):10, have καθημένους ἐν σκότει καὶ σκιᾷ
θανάτου, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. The verb to sit aptly
denotes a sluggishsolitude.—χώρᾳ καὶ σκιᾷ, regionand shadow) one thing
expressedby two words.[156]The natural situation of the country was low,
and such was also its spiritual condition.—ἈΝΈΤΕΙΛΕΝΑὐΤΟῖς, hath risen
upon them) In the original Hebrew it is ‫,הגנ‬ shines, upon them. This increased
force of expressioncorresponds with the epithet μέγα, great, in the preceding
clause.
[154]Unfortunately for this remark, there is no very ancient authority for
πορευόμενος. All the oldestMSS. and versions, Vulg., etc., read καθήμενος.
Lachm. and Tischend. do not even notice the former reading.—ED.

[155]“Which illumines the whole world.”—B. G. V.
[156]In the original, ἕν διὰ δυοῖν. See Explanation of TechnicalTerms.—(I.
B.)
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 16. - The people which sat; "who walk" (Hebrew). Saw greatlight; saw
a greatlight (RevisedVersion); unnecessarilyexceptas a matter of English,
for it canhardly mean a definite light, Messiah. Φῶς both here and in the next
clause means light as such. And to them which sat. So the Hebrew, but the
LXX. generallyοἱ κατοικοῦντες.In the regionand shadow of death. The
regionwhere death abides, and where it casts its thickestshade. The Hebrew
is simply "in the land of the shadow of death" (‫תראב‬ ‫,צלמות‬ according to the
traditional interpretation), which the present LXX. (Vatican) probably
represents (ἐν χώρᾳ σκιᾷ θανάτου), the ς of σκιᾶς having been misread before
θ. But copyists, not understanding this, inserted καὶ betweenχώρᾳ and σκιᾷ
(as in A), and this reading became popularly known, and was usedby the
evangelist. Thatthe reading of A was derived from the evangelistis unlikely,
for the reading σκιᾷ must, at all events, have been before his time. Light is
sprung up; to them, did light spring up (RevisedVersion); ἀνέτειλεν. The
tense emphasizes not the abiding effect(e.g. in the fact that so many of the
disciples were Galilaeans), but the moment of his appearance. The father of
the Baptistalso remembered this passageofIsaiah (Luke 1:78, 79, where cf.
Godet).
Vincent's Word Studies
The people which sat (ὁ καθήμενος)
Wyc., dwelt. The article with the participle (lit., the people, the one sitting)
signifying something characteristic orhabitual' the people whose
characteristic it was to sit in darkness. This thought is emphasized by
repetition in a strongerform; sitting in the region and shadow of Death. Death
is personified. This land, whose inhabitants are spiritually dead, belongs to
Deathas the realm of his government.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES

BRUCE HURT MD
Matthew 4:16 "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW
A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND
AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED."
in darkness:Ps 107:10-14 Isa 42:6,7 Isa 60:1-3 Mic 7:8 Lu 1:78,79 Lk 2:32
shadow:Job 3:5 10:22 34:22 Ps 44:19 Jer 13:16 Am 5:8
Matthew 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
JESUS IS THE
GREAT LIGHT
THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS - Where is light
generallyseenthe most obviously? In the darkness!The Galileans were sitting
in darkness, especiallyspiritual darkness. The centerof the Jewishreligion
was in Jerusalem, but sadly their "religious light" was a sham, a counterfeit,
powerless to save, and so they too were in darkness. The difference was the
Jews in Jerusalemthought they were in the "light" whereas the Gentiles in
Galilee knew they were in the darkness.
THOUGHT - I am an infectious disease expert and have seenthe powerful
effectof a vaccination(for example years ago, the polio vaccine), the effect
being to keep one from contracting the real disease.This same dynamic
unfortunately works in spiritual matters, for the Jews ofJerusalemhad
"vaccination" whichmade it difficult for them to receive the "real disease"
(in a good sense ofcourse), the purity of the Gospel. The same is true of many
religions today that practice rituals and extra-Biblicalroutines and beliefs,
which in effectserve to make them "immune" to the true Gospel. The most
difficult people for me to share the Gospelwith are those who in this category
of religious but without a relationship with Christ, for they think their religion
will guarantee a place in Heaven but they are tragicallydeceivedand there
are millions and millions of them in the United States!
John writes about this spiritual darkness - "If we saythat we have fellowship
with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
(1 John 1:6+). Then John gives the antidote for spiritual darkness "but if we
walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleansesus from all sin." (1 John
1:7+).

