Verse 12 and we'll end at verse 17 as our text this morning. St. Matthew's writing,
he says, Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to Galilee.
And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions
of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled, which is spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
saying, The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.
And upon those who sat in the region in shadow of death, light has dawned. And from that time,
Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Let
us pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we need you this morning. God, we pray for the aid of
your spirit. Lord, what we're doing is sacred, but it will not be without onslaught, Lord.
Father, it will not be without a fight. Lord, we read that sometimes as the gospel goes
out that the evil one, Satan, comes and even steals the seed so that people will not believe.
He keeps people blinded. And Lord, we're praying this morning for the power of the Holy Spirit
to allow, Lord, a holy hush to fall upon us. Lord, God, that we would listen intently to
the word of God. And God, that you would speak to us and we would grow. Father, we desire
to hear from heaven, not from a man. Lord, I pray, Lord, for unction and power. Lord,
we pray, Lord, God, that Christ, Jesus, the King, would be preeminent. And Lord, God,
even whether physically or metaphorically, we might fall on our faces before him in awe
and worship this morning. We pray this in the name of your Son, the risen and ascended
Christ, we pray. Amen. You may be seated. Well, it's no surprise that you and I are
living in a land with a very heated political climate. It kind of interests me and then
also just makes me sick all at the same time. I wish that God's people would be as excited
for the kingdom of heaven as they are for the kingdom of man. I wish they were as passionate
about the kingdom of God and seeking his righteousness. I don't know what's happening over there,
guys. We all don't look over there if you have epilepsy, I'll tell you that. I told
you it would not be without distraction this morning. I didn't think it would be through
the lights. I'm going to wait just a second. There you go. Turn them off. Thank you. As
I said, the people though, even God's people, they get excited. They get excited about political
discourse and I understand that because it's really the air we breathe. It's the culture
in which we live. But we're right now in a heated political climate. And part of that,
on both sides of the aisle, you hear accusations being levied against the other. And today
I have no desire to speak of politics whatsoever, but I do desire to think Christianly about
some issues. And it has bearing upon our text. One of the things we hear today are accusations
of racism and xenophobia thrown about all the time. Xenophobia comes from two words,
xenos, foreign or strange. Phobia being a fear. So when we talk about xenophobia, which
is people then have a distrust or a prejudice, a dislike of people from other countries.
It's a distrust of foreigners. It can be a distrust of people unlike you. And so people
will then say, well, you're xenophobic. And we hear this term used a lot in discussions
regarding immigration and border policies. Now to me, it's not surprising that in the
fallen kingdom of man, racism and xenophobia are present. Both of those evils are. But
what saddens me is that at times there have been various groups within the church who've
also held racist and xenophobic views. I mean, just think about our own time in our own culture.
Recall the antebellum South where you had Southern aristocrats, Southern slave owners
would often quote the Bible in defense of their views and owning slaves. They would
use the Bible. There was a time when a black man or a black woman was counted as property,
not even as a person. And the worst part about it, they were using or seeking to use the
word of God to justify their sin. But today I hear some of this. And again, I'm not going
to be political, but I do want to help you think Christianly. Even today, some Christians
will tout the policies of politicians slogans like keep them out and build the wall and
don't let them come in. Who are they? To what group are those who are using this language
referring to? Well, they're referring to foreigners, strangers. Now, first let me say, because some
of you are already upset because of what I've just said. Let me say, I support, if we have
to get political, legal immigration. And what I'm speaking about is not politics. I'm against
anyone breaking the laws of our country seeking to enter. When my wife entered this country,
we did it through an arduous legal process that culminated in her citizenship. I'm not
for open, porous borders, if anyone's asking. But at the same time, I am for a humane border
policy and a humane treatment of people who are seeking to enter this country. We have
to think Christianly about people. Most of the folks are poor folks seeking for a better
life. They're not all animals, nor are they subhuman. They're fellow image bearers of
God. Yeah, they may have darker skin, but they don't have darker hearts. And so my suggestion
this morning is that you can have respect for immigration laws, and you can also have
respect for a humane border policy at the very same time. But some, out of fear and
ignorance, see these people from other cultures and nations as scary, maybe even bad. Now
let me just say, obviously, we live in a fallen world. Of course, there are some bad dudes.
