Pastor
Steve Geiger Third Sunday after the Epiphany
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Matthew 4:12-23
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in
prison, he returned 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 to the sea, along 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 is near.”
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of
Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They
were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow
me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left
their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other
brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with
their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and
immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every
disease and sickness among the people.
No More Does the Shadow Make You Shiver Matthew
4:12-23
1. Jesus outshines the
shadow
2. Jesus makes you
partners in shining
This
past week, it almost felt like summer.
Temperatures
for so long were near zero or less. But
earlier this week, the sun rose and the thermometer moved, and when I saw the
mercury get close to fifty, well, I walked out onto my driveway and just stood
there. The rays of the sun, so warm. Almost like summer.
Imagine
at that moment a cloud. The sun
blocked. A shadow. A shiver.
Such
a shadow and its shivers can last for minutes, for moments.
But there is another kind of
shadow that hangs not for a moment, but for our lifetime. Cast not by a cloud, but by death. We, living in the land of the shadow of
death.
Do you see that shadow? On your walls. Pictures of people. Are
some of them dead? Do you see that
shadow in a vase or a cabinet? I have
Grandma Geiger’s lamp, Grandpa Huhnerkoch’s piano, Grandma Geiger’s peacock
feathers, and Grandpa Geiger’s diary.
Do you see the shadow?
In your life insurance
bill? Or in your check, where money
disappears for health care. Our
sicknesses, warnings of eventual death.
Do you see the shadow?
As you drive by
cemeteries? In the obituaries, on page
number three? In the ads from funeral
homes encouraging you to pick your coffin?
Wise, but what darkness. Forced
to live expecting to die.
Do you see the shadow of
death?
Thousands of years ago, a
shadow too. The land of Zebulun and
Naphtali. They were tribes. Two of the twelve tribes of Israel. On the northern border. Around the Sea of Galilee. That part of Israel first to be targeted by
powerful enemies. Less than fifty years
after Solomon, son of David, died, Zebulun and Naphtali were captured by the
Syrians. Just over 100 years later,
Zebulun and Naphtali sat in the crosshairs of Tiglath Pileser, the mighty king
of Assyria. Years before the other
northern tribes were carried away, the men and the women, the children and
infants of Naphtali were ripped from their homes, never to return.
What a shadow of death. Ruin.
Darkness. There was no more
obvious example in the land of Israel.
Isaiah says that to this
place would come a light. No way.
But yes--a light so powerful
that the shadow of death would disappear.
No way.
Yes. To Zebulun and Naphtali came Jesus. To the region around the Sea of Galilee came
Jesus.
Where there still was a
shadow, the shadow of death. There were
the sick and diseased. Some in severe
pain. Epileptics, uncontrolled
seizures. The paralyzed. Lepers.
The mother-in-law of his own disciple, lying in bed with a fever. A twelve-year-old girl, dead. Then, while in the land of Zebulun and
Naphtali, Jesus hears that John the Baptist, his cousin, beheaded by Herod. He wanted to be alone. He went in a boat toward a lonely place.
Sickness. Death.
Pain. Disappointment.
The shadow makes you
shiver. Have you felt its darkness?
In sickness. Job loss.
Death of a loved one. Scary
doctor’s report. Children in
trouble. Boredom. Uncertain future. Gray hairs. Have you felt the shadow of death?
The shadow of death can lead
us to react in unfortunate ways. It can
make us want to give up. It can be in
the extreme. Ready to take one’s own
life. It can come in different
forms. Wasting a day. Feeling that the pains of life are reason to
have no joy. Complaining. Taking frustration out on others. Despair with no hope. The shadow of death. So easily we can give up.
The shadow of death. It can make us crave any appearance of
light. Even if you know God has said
no. To that activity. You say, “I’m going to die. Nothing else is making me happy. I might as well do something that will make
me happy at least for a moment.”
Alcohol. Different drugs. Sinful sex.
All efforts to make our own light in the midst of a shadow.
The shadow. It makes you give up. It convinces you God should be ignored.
Has your flesh been in one
of those places as you shivered in the shadow?
Jesus comes to this dark,
death-filled world. He warns us, “You
need a mind change.” Despair and
rebellion, giving up or finding joy in things God has forbidden? God is real. You will be judged.