John describes the natural inclination of all men and women in Adam - “This
is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the
darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who
does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20+)
SAW A GREAT LIGHT - NET = "Have seena greatlight." Notice the use of
the pasttense because the the prophecy was so certain to come to pass. The
"GreatLight" is the GreatSavior Jesus Who would enlighten those sitting in
spiritual darkness. Johndescribed Jesus as the Light writing "In Him was
life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not comprehend it." (Jn 1:4-5+) adds that "There was the
true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." (Jn 1:9+).
Jesus describedHimself as the light - "Then Jesus againspoke to them,
saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the
darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (Jn 8:12) “I have come as Light into
the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.(Jn
12:46)This Light presagesthe universal messageofhope, because from this
same region of “Galilee ofthe Gentiles” Jesus sends the disciples to carry out
the commissionto make disciples of all the nations (Gentiles) (Mt 28:16, 18-
19+).
This description of light and darkness reminds me of Jesus'words to Paul (at
the inception of his call) regarding his ministry to the Gentiles in which He
declares
"But get up and stand on your feet;for this purpose I have appearedto you,
to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have
seen, but also to the things in which I will appearto you; 17 rescuing you from
the Jewishpeople and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to
open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the
dominion of Satanto God, that they may receive forgiveness ofsins and an
inheritance among those who have been sanctifiedby faith in Me.’" (Acts
26:16-18+, cfCol1:13+).
Isaiahprophetically describedJesus "As a light to the nations (GENTILES),
to open blind eyes,to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who
dwell in darkness from the prison." (Isaiah 42:6-7)
Simeon "came in the Spirit into the temple" (Lk 2:28+)and enabled by the
Spirit He prophetically described Jesus Who would be "A LIGHT OF
REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

(Lk 2:32+)So even here we see Jesus prophesiedas the Saviorof all men, Jews
and Gentiles alike.
Darkness (4653)(skotia from skotos = darkness)means literal darkness in
some NT uses (Jn 6:17, 20:1), but more often (14/16x)is used figuratively to
refer to spiritual darkness. In every NT figurative use, darkness is contrasted
with light in all but one passage(1Jn2:11). Ponderthis thought - Darkness
has no existence by itself, being definable simply as an absence oflight. In the
spiritual sense darkness describesboth the state and works of a person. It
symbolizes evil and sin, everything that life should not be and everything that
a person should not do! Woe!
Gentiles (nations) (1484)(ethnos gives us our word "ethnic")in generalrefers
to a multitude (especiallypersons)associatedwith one another, living
together, united in kinship, culture or traditions and summed up by the words
nation, Gentiles (especiallywhen ethnos is plural which refers to the heathen
nations), people (much like "people groups" in our modern missionary
vernacular). In a negative sense ethnos conveys the meaning of godless
(generally idol worshipping) pagans, foreignnations not worshipping the true
God.
The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery has a helpful summary of darkness in
Scripture - Darkness has no existence by itself, being definable simply as an
absence oflight. It is a physical and spiritual reality as well as an apt symbol
for some of the profoundest human experiences. With approximately two
hundred references, darknessis a major actorin the biblical drama…
Darkness stands out from virtually all other literary images, which are finally
ambivalent (having both goodand bad manifestations), because it is uniformly
negative in its import… Throughout the Bible, darkness is an implied contrast
to light, regardless ofwhether the darkness is physical or symbolic. In fact,
sixty verses presentlight and darkness as a contrasting pair, and being
brought out of darkness into light is a major biblical image of redemption… If
light symbolizes understanding, darkness represents ignorance (Ps 82:5), folly
(Eccles 2:13–14), a silencing of prophetic revelation (Mic 3:6), the state of the
human mind unilluminated by God’s revelation (2Pet1:19), falsehood(1 Jn
1:6) and the loss of walking in God’s truth “becausethe darkness has brought
on blindness” (1 Jn 2:11NRSV). If light symbolizes good, darkness is the
corresponding image for evil people “who forsake the paths of uprightness to
walk in the ways of darkness” (Pr2:13NRSV;cf. Pr 4:19). In Jesus’
mysterious picture of the eye as “the lamp of the body,” physical blindness
becomes a metaphor for the loststate (Mt 6:22–23;Lk 11:34–36). (Ryken,
Leland; et al, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, InterVarsity Press)