There are some terrorists who are seeking to exploit the situation, which is why anyone
must be diligent to vet those who are seeking to enter. But let me just say this to the
church. Christians should be the most welcoming of strangers and foreigners into our midst
because you and I were strangers and foreigners when God took us in. We have to understand
where we have come from. Even today, because again, this is why politics kind of drives
me crazy. You and I as Christians are pilgrims and strangers in this land in which we live
because the Bible says that our citizenship is in heaven. That means our primary identity
is a citizen of heaven, a citizen of the kingdom of God. Hebrews 11, 13 talks about all these
people that died in faith. And what did they confess? Here's what they confessed, that
they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. This earth, this fallen kingdom is not my
identity. Philippians 3 20, Paul says, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, you and I have
received lavish grace and mercy. And since you and I have received lavish grace and mercy,
the ideas let us lavish grace and mercy on others, particularly the poor and outcast
because you and I were poor and outcast. One of the more heinous sins that can exist in
the church is this idea of racism. For someone to assume any type of superiority because
of the color of your skin or because of your ethnic background is an abomination. It is
sinful. Why? Because the Lord God has made humanity all of one blood. Acts 17 26. And
he speaking of God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell in the face of
the earth. And he has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.
We're all one blood. So when we talk about race and ethnicity, that's a sociological
construct. The Bible knows those categories not at all. Never speaks of ethnicity, if
you will. So the biblical view of humanity is that every person, about eight plus billion
people now on the planet, has been created in the image of God and is worthy of respect
and dignified treatment because of the Imago Dei, because they too bear the image of God.
So thus any feeling of racial or ethnic superiority is not only unwarranted. Indeed, it is sinful.
Now, why did I start that way? Because in our text today, we're going to see how our
Lord breaks with prejudice and bias as he enters into an area known as Galilee of the
Gentiles. It's interesting. Here at the very beginning of the onset of his ministry, we
begin to see an intentionality to include in the covenant people of God those who are
different. Different ethnicities, different cultures, different language groups. See,
in the early church, there was a whole lot of division. There was a whole lot of hostility
between Jews and Gentiles. Deep-seated resentment, a deep-seated animosity that had always existed
between these two groups. They had long been at odds with each other. The Jews customarily
had seen the Gentiles as pagans. They would often refer to them as dogs. They were unclean.
If you went to a Gentile's house, you would shake dust off your feet. You were considered
unclean. So they began to look down their nose at them. A long-standing tradition says,
and I've mentioned this before, that the head of a Jewish household upon waking would start
each morning with this prayer. Thank you, God, that I am not a Gentile, a woman, or
a slave. In Jewish thought of that day, all three of these groups were suspect, subordinate,
and second-class. And it was into this cultural milieu that Jesus himself was born. So I think
it's incredibly noteworthy that our Lord began to teach, heal, and even eat with Gentiles,
women, and slaves, showing the inclusive nature of the kingdom of God. Look at verse 12. Now
when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to Galilee. Now where is
Jesus right now? He's in Judea. He's in southern Israel, near outside of Jerusalem. He came
down to be baptized by John in the Jordan River. From that point, as we looked last
week, he was led by the Spirit of God out into the Judean desert where he would be tested
by Satan. He successfully withstood the satanic onslaught, and after that he leaves the area
of Judea and he heads back north, that's where he was from, to the region known as Galilee.
Now this is very interesting because our Lord had just made his public debut at his baptism.
He's just now beginning his public ministry. Now if he did not stay in Judea near Jerusalem,
but that's where the seat of power was located. Jerusalem, that's the capital city. That's
where the lawmakers are. It's there that the Sanhedrin rules. Moreover, the temple was
in Jerusalem. So if our Lord were seeking influence and he wanted to garner attention,
it would have been much more profitable and advantageous to stay in Judea. It would be
there that he would rub shoulders with the important people of the day, the movers and
shakers. Yet we read here, our Lord purposefully left that area and instead opted for a more
obscure base for his ministry. He shunned the seat of power. He sought out a much more humble
area and even here we start to see the nature of the kingdom, or of Christ's kingdom. You're
going to see what it really is in meaning. So it's not going to be, we see from the beginning
at foreshadowing, it will not be the elite aristocratic wealthy power brokers who enter
the kingdom of God. Who will it be? The humble, the despised, the nondescript people of the
world who are rich in faith. Paul wrote that in 1 Corinthians 1. For you see your calling,
brethren, you see your calling, Mamrie, that not many wise according to the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble are called, Kaleo, they're not called in. But God has chosen
the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. He has chosen the weak things
of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty and the basings of the world and
the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not to bring to nothing
the things that are. Why would God do this? That no flesh should glory in his presence.
