A New Ministry Begins

Isaiah 9:1–4 ESV

1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Matthew 4:12–23 ESV

12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And 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, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

When something new begins, we cannot keep doing what we used to do if we want there to be a difference. That is what we are focused on as we move into the GMC. We need to look at the way we used to do things because doing them that way did not work. We have to move forward with a new vision if we are going to be something different.

Today, we turn to two passages offering hope for what is next. Our passage from Isaiah points toward the coming of the Messiah, who will lead the people out of darkness and into the light. Our passage from Matthew is the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry and outlines the details of what the ministry of the church should look like. What we are going to do today is look at the passage from Matthew with the passage from Isaiah in the background to the prophetic ministry that Jesus will establish and help us to establish the ministry of our church in the future.

1. Jesus offers a ministry of repentance. (vs. 12-17)

Matthew begins his announcement of Jesus’ earthly ministry by quoting from the Septuagint version of Isaiah 9:1-2:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”

Jesus has gone from his hometown of Nazareth to Capernaum – “Zebulun to Naphtali” – to begin his ministry. We wonder what the significance of this is. Why would going from Nazareth to Capernaum be important? It has to do with all that comes before the text quoted from Isaiah.

In Isaiah 7-8, we read about the faithlessness of King Ahaz when Syria and Israel confront him to force Judah to help them against the Assyrian Empire. Isaiah prophesies that Ahaz needed to trust in God because the attacks against him would not come to fruition. Instead, he turns to the Assyrian Empire and pays them tribute out of the gold in the temple. His lack of trust in God leads to Judah being entangled with the Assyrians and barely avoiding the fate of Israel in being taken over by them. The time following King Ahaz’s lack of faith will be a time of great darkness for Judah and the northern kingdom.

God tells Ahaz through Isaiah that there would be one who would come who would be named “Immanuel” or “God is with us.” The prophecy in 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Although aspects of this prophecy were fulfilled immediately following through King Hezekiah, what is found in chapter 9 cannot be fulfilled except through the Messiah. Isaiah 9:6 refers to Immanuel as one who will be called “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father.” This could only happen through God himself coming to us in the flesh. This happened only through Jesus.

When the One who is “God with us” goes to the places of greatest darkness in Israel, “Zebulun and Naphtali” because they were the first to be conquered by the Gentiles completely, the light shines. That Light calls those who have lived in darkness to turn to the light through repentance. This includes the Gentiles who live in the darkest of dark. Paul tells those at the Areopagus in Athens in Acts 17:30, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”

We live in a world filled with so much darkness that it is hard to break through with the truth of the gospel. People reject the message of repentance because it is a call to change and live in a different way. This is counter to human nature. We do not want to live according to God’s Word. We want to live according to our personal standards, but these do not measure up to what God calls us to be. But this is not just a word of judgment. It is also a word of grace. The grace of God shines on us in the darkness. Even though we are a people who live in the darkness, God’s Light in Jesus shines brightly summoning all of us to himself so that we might know what it means to be a part of the kingdom of heaven and no longer live in darkness. It is a call to a new life that brings hope to all who call upon the name of Jesus and desire to live for him.

2. Jesus offers a ministry of discipleship. (vs. 18-22)

Repentance requires us to not only turn away from one way of life to another but to live out that life in a completely different way. Jesus’ announcement of the kingdom of heaven coming near is a call to prepare now for its eventual, future coming. That requires us to live as if the kingdom has fully come to pass.

Jesus then calls his first disciples to learn what it means to live this new life. There is a dynamic that is presented here that is important and can be missed if we are not careful. The call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John is a call in the midst of relationships and occupations. It is a call to a new set of relationships and to a new vocation. It is not to say that being a son, husband, or father or even being a faithful worker was not important to Jesus. These things are important parts of life. However, the call to serve the kingdom of heaven is a call to place Jesus first in our lives above these other things.

The goal of the kingdom is not to serve us so that we can be more effective and productive in our jobs and relationships. Our work and our relationships are only truly effective and meaningful when they serve the express will of the God. Patterns are created in our lives so that we conform to God’s design not the world’s. 1 Timothy 4:6 reminds us, “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” “These things” that Paul mentions is “God’s word and prayer.” These spiritual disciplines or means of grace as Wesley calls them are foundational to the Christian life. It renews our lives so that we can be what is according to God’s will. Discipleship has to be taken seriously by every Christian. It is not something that we can be passive about. We have to be active in studying God’s word and praying on a daily basis. This is what builds our faith and draws us closer to God and one another. We cannot neglect them. Otherwise, we will fall into sin and hinder what God wants to do in our lives.

The first disciples left behind all that they had known so that they could follow Jesus. They wanted to learn from him and sit at his feet because there was something different about him than other teachers of the day. The simple call to become fishers of men was one that took what they had already known to apply it to spreading the gospel.

3. Jesus offers a ministry of healing. (vs. 23)

In our passage, we have two calls - a call to repentance and the call to follow Jesus. In verse 23, we get to what the shape of Jesus’ ministry looks like. It connects back to the prophecy that was given by Isaiah in verses 15 and 16. Jesus is going throughout Galilee, a region of spiritual darkness, to teach and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and to heal every disease and every affliction among the people. This two-fold ministry of preaching and healing is essential in Jesus’ overall work. These bring the light to the people who are living in darkness. The transformation that happens through repentance and discipleship brings us out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Christ. There is healing that takes place.

It is not in our reading today, Matthew goes on to say in verse 24, “So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.” He is describing what the kingdom of heaven brings with it as it draws near. The fulfillment of the kingdom in Christ’s return brings what is found in Philippians 3:21 “who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” But even in the current ministry of Jesus in Galilee and the work of the church today, the preaching of the kingdom and the healing that takes place through that preaching is vital.

The work of the kingdom did not end with Jesus or the apostles. It is still alive today within the church. It is the gospel of the kingdom that sets people free from the powers and oppression of sin. It is the the gospel of the kingdom that heals the sick and those afflicted in body, mind, and spirit. We live in a world that is not unlike what Jesus and the apostles faced. There are people all around us and even here today who are dealing with more than they can handle. This whole notion that God only gives you what you can handle is not from scripture. But it is God who gives us the ability to take on whatever life throws at us. Whether it is a diagnosis, family situations, job loss, relationship problems, anxiety, depression, feelings of being overwhelmed. All of these can be brought to Jesus for healing.

Scores of people flocked to Jesus because they knew that he would bring the kingdom near to them. We have to reclaim that ministry as the church. We have to view ourselves as a hospital for the broken. All of us have been, are, or will be broken. We come to this place to be healed not so that we can be super Christians, but so that the glory of God might show forth from us. Healing does not always come the way we wished it would. Not every disease will be healed. Not every situation will be resolved exactly like we want it. But along with healing comes a call to draw closer to Christ. There are times when situations in our lives are used by God to bring us where we need to be with him. The healing that happens may not always be physical. It may be a spiritual healing that has to take place and the physical problem draws us to that place. We have to open and aware of what God is doing. That is why turning our lives completely over to him in submission to his will and being a true follower is so important. These are the things that give us the strength to be able to live in this world of darkness to be a light.

A new ministry for Jesus began in the hills of Galilee so that a new ministry could be birthed right here and now. God is calling us to be a new people. We look to the ministry of Jesus as an example of how we are to do this work in the 21st century. We are called to be a people who turn toward God and away from the world. We are called to live in submission to God and follow him where he leads us. We are called to be a place of healing for those who are hurting so much in our world. These are the things that will make us be who and what God wants us to be for his glory.