RelatedResources:
Darkness in Baker's EvangelicalDictionaryofBiblical Theology
Darkness in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF
DEATH - What a dramatic figure of speech. It is as if these souls though alive
were in the shadow of death, doomed to die eternally without belief in the
Messiah.
Shadow (4639)(skia)refers to a pale shadow, as contrastedwith a sharp,
distinct one. Luke uses skia in a similar passagewriting "Becauseofthe
tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE
SHADOW (skia)OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the wayof peace.” (Lk
1:78-79+)A shadow is literally a regionof darkness where light is blocked. In
this contextthe region was spiritually dark because it had not had exposure to
the Gospel, but that was now changing because ofthe Light of the World in
this region.
UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED - Light dawned means a light arose,
which is the same verb used by in the Septuagint of Malachi4:2+ “But for you
who fear My name, the sun of righteousness willrise (Lxx = anatello)with
healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the
stall." While not everyone agrees, this prophecy in Malachiseems (to me) to
clearly refer to the Sun (Son) of Righteousness,the Lord Jesus Christ. In
Malachi's context, it refers most likely to His secondcoming when He heals
the nation (1/3 of Israel - Zech 13:8-9+) and restores the land to Israel.
Anatello is also used in another messianic prophecy in Isaiah 60:1 "Arise,
shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon
you." Peter's figurative use is somewhatsimilar to the figurative use here in
Matthew - "So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do
well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns
and the morning star arises in your hearts." (2 Pe 1:19+). It is also notable
that this same verb anatello is used in a Messianic prophecyin the book of
Numbers predicting the future coming of Israel's King who would have total
dominion - “I (BALAAM'S FOURTHORACLE) see him, but not now; I
behold him, but not near; A Star shall come forth (Septuagint = anatello)
from Jacob(THE MESSIAH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST), a scepter
(PICTURE OF HIS POWER)shall rise from Israel, and shall crush through
the foreheadof Moab, and tear down all the sons of Sheth." (Nu 24:17) The
fulfillment of Balaam's prophecy awaits Messiah's SecondComing when the

One from Jacob, the Messiah, willbe Victor over all His foes (see Ps 2:9-12;Ps
110:1-2;Rev. 19:11-21+, Daniel2:34, 35+, Daniel2:44, 45+).
Dawned(393)(anatello from aná = up + téllo = setout for a goal)means to
cause to arise, spring up, be up and was used of the rising of a heavenly body,
sun, star, of a cloud, of the springing up of plants. To descendfrom as the
Lord Jesus rose up from the tribe of Judah. Friberg - with an indication of
upward movement; (1) transitively cause to spring up or rise (Mt 5.45);(2)
intransitively; (a) literally, of the sun rise, come up (Mk 4.6); of a cloud
appear (Lk 12.54);(b) figuratively, of one's family origin be descended, arise
from ( Heb 7.14);(c) metaphorically, of increasedunderstanding of spiritual
things made possible through Christ's return, likened to the appearance of the
morning star rise, shine forth (2Pt1.19).
Anatello in the NT - arises(1), causes...to rise(1), dawned(1), descended(1),
risen(3), rises(1), rising(1). = Mt 4:16, 5:45 Mk 16:2 Lk 12:54 Heb 7:14 Jas
1:11, 2Pe1:19. Anatello in the Septuagint - Gen. 2:5; Gen. 3:18; Gen. 19:25;
Gen. 32:31;Exod. 22:3; Lev. 13:37; Lev. 14:43; Num. 24:17;Deut. 29:23;Jdg.
9:33; Jdg. 14:18;Jdg. 16:22; 2 Sam. 10:5; 2 Sam. 23:4; 2 Ki. 3:22; 2 Ki. 19:29;
1 Chr. 19:5; 2 Chr. 26:19; Est. 1:1; Job3:9; Job 9:7; Job11:17; Ps. 65:10;Ps.
72:7; Ps. 85:11; Ps. 92:7; Ps. 97:11;Ps. 104:22;Prov. 11:28;Eccl. 1:5; Eccl.
1:6; Isa. 13:10;Isa. 14:12;Isa. 42:9; Isa. 43:19;Isa. 44:4; Isa. 44:26;Isa. 45:8;
Isa. 58:8; Isa. 58:10;Isa. 58:11; Isa. 60:1; Isa. 61:11; Isa. 66:14;Ezek. 16:7;
Ezek. 17:6; Ezek. 29:21;Hos. 10:4; Jon. 4:8; Nah. 3:17; Hab. 2:3; Zech. 6:12;
Mal. 4:2
The Right Light - Eating in the dark is no fun. Low light in a restaurantis one
thing; eating in a room with no light at all is another. The same is true in our
walk with God. Unless we take advantage ofthe light He gives, we will miss
seeing what He is doing for us.
We have an Old Testamentpicture of this—the tabernacle. As the priest
entered a room calledthe Holy Place, he could see only by the light of a golden
lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40). Like everything else in the room, it had been
carefully fashioned according to the pattern God gave Moses(v.40).
The lampstand is a picture of spiritual light. The gold speaks ofvalue. The oil
symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The six branches coming out from the centershaft
portray unity in plurality. The symbol of the almond blossomis linked to
God’s anointed priesthood(Numbers 17:1-8). When all this is combined with
a New Testamentreference that uses a goldenlampstand to represent the
church (Revelation1:20), we have the complete picture. God gives light