We're told the word headed north. He goes into Galilee right when he learned that John
had been imprisoned. That's John the Baptist. Now why in the world was John the Baptist
imprisoned? What crime did he commit? Well, we know him as a great prophet. He was bold
and he was courageous. The guy didn't seem to have a fearless bone or fearful bone in
his body. He was fearless and he did not care to speak truth to power. And so basically
you have John the Baptist, this wilderness desert prophet. He told King Herod, hey King,
you're committing sin and God's going to judge you for it, so knock it off. Now who was the
king at this time? He was really not a king, he was a tetrarch. His name is Herod Antipas.
You remember when Jesus was born, the one who tried to kill the children, that's Herod
the Great. That was the father. He died and his kingdom was divided into four. That's
why he's a tetrarch. So Herod Antipas, the son, divorced his wife and he takes his brother
Herod Philip, we'll call him Philip, he takes his wife Herodias, you see the word Herod
through all these people, and he makes her his wife. So he stole his brother's wife.
And John wasn't having any of it. And he boldly declared to the king, hey guy, it is unlawful
before God to do what you just did. You need to repent. Can we get this guys? Just turn
him off. You need to repent. Well Herod wasn't used to having people speak like that, so
he puts John in prison. Later he will cut John's head off. So now that seems like a
tragedy doesn't it? But what is a tragedy? God would turn into an eternal blessing, because
in Revelation 2 10 we read these blessed words, be faithful unto death and I will give you
the crown of life. Don't fear people. So now Matthew tells us that when our Lord learned
that John was imprisoned, he leaves, he headed north. One of the reasons is because he was
baptized by John, he would be associated with John's ministry, and Herod would look at Jesus
as successor to John and perhaps as a political threat. So Jesus is going to leave that area,
head north, because there's a lot less, Herod didn't have, he had jurisdiction in the north,
but there wasn't much control there. Now look at verses 13 to 16. We read them and we'll
read them again. But we find here that when John the Baptist's ministry ended, our Lord
skyrocketed. His ministry began. Why? Because John is a forerunner, he served as a herald.
What does a herald do? He announces that the king is coming, that the arrival of the king,
but now the king has arrived, so you no longer have need of the herald, so John's work was
finished and the Lord's work just was beginning. Now where was his Lord born? Bethlehem. That's
near in the south. But where was he raised? Nazareth. Some tiny, tiny little town in Galilee.
But as he goes back into Galilee, he doesn't head to his hometown, he doesn't go to Nazareth.
Instead we're told he moved to Capernaum, and it was in Capernaum that that would serve
now as his official base of operation. From there he would begin preaching. He would begin
preaching about the kingdom of God. But why Capernaum? Why would our Lord choose that
place? You need to look at where it is. It was situated in the northwestern point of
the Sea of Galilee. It was a very strategic location on the highway. It connected that
region to Damascus, a major trade route, a major economic center for all of northern
Galilee. It served as a center for trade with other countries. In fact there was an international
trade route that was there that connected Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was called the
Via Maris, the way of the sea in Latin. So it was there. Now notice it's called Galilee
of the Gentiles. There were many Gentiles who lived in that area. I would love to take
it and the reason why, if you go back to the history of Israel, it's because of their disobedience.
But it was in Capernaum that the Lord began to teach in homes privately. He would also
teach publicly in the synagogues, and most of his ministry, earthly-wise, took place
around that area. It was in this area he first recruited his disciples. Lord willing we'll
look at next week. Here he earned fame for his ability to heal the sick. Some of his
most famous miracles took place in Capernaum, including calming the sea and walking on the
water. All that was right there. But there's another reason that our Lord went to Capernaum.
