Today’s Reading: Matthew 4:12-22

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. — Matthew 4:12

It was time for Jesus to start his ministry. With John no longer available to preach the message of repentance to a lost and dying world, Jesus picked up where John had left off with the same message — “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17).

The impact of Jesus’ presence and his message of repentance was significant. As the prophet Isaiah had said hundreds of years before: “In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined” (Matthew 4:15-16).

I believe there is significance in where Jesus chose to begin his ministry. He went first to Nazareth, his hometown. Then he traveled to Capernaum and became a light for those who had been sitting in darkness for so long — the Gentiles. His message of repentance and hope was not just for the Jewish people, but also for the Gentiles. Throughout his life, Jesus would continue to show that he had come to save ALL people from their sins, both Jews and Gentiles. His gift of salvation was for me and for you.

WHERE DEATH CASTS ITS SHADOW, A LIGHT HAS SHINED.

Have you ever experienced the shadow of death? Have you been close to death but survived to tell the story? Have you sat by a loved one and watched them slowly slip from this world into the next? Have you experienced the darkness of death’s shadow?

Today is the anniversary of our last day on earth with my father. All the memories of those last few days have been vivid this week, taking me back to the room where we gathered together in anticipation of his last breath. As we sat in the shadow of death, we spoke of the hope of eternal life. We grieved our loss while celebrating that my father would no longer be confined to a body devastated by Parkinson’s. The light of Jesus filled our hearts as we sang around his bed and released our patriarch into the hands of God.

Where death casts its shadow, a light shines. As a young man, my father had received the message of salvation and gave his life to the Lord. He walked away from his career in library science, put down all the work he had done on his dissertation, and began to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to others — “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. — Matthew 4:18-22

My father experienced the light of Jesus when he recognized his need for a Savior and asked for his sins to be forgiven. My father testified of this light to others, bringing countless people to a place of repentance and hope. And even during his 15 year battle with a cruel and debilitating disease, he walked in the light. Where death casts its shadow, a light shines.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. — Psalm 23:4

Lord, thank you for bringing your light into the darkness of this broken world. Thank you for your comfort when we find ourselves in the valley of the shadow of death. I pray for those who have just received a cancer diagnosis, who are still grieving the loss of their loved one, or the loss of their marriage, job, or identity. I pray you give hope to those who are walking that journey of loss even now, and replace their sorrow with a peace that can only come from you. May our prayer this morning be that we are willing to go wherever you lead, even when death has cast its shadow.