through the Spirit, who works through His congregationofanointed people
(1Peter2:9).
Yes, the Holy Spirit provides us with the light we need. Are we daily spending
time in prayer and reading God’s Word so that we cantake advantage of
it?— by Mart De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand
Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Holy Ghost, with light divine,
Shine upon this heart of mine;
Chase the shades of night away,
Turn my darkness into day.
—Reed
The light of God's holiness
convicts the sinner
and guides the saint.
Secrets - "Godis light,” the apostle reminded us, “and in Him is no darkness
at all” (1 Jn. 1:5). But if that is true, how can a holy God have anything to do
with the likes of us?
Fyodor Dostoevsky, in Notes from the Underground, writes what we all know:
There are certain things in a man’s past which he does not divulge to
everybody but, perhaps, only to friends. Again, there are certain things he will
not divulge even to his friends; he will divulge them perhaps only to himself,
and that too as a secret. But, finally there are things which he is afraid to
divulge even to himself, and every decent man has quite an accumulation of
such things in his mind.
If we have so many deep dark secrets, how canwe hope to have fellowship
with God? An illustration from Martin Luther’s life shows us. Luther had a
dream in which he stoodbefore God. Satanwas there to accuse Luther, and
when the books were opened the accuserpointed to sin after sin in his life.
Luther despaired. Then he remembered the cross and, turning to the devil, he
quoted 1 John 1:7, “The blood of Jesus ChristHis Son cleansesus from all
sin.”
BecauseofJesus, sinners can be forgiven and stand before a holy God. How
do you stand today?— by Haddon W. Robinson (Our Daily Bread, Copyright

RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights
reserved)
Thinking It Over
"Godis light" (1 Jn. 1:5). What does that mean?
What creates distance betweenus and God? (1 Jn. 1:6,8,10).
What is the solution to the problem? (1 Jn. 1:9).
No sin is so secret
that it is beyond God's forgiveness.
An Illustration of Spiritual Darkness -A new preachercame to town and was
meeting the people.
He askeda stranger, "Are you a Christian?"
"No," the man responded. "Name is Jones. The Christians live a block over."
"No, you don't understand," the preachercontinued. "I mean, are you lost?"
"Lost?" the man queried. "No, of course I'm not lost. I've lived here all my
life."
"You still don't understand," the preachercontinued. "I mean, are you ready
for judgment day?"
"When will it be?" the localresident questioned. "It could be today, it could
be tomorrow," responded the preacher.
"Well," the man answered, "don't tell my wife. She'll want to go both days!'
(Brian Harbour)
BARCLAY
THE SON OF GOD GOES FORTH(Matthew 4:12-17)
4:12-17 When Jesus heard that John had been delivered into the hands of the
authorities, he withdrew into Galilee. He left Galilee and came and made his
home in Capernaum, which is on the lake-side, in the districts of Zebulun and
Naphtali. This was done that there might be fulfilled that which was spoken
through Isaiahthe prophet, when he said, "Land of Zebulun, land of
Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the

people who sat in darkness have seena great light, and a light has risen for
those who sat in the land and in the shadow of death." From that time Jesus
beganto proclaim his message andto say, "Repent, for the Kingdom of the
Heavens has come near!"
Before very long disastercame to John. He was arrestedand imprisoned in
the dungeons of the Castle ofMachaerus by Herod the king. His crime was
that he had publicly denounced Herod for seducing his brother's wife, and
making her his own wife, after he had put awaythe wife he had. It is never
safe to rebuke an easterndespot, and John's courage brought him first
imprisonment and then death. We shall come later to the details of that story
which Matthew does not tell until Matthew 14:3-12.
For Jesus the time had come when he must go forth to his task.
Let us note what he did first of all. He left Nazarethand he took up residence
in the town of Capernaum. There was a kind of symbolic finality in that move.
In that moment Jesus left his home never againto return to live in it. It is as if
he shut the door that lay behind him before he openedthe door that stoodin
front of him. It was the cleancut betweenthe old and the new. One chapter
was ended and another had begun. Into life there come these moments of
decision. It is always better to meet them with an even surgicalcut than to
vacillate undecided betweentwo courses ofaction.
Let us note where Jesus went. He went into Galilee. WhenJesus went into
Galilee to begin his mission and his ministry, he knew what he was doing.
Galilee was the most northerly district of Palestine. It stretched from the
Litany River in the north to the Plain of Esdraelonin the south. On the westit
did not reach the sea coastofthe Mediterranean, becausethe coastalstrip was
in the possessionof the Phoenicians. On the north-east it was bounded by
Syria, and its easternlimit was the waters of the Sea of Galilee. Galilee was
not large;it was only fifty miles from north to south, and twenty-five miles
from eastto west.
But, small as it was, Galilee was denselypopulated. It was by far the most
fertile region of Palestine;its fertility was indeed phenomenal and proverbial.
There was a saying that it was easierto raise a legionof olives in Galilee than
it was to bring up one child in Judaea. Josephus, who was at one time
governorof the province, says, "It is throughout rich in soil and pasturage,
producing every variety of tree, and inviting by its productiveness even those
who have the leastinclination for agriculture; it is everywhere tilled; no part
is allowedto lie idle, and everywhere it is productive." The result of this was
that for its size Galilee had an enormous population. Josephus tells us that in