Matthew tells us that in choosing this location, Jesus was fulfilling an ancient prophecy
given by Isaiah. Thus this move was fulfillment of prophecy. Let me read verses 14 through
15, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, the land
of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee
of the Gentiles. Verse 16 is what I want to hone in on. The people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region in shadow of death, light
has dawned. Now Matthew is quoting somewhat loosely Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1 and 2. Friends,
that's very interesting. It's very insightful because the nation of Israel was called in
its inception to be a light to the nations leading the nations to the worship of the
one true God. You see that in Psalm 67. God be merciful to him, bless us. Cause his face
to shine upon us. Why? Verse 2, that your way may be known on earth and your salvation
among all the nations. But Israel failed. She failed miserably in her task to be a light
to the nations. Instead of being a light, she often adopted the dark practices of her
Gentile neighbors. She, Israel, began to worship strange gods. She began to live as a pagan
and as a result of this, God sent judgment upon them. He would send prophet after prophet
after prophet warning of exile. Finally, Israel was exiled from her homeland. So you find
the Jewish people were forced to live outside of Israel in a foreign land. First with Assyria,
later with Babylon. Friends, this is not the end of the story. God had promised to bring
them back into the land and when he did, he said, I will restore your good fortune. So
Isaiah chapter 9, that's what Matthew's quoting, he's promising that God is going to send a
king, a Messiah. He will end the exile and he will bring in foreigners, Gentiles. Look
at Isaiah in chapter 9. Nevertheless, the gloom will not be upon her as distressed as
when at first he lightly esteemed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. And afterward,
more heavily oppressed her by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan and Galilee of the
Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who have dwelt
in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the
nation and increased its joy. They rejoice before you according to the joy of harvest
as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. What? How is this possible? The people are
coming back to the land, they've been exiled, yet you find them exulting, rejoicing as in
harvest time, as if they're dividing spoil. How is that possible? You have to keep reading
in Isaiah 9 because of the one whom God would send to them. You all know this. This is at
Advent, we read this verse, Isaiah 9, 6, just three verses later. For unto us a child is
born, unto us a son is given, praise God. And the government will be upon his shoulder,
his name, what's wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, of
the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, it's eternal, upon the throne
of David and over his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and justice from
that time forward, even forever. There's no king coming after that. How's this gonna be
done? The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform it. A child would be born. That child was
the son of God, the son was given. And that child was destined to sit upon the throne
of David and to rule over God's people forever. See, what you have here is you have a heaven
sent king and he would be a light, a true light, not just for Israel, but for all the
nations, Gentiles included. A bright light is about to dawn upon people living in darkness.
Go back to Matthew. Matthew tells his readers, our Lord moving to Capernaum in the land of
Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, that's a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Jesus, the
light of the world, deliberately chose to move to this dark land of Zebulun and Naphtali,
a land of spiritual darkness. Do you see what Matthew is saying? Jesus is the Christ. He
is the child destined to rule as prophesied by Isaiah. This one, moving up north in the
Galilee, this is the son that was given. He is the mighty God who is going to rule as
king. So our Lord going into this Galilee of the Gentiles, he does so on purpose. Why?
He's going to shine the light of God to those who are living in darkness. The message is
clear here, folks. God's saving arm is not for the Jews only, but for the Gentiles too,
in fact, for the entire world. The Lord Jesus, he is the one who would bring about an end
to Israel's exile and he would bring the Gentiles in to the one true worship of God. Gentiles
had always lived in darkness. They had been overcome by death and our Lord goes to this
land to reveal the blazing light of God. John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting
life. Now Matthew is a Jew writing to a Jewish audience. So why is he including these details
about Gentiles in a Jewish gospel? Do you remember how he opened up the gospel? Jesus,
son of David, son of Abraham. He is proving that the Lord Jesus is the true son of Abraham
through whom all the world would be blessed. He's once more letting his readers know Jesus
is the true Israel. Jesus is the true son. The nation of Israel failed to be a light.
Christ would not fail. Everywhere where that nation failed, our Lord succeeded. He is the
true son. He's the obedient son and he's going to bring in those who once excluded,
cut out into the covenant people of God. Some of my favorite verses in scriptures are found
in the second chapter of Ephesians. Ephesians 2 verse 11. Mamrie, this is us. Therefore
remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by what is called
the circumcision made in the flesh by hands, that at that time before Christ, you're without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of
promise, having no hope. And the saddest part of this is without God in the world. Verse
13, but now. But now in Christ. Now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off, that's us,
have been brought near, how? By the bloody death of Christ. Do you see what Matthew's
doing? Our Lord purposely goes to the Galilee of the Gentiles. That's the place where people
lived in darkness. They did not have the religious advantages of Jerusalem or Judea. The temple
was not located there. It was in this place that Jesus went that the darkness was most
dense. These people sat, Matthew says, in the shadow of death, and yet it was there
that the true light dawned. How's that? Our Lord is the true light. He's beginning his
ministry where the darkness was most intense. And this was God's plan, that the light would
dawn first in the darkest places. And you know what that's called? That's grace. You
and I living in the darkness, light dawned. So the message gets even more clear. Jesus
had not come for righteous people, but rather to call sinners to repent. Verse 17. From
that time Jesus began to preach and to say, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
This is exactly the same way John the Baptist started his message. Well yeah, he was sent
by the Father as well. Same message. John, though, was preaching the kingdom is at hand
because the king is coming. The king Jesus, he's preaching it because he's bringing in
the kingdom. How? How do you enter into this kingdom? Repent. You repent of your sins and
you come to him in faith. Paul wrote this, 1 Timothy 1, verse 15. This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners.
