The Purpose of the People of God - 4:12-17
The Purpose of the People of God - Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 46:45
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The Purpose of the People of God
The Purpose of the People of God
Today we’re going to be going through some geography and historical information, that will help us in the rest of Matthew.
Isaiah and Matthew?
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He departed into Galilee;
13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, 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 were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Let’s Pray
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He departed into Galilee;
So John is thrown into prison.
Matthew ordered thematically - This will come up again at John’s beheading in Matthew 14.
Jesus goes to Galilee
Galilee has a rich history
Boundaries:
West - Mediterranean Sea
East - Sea of Galilee is ~8 miles wide and ~12.8 miles long
Also called Lake Tiberius
(close to the size of Washington D.C.)
South - Plain of Jezreel
North - Varies, not a physical border
Roughly 730 Square Miles of land and sea
Galilee contains Mt Tabor, the suspected site of the transfiguration
Contained several cities including Sepphoris, Megiddo, Tiberias, Magdala (Mary Magdalene), and Bethsaida among many others.
To walk back in time,
Galilee:
Part of the land of Canaan
Asher, Naphtali, Issachar, Zebulun
733 BC Conquered by Assyria
Tiglath Pileser III (King Ahaz of Judah pays tribute to him 2 Kings 16)
Named Megiddo after city of Megiddo
Practically empties Galilee of people except for workers
Conquered by Babylon
539 BC released to Israel
1st and 2nd Centuries BC considered Jewish by Rome
163 BC Simon Maccabeus (eventual Hasmoneans) fought the Gentiles there who were threatening annihilation of the Jews
144 BC Maccabean troops were stationed to fight off Seleucid Dynasty
Taken over by Rome in ~63 BC
There have been numerous people groups that have dwelt in Galilee. Furthermore, many Gentile nations have been there at different times.
Yet, since Canaan, there seems to have always been a Jewish presence there.
That’s the history of the place, but what is the culture like in first century Galilee?
For many years, based off of Isaiah, it has been believed that Galilee was a largely Gentile state.
Jews went through Hellenization.
This has been seen in archaeological discoveries of decorated buildings, designated columns, amphitheaters, among other structural markers.
Marker of Roman participation, not of cultural participation.
Contrary:
Many buildings in Galilee have been identified as Synagogues.
Jewish Ritual Baths which would be used for purification
They have also found stone vessels that are believed to have been manufactured for Jewish purity laws. They are more akin to Jewish vessels than to Roman.
Vessels where water was turned into wine
Map
I would propose to you, that though there are still gentiles who live in Galilee, it is still a very Jewish place.
We see evidence of this in Luke:
2 And a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. 3 Now when he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they were earnestly pleading with Him, saying, “He is worthy for You to grant this to him; 5 for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.”
DID YOU CATCH THAT?!
A Roman centurion built the syngagoue!
The foundations of this were found in a series of excavations that culminated in 1985.
Though called Galilee of the Gentiles, it might well be referenced Galilee of the Proselytes!
So we have a city, that has been battled over many times, thus it has a huge group of people that have been in and out. Yet, it seems to be very Jewish in nature, yet full of Gentiles.
This is where Jesus bases His ministry out of.
13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Capernaum
Capernaum - village of ~1500 people
Site of the Centurion’s Synagogue
Site of Simon Peter’s House which was reconstructed in the 4th-5th century AD by a friend of Constantine, the Emperor who legalized Christianity with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD
Capernaum is likely the site where Matthew was a tax collector, most likely on fisherman.
Regions
White - Naphtali
Pink - Issachar
Lavender - Zebulun
Green - Gad
Purple - Western Manasseh
Yellow - Easter Manasseh
Matthew calls these out specifically:
14 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, 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 were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”
Yet another Isa quotation
At the surface, Matthew is just telling us why Jesus went to Capernaum. But as is often the case with OT Citations, there is more going on here.
1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in the land of the shadow of death, The light will shine on them.
We have to spend some time here to get the picture of what is being portrayed in Matthew.
Naphtali and Zebulun - Fulfillment
Made glorious - Arrival of the Messiah
If we back up to Isaiah 8, we see that “the people who walk in darkness” are Israelites living under Assyria. These are a people living under a foreign government. Sound familiar?
