One of the unique beauties of Scripture is that every now and again you read of God tipping His hand. It is as if He occasionally shows us why He is doing something so that we might understand more of His thinking.
Some seven hundred years before John the Baptist would be imprisoned, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan— The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” So it comes to pass that 700 years later, speaking of Jesus’ actions after John’s imprisonment, Matthew writes, “Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali -to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – 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.”
This absolute fulfilment of prophesy means that Jesus’ move to Capernaum – in response to John’s imprisonment – was far from impromptu, and certainly not reactive. It was planned for a very long time. God had been waiting to strategically place Jesus near the Gentiles, and Jesus had been waiting for the Father’s cue to go there. It was the Father’s design that this King of the Jews would not live in Jerusalem, but on the northern border of Israel, specifically to be close to the people who were in the shadow of His revelation and those who had no light at all.
The Jews had been given the light of God’s prophecies, and the light of God’s historic work among them. But they had hoarded that light to themselves. The nearby Gentiles were truly “people walking in darkness”. Up until now, they did not have God’s manifest favor. They did not have God speaking to them. They lacked hope, and they were lead to believe the saviour to come was not for them, but only for the Jews.
Fortunately, that was about to change. As Isaiah wrote, “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” It is upon them that the light has dawned, and ironically, instead of a mostly Jewish following, it would be largely Gentiles and the Jewish ‘fringe people’ that perceive the great light that is the first appearing of Jesus Christ.
Their joy is nothing short of the joy of salvation. As Isaiah said, “You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.” True to form, Israel was enlarged – the nation of those saved by faith in God would include people from nearby Decapolis.
God has always been concerned with everyone made in His image, Jew and Gentile alike. Those on the fringe and those who the religious leadership would not otherwise welcome are no exception. He is purposing to fill the world with “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” There is no nation, no skin tone, no language and no culture exempted from His purpose.
Amen.
“When you go to the poor with the gospel, the rich join hands with you to take it there.”
William Booth
APPLICATION: Intentionality
Who has God strategically placed you among? How long have they been waiting to see the light He has already given you?