Click here for the Matthew 4:12-17 PODCAST
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned." 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." ~ Matthew 4:12-17
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 4 where we last saw the Lord Jesus being ministered to by angels after His temptation at the hands of the devil. Having embraced the humility needed to obey the Father and the Holy Spirit through His baptism and His temptation, the Lord Jesus illustrated for us the rest that is only found by you and me in Him. He said in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The rest is literally coming to the end of ourselves and relying upon Him similar to how He was dependent upon the Father and the Holy Spirit.
In v.12-15 of today's passage we read, "12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles."
It appears that it was at the time that John the Baptist was arrested that the Lord Jesus traveled back to Galilee. But, a chronological study of the four Gospels reveals it didn't happen exactly as Matthew presents it. After the Lord Jesus had ministered for some amount of time in Judea, and after he had called Peter, Andrew, Philip and Nathanael to be His disciples and after the wedding at Cana and after meeting the woman at Jacob's well and after meeting with Nicodemus, and after many other happenings, it was then that John the Baptist was imprisoned that the Lord Jesus returned to Galilee.
Some believe the Lord Jesus made two visits to Galilee while others believe this visit corresponds with the visits He made in Luke 4, Mark 6, and Matthew 13. As noted previously, Matthew's gospel isn't all together chronological. And, even though the chronology isn't right, it does not change the truthfulness of the narrative or the truthfulness of what is being taught. As noted by Matthew, when the Lord Jesus returned to Galilee, He passed by Nazareth and went to Capernaum. The distance between Nazareth and Capernaum is about forty miles.
The reason the Lord Jesus went to Capernaum is discovered in the meaning of its name. Capernaum gives the picture of one who is comforted. As the base for the ministry of the Lord Jesus, the name Capernaum provides for us a beautiful parallel to the rest we have through the Lord Jesus and His work. Of this location, Capernaum "bordered Zebulun and Naphtali." I find it very instructive that Zebulun means "Glorious Dwelling Place" and Naphtali means "My Wrestlings." As will be seen, His move to Capernaum was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Because of the innumerable prophecies that have been fulfilled, we can rest on the word of God. God had spoken and what He had said came about and will always come to pass. Thus, it proves that He is fully in charge of the future as it unfolds and we can rest in that fact.
In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'"
Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the coming great Light began with the words, "The people who sat in darkness." These words explain the situation described in the previous verse. Years before the Lord Jesus came to earth, the Assyrians had come in and conquered the land. In doing so, they removed the northern ten tribes for their faithless conduct before the Lord. In place of them, pagans from around the Assyrian empire arrived. They worshiped all the gods of their homeland, bringing great spiritual darkness as they did so. Israel's lack of worship of the Lord God was the foundation of their loss of freedom which continued throughout the years that followed.
Notice the use of the present participle, sitting. The people who once walked in the light were stuck. But when the Lord Jesus Christ came, the people "have seen a great light." Thus, the words of Isaiah came to fruition. Without the spiritual life of the Lord Jesus Christ, all people are destined for an eternity in Hell. This is what the Lord Jesus came to change. He came to give light and life, bringing us out of the spiritual darkness in which we lived and from the physical death that everyone suffers because of it.
The baptism and the temptation of the Lord Jesus had passed. Then, the imprisonment of John the Baptism was noted, which was immediately followed by the Lord Jesus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. Matthew was used of God to give us a logical step-by-step unfolding of the narrative in relation to the coming of the Messiah. With that, the Lord Jesus was now on full display. His next message would dovetail with that of John the Baptist which was: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Repentance is to come to the end of the self-life that was offered to us by the devil in the Garden of Eden. Perhaps more importantly, repentance means that we come to the Lord Jesus so that He can be our Savior. The first part of repentance renders a change of mind while the second part renders a change of heart. This is why the Lord Jesus would later say, "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."