That's faithful and you can accept it. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Do you get it? And you're saying, but what do I do now in light of that? What do we do
now what? As we begin to close, you marvel. I feel so burdened and I don't even know how
to articulate it this morning. I feel that many of God's people are just not getting
it. Marvel at the wonder of God sending a son. Marvel at the incarnation. Marvel that
God took on flesh. Be grateful. Give thanks to God for this wonderful salvation He has
lavished upon you. But so many people fail to give Him thanks. He is an add-on to their
lives if they can fit it into their schedules. What a tragedy. Thank God for this mercy He
has shown to you. He has given you mercy. Now go tell others of this great mercy that
is offered to them. Go to the dark places. Go to the outcasts. Go to the marginalized.
The Lord Jesus, He's the true light of the world. But He told His disciples, He told
us, you are the light of the world. He's in heaven. He's the ascended Lord. We're His
light here. That's our calling, church, to be salt, to be light. But who needs your light?
Those who live in darkness. One of the prayers that I think we ought to pray is pray, God,
as you have been to me, let me be to others. God, you have forgiven me. So you must forgive
others. God, you've been so kind to me. You must be kind to others. God, you have welcomed
me into your kingdom. We must welcome others. Church, remember, just amid all this political
dumpster fire that we're experiencing, remember, you were once a foreigner and a stranger to
God's family. And He called you by His grace. You must be willing to welcome. And I'm talking
about immigration here, so don't beat me on me saying, hey, we're talking about immigration.
I'm not. But you must be willing to welcome foreigners and strangers. I want to leave
you with this verse here in Luke 14, verses 12 to 14. Listen carefully. I did not put
this on this wall. I don't know that we always take heed. Sometimes I think we explain away
parables and passages far too easily. We dismiss them. Then Jesus also said to him who invited
him, so He's talking to us, He said, when you give a dinner or supper, don't ask your
friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, lest they also invite
you back and you be repaid. He said, that's really not a sacrifice. Really not. Don't
invite those. I mean, that's an easy thing. That's low-hanging fruit. But when you give
a dinner, when you give a feast, He said, here's who I want you to invite. Invite the
poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, verse 14. Because they
cannot repay you. And this is, I love this promise. For you will be repaid at the resurrection
of the just. Oh friends, let us continue in this divine ministry that our Lord began preaching
the kingdom. It is at hand. It's here. Not in full consummation yet. It's been inaugurated.
But let's go out bearing His light and welcoming all kinds of people into it. May there be
no one, no one that we would shun or seek to give this life-saving message to. Let us
pray. Father, Lord, we see the intentionality and the purpose, Lord, of our Lord heading
north into Gentile territory. Lord, that just rejoices my heart. Because I and my people
were once apart from you and having no hope. Cut off strangers from the covenants of promise.
Lord, we were excluded. We were the outsiders. But God, you did not treat us as such. Lord,
you looked upon us with compassion and you called us by your grace unto your Son and
you brought us into the kingdom. And Lord, as the kindness and the mercy that we have
received, let us so be to other people. Oh God, let us see others with the imago de,
the image of God upon them and treat them with dignity and respect. And Lord, as we
speak, may we speak with dignity and respect, realizing we will give an account for every
idle word that is spoken. Lord, help us as your people to think Christianly. We live
in a very hostile climate, Lord. We live in a very divided culture politically. But Lord,
God, this is not where, this is not where we put down stakes for our citizenship is
not here. Everything here is going to be burned up one day. God, we're citizens of heaven
and we freely confess we're strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Let us live like that.
Preaching the welfare of wherever we live, but also preaching this good news of the kingdom
wherever we go. Oh Father, help us, Lord God, thank you. Lord, we get to celebrate Christ
and we get to commune with your Son in the sacrament of communion and Lord, we were going
to feast upon him and Lord, thank you for strengthening us that way. Oh God, what a
loving God you are. Wonderfully kind and merciful. Lord, your mercy is open. And Lord, we can't
thank you enough for that. Oh God, help us build your church. Lord, you are the faithful
one who will do it. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.