Shortly after his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus began preaching. He started up north, in the area inhabited by the ancient Israeli tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali. In choosing this location to open his public ministry, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy from Isaiah:

Land of Zebulon and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:1,2).

Can you imagine? In a place described as the land of the shadow of death, Jesus went to work. He renewed hope in God to anyone carried before him, some suffering chronic pain and others with gnarled up limbs or exploited by demons. Crowds descended from miles away, hoping for healing, drawn to his light.

After a dark night, it’s hard to neglect the dawning of a sunny day. But sometimes I sleep through first light. In a similar way, some misunderstood the works of Jesus, while others refused to believe.

I don’t know how anyone slept through this sensational arrival. But I’m more concerned when I doze off and miss Jesus’s illumination around me. You and I still live in the land of the shadow of death, and we need to lift our eyes to the light breaking on the horizon.

Matthew 4 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Quentin Rey