it there were two hundred and four villages, none with a population of fewer
than fifteen thousand people. So, then, Jesus beganhis mission in that part of
Palestine where there were most people to hear him; he beganhis work in an
area teeming with men to whom the gospelproclamationmight be made.
But not only was Galilee a populous district; its people were people of a
certain kind. Of all parts of Palestine Galilee was mostopento new ideas.
Josephus says ofthe Galileans, "Theywere everfond of innovations, and by
nature disposedto changes, anddelighted in seditions." Theywere ever ready
to follow a leaderand to begin an insurrection. They were notoriously quick
in temper and given to quarrelling. Yet withal they were the most chivalrous
of men. "The Galileans," saidJosephus, "have never been destitute of
courage.""Cowardicewas nevera characteristic ofthe Galileans." "They
were ever more anxious for honour than for gain." The inborn characteristics
of the Galileans were suchas to make them most fertile ground for a new
gospelto be preachedto them.
This openness to new ideas was due to certain facts.
(i) The name Galilee comes from the Hebrew word galiyl (Hebrew #1550;
compare Hebrew #1551 andHebrew #1556)whichmeans a circle. The full
name of the area was Galilee of the Gentiles. Plummer wishes to take that to
mean "heathenishGalilee." But the phrase came from the fact that Galilee
was literally surrounded by Gentiles. On the west, the Phoenicians were its
neighbours. To the north and the east, there were the Syrians. And even to the
south, there lay the territory of the Samaritans. Galilee was in fact the one
part of Palestine that was inevitably in touch with non-Jewishinfluences and
ideas. Galilee was bound to be open to new ideas in a way that no other part of
Palestine was.
(ii) The greatroads of the world passedthrough Galilee, as we saw when we
were thinking of the town of Nazareth. The Way of the Sea led from
Damascus through Galilee right down to Egypt and to Africa. The Roadto the
Eastled through Galilee awayout to the frontiers. The traffic of the world
passedthrough Galilee. Awayin the south Judaea is tucked into a corner,
isolatedand secluded. As it has been wellsaid, "Judaea is on the way to
nowhere:Galilee is on the way to everywhere." Judaea coulderecta fence
and keepall foreign influence and all new ideas out; Galilee could never do
that. Into Galilee the new ideas were bound to come.
(iii) Galilee's geographicalpositionhad affectedits history. Again and againit
had been invaded and conquered, and the tides of the foreigners had often
flowed over it and had sometimes engulfed it.

Originally it had been assignedto the tribes of Asher, Naphtali and Zebulun
when the Israelites first came into the land (Joshua 9:1-27 ) but these tribes
had never been completely successfulin expelling the native Canaanite
inhabitants, and from the beginning the population of Galilee was mixed.
More than once foreign invasions from the north and easthad sweptdown on
it from Syria, and in the eighth century B.C. the Assyrians had engulfed it
completely, the greaterpart of its population had been takenawayinto exile,
and strangers had been settledin the land. Inevitably this brought a very
large injection of foreignblood into Galilee.
From the eighth until the secondcentury B.C. it had been largely in Gentile
hands. When the Jews returned from exile under Nehemiahand Ezra, many
of the Galileans came south to live in Jerusalem. In 164 B.C. Simon
Maccabaeus chasedthe Syrians north from Galilee back to their own
territory; and on his way back he took with him to Jerusalemthe remnants of
the Galileans who were left.
The most amazing thing of all is that in 104 B.C. Aristobulus reconquered
Galilee for the Jewishnation, and proceededforcibly to circumcise the
inhabitants of Galilee, and thus to make them Jews whetherthey liked it or
not. History had compelledGalilee to open its doors to new strains of blood
and to new ideas and to new influences.
The natural characteristics ofthe Galileans, and the preparation of history
had made Galilee the one place in all Palestine where a new teacherwith a
new messagehad any real chance of being heard, and it was there that Jesus
beganhis mission and first announced his message.
BRIAN BELL
Matthew 4:12-25 10-11-15 Punching Holes in the DarknessI. Slide1
Announce: A. Slide2 Harvest Festival - Larry. B. Slide3 Potter’s Field
Ministries - This Wed Night. C. Slide4 Stuff The Bus - Safehouse is our
county’s emergencyshelterfor runaway and in-crisis teens. 1. Stuff the Bus is
how SafeHouse receivesalltheir homes’ necessities forthe year, since it’s a
non-profit organization. a) They also have a specialdivision that works with
HT victims in our county. 2. This is a tangible way to help our county as well
as help victims of exploitation. 3. We’ve workedto build a greatrelationship
with the Safehouseand the task force, and we’d love to continue that. 4.

