Matthew 4:12-17: Dawn of Light and the Kingdom

¹² When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: ¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— ¹⁶ the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” ¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

In passage of scripture, we witness a moment marking the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Upon hearing of John the Baptist's imprisonment, Jesus withdraws to Galilee, a region historically overshadowed by political turbulence, spiritual darkness, and cultural diversity. This passage reveals the fulfillment of prophecy, the significance of location, and the transformative nature of Jesus' message.

The Spark of Christ: Light Amid Darkness and Opposition

The news of John the Baptist’s imprisonment signals a pivotal transition. John, the forerunner of Jesus, had prepared the way by calling people to repentance, yet his imprisonment highlights the cost of speaking truth to power. Jesus’ response is both strategic and prophetic—he withdraws, not in fear, but to begin his mission in alignment with Christ’s calling, the light displayed on Jesus' face on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Matthew 17:2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

2 Corinthians 4:6: For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Leaving Nazareth, Jesus establishes himself in Capernaum, a bustling town by the Sea of Galilee, situated in the tribal lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. This relocation is not arbitrary. It fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2, which foretold that a great light would dawn on those dwelling in darkness, symbolizing the hope and redemption of Jesus message.

But here’s the challenge: when Sin enters our lives, he begins to choke this Light. He diminishes its brilliance, much like thorns strangling a tender vine. This is the same imagery found in Jesus' parable of the Sower. The thorns represent the trials, the darkness, and the members of sin we carry in our lives. DEMONS! - LEGION!

Genesis 4:7: Whether not if thou shalt do well, thou shalt receive well; but if thou doest evil, thy sin shall be present anon in the gates? but the desire thereof, that is, of sin, shall be under thee, and thou shalt be lord thereof. WYC 1382

Mark 4:18-19: And there be others that be sown in thorns; these it be that hear the word, and dis-ease of the world, and deceit of riches, and other charge of covetousness entereth, and strangleth the word, and it is made without fruit. WYC 1382

Mark 5:9-10: And Jesus asked him, What is thy name? And he saith to him, A legion is my name; for we be many. And he prayed Jesus much, that he should not put them out of the country. WYC 1382

Luke 8:29: For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Yet, the Word of God is this Light. There are those in the world living in spiritual darkness who are experiencing profound spiritual awakenings. The Light—who is the Word—is audibly calling them out of this darkness. Yet, many struggle to understand that what they are experiencing is a spiritual gift, not merely a diagnosis such as schizophrenia.

John 1:1-5: In the beginning was the word, and the word was at God, and God was the word. This was in the beginning at God. All things were made by him, and without him was made nothing, that thing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men; and the light shineth in darknesses, and [the] darknesses comprehended not it. WYC 1382

1 Peter 2:9: But ye be a chosen kin, a kingly priesthood, holy folk, a people of purchasing, that ye tell the virtues of him, that called you from darknesses into his wonderful light. WYC 1382

John 10:27: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

1 Corinthians 2:14: For a beastly man perceiveth not those things that be of the Spirit of God; for it is folly to him, and he may not understand, for it is examined ghostly WYC 1382
Joel 2:28: And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.

Ephesians 5:13-14: And all things that be reproved of the light, be openly showed; for all thing that is showed, is light. For which thing he saith, Rise thou that sleepest, and rise up from death, and Christ shall lighten thee. WYC 1382

1 Corinthians 12:4-7: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

Ephesians 6:12: For why striving is not to us against flesh and blood, but against [the] princes and potentates, against governors of the world of these darknesses, against spiritual things of wickedness, in heavenly things.

What makes this journey especially difficult is that those living in the land of the shadow of death are harassing and oppressing them. This harassment arises because a Light has sparked within them—a Light that is Christ—working tirelessly to draw them out of the darkness they inhabit.

The Shadow of Death: Battleground of Light and Darkness

Let us delve into the profound mystery of the "the region ^G5561 and ^G2532 shadow ^G4639 of death ^G2288, a realm saturated with spiritual darkness, where demonic forces—the "very ^H3966 dry. ^H3002 bones, ^H6106" of Ezekiel 37—dwell. This shadowed region, described in both Psalm 23 and Job 10, is not merely a metaphor for suffering or mortality but a battleground for spiritual dominion. It is a place where the spirits of the dead and the forces of evil linger, whose mission is to extinguish the radiant light of Christ within us.

Psalm 23:4 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.

Ezekiel 37:1-3 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

Job 10:21-22 Before I go to the place from which I shall not return, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death, a land as dark as darkness itself, as the shadow of death, without any order, where even the light is like darkness.

Luke 1:79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

When Jesus proclaimed, "The light has dawned on those living in the region of the shadow of death," he declared war on this dominion. The "dry bones" in Ezekiel are the lost souls whose hope is gone for they have been cut off, THEY are the souls of God's people won over by Sin, dwelling in the arid, waterless places, DEMONS! Members of the Legion, the body of the Man of Sin. The light of Christ pierces through this oppressive darkness, and THEY see Him.

Ezekiel 37:11 Then He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!

Mark 5:9 Then He asked him, 'What is your name?' And he answered, saying, 'My name is Legion; for we are many.'”

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.

The light of Christ, dwelling within us, does not shy us away from confronting evil. Instead, it shines directly into the heart of the shadow of death, bringing us into battle. This is not a passive act but an active, divine confrontation with the strongholds of Satan. The dry bones—vehement, energetic remnants of the lost dead souls are the demonic forces that actively seek to diminish it. They are the thorns of sin, the corrupt powers of darkness.