The Light Dawns Matthew 4:12-25
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Intro:
Intro:
At that feast of the Tabernacles the Jews celebrated what they called the illumination of the Temple.
A massive series of candelabra was placed in the middle of the court of the women, and for a week a great stream of light shinned out continuously—to commemorate the pillar of fire that led Israel during the wilderness wanderings under Moses.
As Jesus entered the court of the women, the light had just been extinguished.
The candelabra were still in place, but they now gave no light.
In John 8:12 Jesus declares he is the light of the world
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus’ declaration that He Himself was the light of the world that would never go out must have struck His hearers with great force
Today we look at the Dawn of that Light
Jesus begins to illuminate the world
Read Matthew 4:12-17
Read Matthew 4:12-17
Transition:
One of the most beautiful metaphors used to describe Jesus’ nature and character is that of light.
It conveys the idea of the illuminating, truth-revealing, and sin-exposing ministry of the Son of God.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The theme for this Christmas season is Love’s Pure Light
We will explore this for the next two Sundays and Christmas Eve
The love of Jesus Christ is the light of our lives
Light to the Nations vs. 12-17
Light to the Nations vs. 12-17
Matthew shows that Jesus is the light to the nations Isaiah prophesied about
When Jesus hears that John has been arrested he departs to Galilee
He leaves Nazareth and sets up camp in Capernaum
This is the hometown of Peter, Andrew, James, & John
It was a fishing village on the northwest of Galilee
Jesus would minister all over the Galilee, but come back to Capernaum
The prophet Isaiah foretold of this happening in 9:1-2
Isaiah also tells us the purpose of the Messiah’s mission
Isaiah 42:6–7 (ESV)
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Jesus begins his ministry as a light in a dark world
Why is the world dark?
It is full of sin and rebelliousness
That is why Jesus begins with Repent
I talked about this a few weeks ago
Repent means the change one’s mind
Jesus has come to preach the Gospel which starts with admitting one’s sin
Fisher of Men vs. 18-22
Fisher of Men vs. 18-22
As Jesus’ ministry starts, he calls his first disciples
The first four are Peter, Andrew, James, & John
Jesus wasn’t sent to do the ministry alone
He chose 12 men to disciple who then went out and preached the Gospel
We see the beginning of the recruitment in this passage
All four were fisherman so Jesus used vernacular they understood
Fishermen by trade, Jesus calls them to fish for men
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
These weren’t the typical disciples that were chosen
Because these men were fishing means that they didn’t make the cut in Torah school
In Israel the boys went to school to learn the first five books of the OT
Only the cream of the crop would pass level one and go on to level two
If they passed level two they were considered worthy enough to follow a Rabbi and become his disciple.
Jesus doesn’t choose from the cream of the crop
He takes normal men who the religious elite would scoff at
It’s from these men that God built the foundation of the church
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
God chose to reflect the light of His son off of the hearts of men
Solar Farm
Right by the border between California and Nevada, on I-15 is a solar farm
It is massive and unique in its own right
It deploys 173,500 heliostats, each with two mirrors focusing solar energy on boilers located on three 459 ft tall solar power towers.
Those towers have water that is heated until it produces steam which powers steam turbines
The plant generated 500 MW in 2020.
That’s about 2/3 of the power San Francisco needs every year
When light is reflected and directed in one focused area it has a powerful effect
Ministers to the Masses vs. 23-25
Ministers to the Masses vs. 23-25
The area of Galilee was about 60 miles long by 30 miles wide
Josephus said there were over 200 villages that surrounded the Galilee with none having less than 15,000 people
That means 3 million people lived in the Galilee region
When word got out about Jesus healing people the masses started to gather
When the light dawns and reflects off of others it extends to so many more people
Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.