Many of you ask us how you can help. This is a great, easyway to help. 5.
We’ll be collecting these items thru Thurs. A bus will come here on Sat morn
and pick up our supplies, before they proceedto Target. They plan to have
localTV stations on site to highlight this community event. Pleasehelp us help
them!!! [Pick up flyer in info booth, or on our website]
II. Slide5 Intro: Punching Holes in the Darkness A. Who needs the gospelthe
most? Those who are well or those who are sick? Those who are righteous or
those who are sinners? Those who have the most light or those who are living
the darkestlives?
III. Slide6 SUN RISING (12-17)A. Insert Jn.1-4 here, in betweenvs.11 & 12.
B. Slide7 Galilee - Galuthe, in Aramaic means captivity. [About 40m.w x 70m.
long. 204 villages, 15,000each, about3 mill in region] 1. This Northern region
was knownas the region of death. 2. In 721bc the Syrian’s conquered 10 of
Israel’s tribes, brought them into captivity, and settled them in Syria. They
brought a large mixed Assyrian and Babylonian pop to settle in Samaria &
northern Israel. These new settlers spoke Aramaic. They worship their own
gods, practicedtheir own custom
1
customs, but they also acceptedthe God of Israelas their chief god, because
he was the God of the land where they were dwelling. 3. The descendants of
these early settlers were calledGalileans, consideredforeigners by the Jews of
the south. So the Jews always despisedthem and look on them as the
descendants ofthe people that conquered them and destroyedtheir country.
They had nothing to do with them. And they would not tolerate a prophet that
came from that region. a) It was thus a mixed multitude, filled with mixed
marriages. Notpure bred’s. b) Down in Jer they consideredthem the hicks
from the North...withfunny accents.C. Galilee of the Gentiles - Galilia ton
ethnon 1. Amazing that Jesus came to earth as a baby, born in a manger, & to
a poor family. 2. But just as amazing, His ministry is not down in the religious
epicenterof Jerusalem, noteven in the Judean region, but in Galilia ton
ethnon. D. Slide8 Capernaum - Jesus setup headquarters here. His beach
house (lake-house). E. Slide9a,bBy the way of the sea - Via Maris 1. Mile
Marker- Matthew stoodnext to, to collecttaxes. F. (13) Isaiahhad prophesied
(9:1,2) that light would come to this region, and Matthew saw this movement
of Jesus to Capernaum as fulfillment of this prophecy. G. This regionwas the
area settledby the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali after the conquestof
Joshua’s time. H. Slide10 (15,16)Msg Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, road
to the sea, overJordan, Galilee, crossroads forthe nations. People sitting out
their lives in the dark saw a huge light; Sitting in that dark, dark country of