This fits nicely with Jesus’ declaration of seeking the “Lost sheep of Israel”
5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Yet we also need to bear in mind what Matthew is motivating his audience towards. The bearing of the good news to the Gentiles.
1 But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in the land of the shadow of death, The light will shine on them.
Galilee of the Gentiles/Nations
Recognition of the various nations present in Galilee as we have already stated.
will see a great light, light will shine upon them - What is the light?
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah is talking about the expectation of the Messiah in Galilee
16 The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”
“sitting in darkness”
This does not match any rendition of Isaiah 9:1-2 that we have - Hebrew, Masoretic Texts, LXX
It does match Isa 42:7
What I believe we have here, is yet another instance where Matthew as a writer has synthesized two Old Testament quotations that bring further understanding to his intentions.
17 and behold, there was a voice out of the heavens saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Isa 42.1 & Ps 2.7
Whereas Isa 9 tells who the Messiah is, Isa 42 tells what the Messiah does!
We have already visited Isa 42 in Matthew with God’s usage of it in the proclamation of Jesus as the anointed Priest and King in chapter 3.
1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
Do you remember what this justice is? It is His rule, His dominion.
And who is it for? The NATIONS! (GENTILES)
5 Thus says the God, Yahweh, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it,
6 “I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness; I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You, And I will give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who inhabit darkness from the prison.
Matthew is utilizing the parallels of light and darkness in Isaiah 9 and 42 to pull together this Messianic narrative that is to bring justice to the nations.
Perhaps this is where John gets his utilization of light from?
What is the point of this?!
Y’all, God’s plan of restored relationship with Him has never been just for Israel. Israel was to be the people that reached the nations.
5 ‘So now then, if you will indeed listen to My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
This was Israel’s job!
Yet recognize the importance of what Matthew has done in the overall narrative:
15 And he remained there until the death of Herod, in order that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Quoting Hosea 11.1 - equating Jesus as the representation of Israel
1 When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.
Whereas Israel was to be the priests to the world, now it is fulfilled in Jesus, God incarnate.
13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,
All of this is what is coming into fulfillment, when Jesus goes to Capernaum.
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
We’ve already dealt with this phrase in regards to John the Baptist, but before we go there, we need to deal with Jesus’ audience.
Given what we’ve just studied in the cultural and textual context, who is Jesus crying out to?
It is my opinion, that Jesus is preaching to those in Capernaum, a village of Jews, whether by birth or conversion (proselytes).
I see this evidenced in the following section in which Jesus calls the first disciples (all Jews) as thematically ordered by Matthew. Matthew is painting the progression of Jesus’ message.
Jesus takes the message to the Jews first:
23 And Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues….
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Preach - Cry Out - Proclaim - Heralding the kingdom!
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
As we’ve discussed previously, there is a lot of debate over this phrase. So summarize what we studied in Matthew 3:1-2, this repentance is a change. This is the calling to Israel to fulfill their purpose.
They have left God out of the equation and are practicing legalism as a means to bring about the kingdom. The kingdom was never going to be brought about by legalism, but by fellowship with God. This is what Torah is about!
the kingdom of heaven is at hand OR is near
I would propose to you that we could understand this as “the kingdom of heaven is available”
It’s reception is dependent upon Israel’s repentance.
Paul clarifies this in Romans 11.
So I ask you, how successful was Jesus’ ministry in Capernaum to the Jews?
We’ll see in the next section, that a few followed Him.
But Jesus tells us how “successful” His ministry was there:
23 “And Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.
Capernaum did not repent of their perspective of the kingdom.
As we’re going to see in a few weeks, Jesus’ message expands over time as it expands over different people, beyond the Jews.
Takeaways:
God’s provision of relationship has always been for the world
Faith in the promised Redeemer
2. Jesus’ ministry brings fulfillment to the role of the Messiah
Matthew is leaving no doubt that Jesus is the Messiah
3. Success isn’t measured in numbers, but in faithfulness
What does faithfulness look like?
5 Thus says the God, Yahweh, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, 6 “I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness; I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You, And I will give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who inhabit darkness from the prison. 8 “I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.
9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass; Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I cause you to hear them.” 10 Sing to Yahweh a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, as well as its fullness. You coastlands, and those who inhabit them.
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices, The villages where Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud, Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to Yahweh And declare His praise in the coastlands.
Let’s Pray
Benediction:
16 The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”
