Light in the Darkness

 Psalms 27:1-3; Matthew 4:12-23

 John the Baptist’s job was to prepare people for the day of the Lord. Well, when Jesus hears that John has been arrested, he leaves Nazareth and begins his ministry. In doing so he fulfills Isaiah 9 which prophesizes his new location of Zebulun and Naphtali. Most important, it tells how the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. It says in the Matthew passage, light has dawned to those living in the shadow of death. This great light is Jesus Christ who starts his ministry by shouting, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

We then have a calling of his first disciples, four fishermen. A ray of hope appears to the people when Jesus proclaims the good news of the kingdom and cures and heals those with diseases and sickness.

The Psalmist in Psalm 27 recognizes the Lord Jehovah as their light and their salvation. The Lord is their stronghold – so who do they need to be afraid of? In the darkness of evil doers assailing them, armies camping against them, and war rising up against them they will be confident in the salvation of the Lord.

The people in Jesus’ new location were living under oppression of the Roman empire fearful of the assailants, Roman armies, and war rising up against them – the very things the Psalmist is confident will not harm him since God is their light and salvation.

The Roman kingdom was hard on the Jewish people at the time of Christ – yet a light arrives in this darkness telling about a new kingdom that’s coming soon. Christ goes around proclaiming the good news of this kingdom.

If the Psalmist can have confidence in the salvation of the Lord, why can we who have become recipients of God’s kingdom through faith in Jesus’ work on the cross be fearful and allow darkness to prevail in our lives? We need to look to the light Jesus has shone into our lives bringing us into his kingdom where God is truly our stronghold. Amen.

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