death, they watchedthe sun come up. I. (16) Satin darkness - Interesting
Isaiahwrote about people who walkedin darkness, but by the time Matthew
wrote, they were sitting in it. 1. As the Titanic was going down, how strange if
some thought, Hey, we canshoot poolfor free...come on! - Yet, that’s how
some people are living their life here...noteven realizing, their boat is sinking,
their walking in darkness, their sitting in darkness. J. Dark to Light – from
death, to the dawning of a new day. 2
1. Slide11 Jesus explainedthis in more detail to Paul in Acts 26:17,18 -I will
deliver you from the Jewishpeople, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I
now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satanto God, that they may receive forgiveness ofsins
and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. a) Slide12
When a Great Light encounters greatdarkness, Who do you think wins? b)
Light always wins over darkness. Try it tonight in your backyardwith a
flashlight. Darkness can’tswallow a light beam. K. Death shadows - Scary
shadows (But only shadows)L. Jesus is the difference betweenlight &
darkness, betweenlife & death (2). 1. Slide13 Sir Walter Scotttells how as a
young boy in Scotland he would stand on the porch of his home and watchthe
old gas lamplighter switch on the lights throughout the town. As he moved
from place to place Scottfollowedhis path by the small pools of light that he
left behind. As he gotcloserto home the young Scottwould run in and call to
his mother, “Mother, Mother, come and see a man who is punching holes in
the darkness.”a)Slide14 This is an excellentdefinition of the mission of God’s
people in every age:to punch holes in the moral, spiritual, social, and political
darkness of the world and allow the light of the gospelto bring direction and
healing. M. Slide15 So Jesus setheadquarters up where? Where people talked
funny. Where the outcasts lived. Where people on the periphery reside, who
weren’t recognizedby the crowd. 1. Do you hear the beautiful message here?
You might have felt like an outcastyour whole life. Maybe you were never in
the inner group, but always in the darkness or shadows. 2. It’s YOUR heart
that Jesus wants to put His headquarters in today. a) But I don’t feelreligious
enough...so Jesus came to Galilee. b) But I don’t feelspiritual enough...so
Jesus came to those walking/sitting in darkness c)But I feel disqualified...so
Jesus came to those sitting out their lives in the dark. d) But I don’t feel
alive...so Jesuscame to those dwelling in death’s shadow. 3
3. Slide16 Who needs the gospelthe most? Those who are well or those who
are sick? Thosewho are righteous or those who are sinners? Those who have
the most light or those who are living the darkestlives? N. (17) The work of
God was rapidly moving toward the establishing of the glorious kingdom of

heaven on earth. O. Preach - Kerusso (kay-RU-so) is the Greek word for
herald, and the herald was the man who brought a message directfrom the
king. Barclay
IV. Slide17,18 MEN CATCHING (18-22)A. Jesus showing discipleship 101.
Invest yourself in a dozen of peoples lives, living relationally, authentically, &
transparently. 1. Yes, He beganto preach (17) but immediately beganto call
others the task. B. (18) Jesus previously met them in Judea (Jn.1:35-42)C.
Casting a net - A net thrown over the shoulders & spreads out in to a circle as
it falls upon the water. It had weights & a draw rope around its edge. D. (19)
Follow Me - Disciples normally chose to become students of a particular
rabbi, rather than a teachercalling his own disciples. E. Slide19a This was a
call to constantcompanionship w/Jesus. 1. Here would be a new twist to
teaching others to evangelize:Insteadof classes & courses,methods &
technics, read a book or attend a seminar, simply just have someone follow
you & watch. (nothing wrong w/those)a) Jesus said, Hang around me, I’ll
make you man-fishers. F. Fishers of Men was not a new term. For centuries,
Greek & Romanphilosophers had used it to describe the work of the man
who seeksto catchothers by teaching & persuasion. 1. This is only one of
many pictures of Evangelism: shepherd/sheep, workers in the harvest field,
etc. 2. Yet, He was speaking to 4 Fishermen [poss 7 in his band of merry men
were fishermen] a) Slide19bAugustine, Fisherman Peterdid not lay aside his
nets but changed them. 3. Why would Jesus pick over 50% of his team from
the Fishermentrade?
4
a) They were busy people. Either fishing, catching fish, or preparing or
mending their nets. They were courageous& patient people. (1) Saul was
looking for his father's donkeys. David was keeping his father's sheep. The
shepherds were guarding their flocks. Amos was farming in Tekoa. Matthew
was working at the tax collector's table. Moseswas tending his father-in-law's
flock. Gideon was threshing wheat. G. Slide20 (20) They immediately left
their nets - Let no net entangle those whom Jesus calls to follow him. 1. They
came immediately. They came at all cost. They came w/o question. They came
to follow the leader. They came w/o stipulation or reserve. 2. Following Jesus
means leaving some things behind. The Samaritan womanleft her pitcher,
Matt left his tax table, & blind Bartimaeus left his cloak to follow Jesus. a)
Our prayer: Lord, help me to be this faithful, & unhesitatingly follow you as
long as I live. May no nets detain me. H. (21,22)Spurg, These would be the
briars upon which he would graft the roses of his grace. I. Slide21 (21)John -
the disciple...whomJesus loved(Jn.13:23, 20:2, 21:7,20)1. Now, since he