Have a mind change. When your guilt and shame is darkness even
greater and you imagine there to be no light.
Have a mind change. Because the kingdom of heaven is near.
The kingdom of heaven is
near. The kingdom of heaven? At this moment we may think, “That’s
impossible. I’ve given up. I’ve rebelled. I’m living in a shadow of death and there’s no reason God should
take the shadow away.”
But Jesus says, “There is
the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus says, “Have a mind
change. Believe the good news.”
What exactly is the good
news?
“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.” The Lord is
not denying that this life is dark. The
Lord is not denying that in this land the shadow of death is oppressive.
What the Lord announces to
you is that Jesus is the light which outshines the shadow.
You heard about all the
darkness that Jesus saw. The sick, the
paralyzed, the lame and the dead. You
know what Jesus did. He healed the
sick, freed the paralyzed, gave strength to the lame and raised the dead.
The light, driving away the
darkness. That’s amazing. Though you may say, “Those healed still
died. Those no more lame still died. Those raised still died.” You’re right. Not even the physical healings were the full demonstration of the
light.
As Jesus showed he had power
over the shadow, he also showed how the shadow is permanently outshined. There was a paralyzed man brought on a
mat. In the land of Zebulun and
Naphtali. To him Jesus said, “Take
heart, son, your sins are forgiven.”
That is the light. When shame and guilt weigh heavy. When despair and rebellion have been our
reaction to the shadow. The cloud that
blocks life’s joy is the cloud of our sin.
We have brought the shadow.
Jesus brings the light.
By himself shivering in the
shadow of death. First, as he dealt in
a God-pleasing way with the great pain of losing a loved one. He could imagine the head of his cousin
chopped from his neck. And he went in a
boat to be alone. He hurt. But he didn’t despair, in our place. He didn’t give up, in our place. And he didn’t even stop helping others, in
our place. When he had sailed to his
secret mourning place, what did he find but more crowds seeking his help. So he healed their sick, so kindly in our
place.
He shivered another time,
when he faced his own death, a shadow that by his mercy is greater than any we
will face. He felt not just a shiver,
but the frozen vicious stare of a God who was ticked at me. The sun went out that day, but that was
nothing compared to the blackness of hell endured by the Light of the
World.
So that you wouldn’t have to
know. He shivered in the shadow so that
you might not have to.
Ever. Not at your death. Not right now as you live under the shadow of death.
Jesus conquered death. He rose again. He died for your sins.
They all have been forgiven.
If sin has been forgiven,
what in death is there to fear? If
eternal life has been won, what in the temporary nature of earthly joy is there
to resent?
It’s with this message that
Jesus went from synagogue to synagogue.
He said, “Look, I know you live under the shadow of death, here in
Galilee, the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.
But look--the kingdom of heaven has come near you.”
The kingdom of heaven is
near you. It’s not behind a cloud. It’s not just something you’re waiting for
after death. It’s near you now. You can just imagine Jesus pointing to
himself and saying, “The kingdom of heaven is near you. I am the light.”
I am the way, the truth and
the life. I am the resurrection and the
life. I am the light of life so bright
that the shadow of death disappears.
And not just in Zebulun and
Naphtali. Jesus had big plans. Jesus needed helpers. Peter, Andrew, James, John. “I’m going to make you fishers of men.” Training school.
Immediately they left behind
their nets and followed him.
Are you ready to shine the
light of Jesus? Or would you ask, “Do I
need to , because I’m kind of busy fishing.”
No, there’s not even a
question. The question is not whether
we’re busy. The question is whether you
have friends or family, neighbors or coworkers who are living under the
shadow. And that’s not really a
question. They are. The question is, do they see the light? Or have they chosen to see the darkness as
all there is, living in despair with no hope?
Have they chosen to use the darkness as an excuse to live as they
please, certain life is all there is?
Have a mind change, you can
say. Living in despair? Death will be no escape. Living as you please? Certain punishment.
Then announce the light.
Jesus, who died for sin, is
your light.
It’s not that there aren’t
still clouds. It’s just that the shadow
the clouds cast disappears in the great light.
It’s not that there is no more death and sickness. It’s just that through your faith in Jesus
there is no more hopelessness or lasting dread.
For in the land of the
shadow of death a light has come.
A light so bright that no
more does the shadow make you shiver.
Amen.