wrote that about himself. You might think how boastful! 2. But, isn’t the real
question, why don’t you think that about yourself? a) If you can’t...Houston,
there’s a problem. J. (22) Zebedee, Matthew specificallyhighlights that James
and John…leftnot only their fishing, but also their father to begin following
Jesus. 1. A loss Zebedee? - No, way. Zebedee let both of his sons walk away
from his plans for his boys, i.e. the family business. Would you let your
son/daughtergo to the missionfield? [Do you encourage it? Talk about it
w/them? Pray about it w/them?] K. Recognize this sudden departure as a sure
sign of radical discipleship.
V. Slide22 TEACHING, PREACHING, HEALING (23-25)A. (23) A
summary statement of Jesus’public ministry. 1. You could sayJesus cares
about: Church, School, & Healthcare.
5
B. (24) The presence of multitudes seeking reliefat hot springs, like
Hammath-Tiberias (near our hotel) in Galilee testifies to the vast numbers
who soughthealing in the 1st century. 1. Also note, unlike the 5th-century b.c.
Greek Hippocrates who thought epilepsy was due to demonic activity,
Matthew here distinguishes the two. C. (25) About a 100 mile perimeter. D.
Slide23a,bJesus’province was His parish. His interest? man’s mind/teaching
& man’s heart/preaching & man’s body/healing. 1. Teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the gospelofthe kingdom. a) Difference between
teaching & preaching is 1 of emphasis & manner not of contentb) Slide23c
"Preaching is the uncompromising proclamation of certainties;teaching is the
explanation of the meaning and significance ofthem." Barclay2. Slide24
Healing - Jesus'ability to heal those with all different kinds of diseases
demonstrates that He has authentic powerover the damage done by the fall of
man. His authority over demons (and those who were demon-possessed)shows
He has authentic powerover all creation. E. Our Lord’s main ministry was
teaching and preaching, but his compassionmoved him to minister to the
physical needs of the people. warren wiersbe 1. How tragic that most of the
people who followed him wanted his services but not his salvation, the gifts
but not the giver.
CHRIS BENFIELD
I have seenthe Light Matthew 4: 12-17

Our text today comes at the onsetof Jesus’public ministry. He had been
baptized of John in the Jordan River and receivedaffirmation from His
Father. Following His baptism, Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted of Satanfor forty days. The days of temptation were difficult,
but Jesus triumphed and returned to His hometownof Nazareth.
As we take a few moments to considerthe beginning of Jesus’public ministry,
we discover much about the scope ofHis ministry. As He began to walk
among men, performing miracles and teaching the Word, He was presenting
Himself as the Christ, the promised Messiah. As you read the accounts in the
Gospels, youdiscoverthat the ministry of Christ led to Calvary, where He
offered Himself as the atoning sacrifice for sin. Although it appears subtly,
Calvary and His coming death are in view in these verses.
While the accountmay seemvery distant and even insignificant to some, it is
very relevant for our day. Through it we get a glimpse of the beginnings of
Jesus’ministry and the path He would take from this moment forward. I
want to examine the details of the text as we considerthe thought: I have seen
the Light.
I. The Presence ofHis Ministry (12-13)– Here Matthew reveals the beginning
of Jesus’ministry and His public presence within society. Consider:
A. The Adversity (12a) – Now when Jesus had heard that John was castinto
prison, he departed into Galilee. Very early in His work among men, we
discoverthe oppositionand adversity Jesus faced. This refers to John’s
imprisonment, but this was a result of his preaching about the Lord and the
strong messageofrepentance. Johnfaced greatoppositionfrom the leading
Jews and authorities within Jerusalemand Jesus wouldas well. Their message
was contrary to acceptedbeliefs and causedmen to examine their hearts,
convicting of sin.

 Little has changedin two thousand years in regard to Jesus and His
message. The world continues to reject the message ofrepentance and
salvation. They despise a messagethat convicts of sin and causes them to
examine their hearts and eternal destination.
B. The Approach (12b-13)– he departed into Galilee. [13]And leaving
Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast,in
the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim. Following the arrest and
imprisonment of John, Jesus left Nazareth, the place of His childhood, and
came to dwell in
December6, 2015
P a s t o r C h r i s B e n f i e l d , F e l l o w s h i p M i s s i o n a r y B a p t i s t
C h u r c h
Page 2
Capernaum, on the coastofGalilee. That may seeminsignificant as well, but
it was a move with purpose. In fact, nothing Jesus did was insignificant. Every
actionhe made was with purpose. Now, some assume Jesus fled Nazareth
because ofthe greatopposition in and around Jerusalem. No doubt this would
have createda measure of difficulty, but that was not the purpose for the
move. This beganJesus’public ministry and He was committed to sharing the
Gospelwith as many as He could. This was a move to spread the message and
revealHimself to the masses.
 This ought to challenge the church today. Often we get contentand
complacentwithin our Nazareth, the area we are most familiar, and fail to
fulfill the GreatCommissionof taking the Gospelto the world. We are called
to be a witness to the Lord within our Jerusalem, our Judea, Samaria, and to
the uttermost parts of the earth.

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