Light from Galilee

by Jack Countryman, The Hope of Christmas

Prophecy
 

The gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.
The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. - Isaiah 9:1-2

Out on the sea, drifting along in the calm of night, a captain awaits the sunrise that will break the darkness. In a similar situation, Isaiah spoke this prophecy in anticipation of light after darkness, of an explosion of light and Good News. For thousands of years, the Jewish people had been looking for the King who would come, bring an end to war, and usher in universal peace. They were waiting for the sunrise that would shatter their darkness once and for all.

Fulfillment

Ministry in Galilee
 

Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. . . . Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. — Matthew 4:23, Matthew 4:25

When Jesus, hailing from Galiliee, walked this earth, His ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing fulfilled Isaiah’s ancient prophecy. This God-man wanted people to recognize who had sent Him and then enter into a more intimate relationship with the Father. With words and healings, Jesus taught that an internal change of the heart was necessary before a sinner could enter into a true relationship with God. Jesus shined the light of this truth and others every day of His life, as did those — then and now — who came to follow Him.

What are you doing to let your light shine so that others might see Jesus in you?

God’s Power

What a responsibility! How can flesh and bone — mere “earthen vessels” — possibly shine forth the glory of the living God? We can’t — in our own power. But each day, as we faithfully serve Jesus, His Spirit works to mold us more and more into His image. As this process unfolds, people around us can see His light shining in us and through us, and we are able to be God’s ambassadors in the world, used by Him to introduce people to the love and grace available to them in Christ. Acting in the power of the Holy Spirit, we can shine forth — in this season and always — the light of hope and joy for the good of those around us and for God’s glory!

Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. — John 14:11–13

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. — 2 Corinthians 4:6–7 

Pray: Lord Jesus, as I faithfully serve you in my daily life, may Your Light shine through me to benefit everyone around me for Your glory! How can you shine the love of Jesus today? How can you share the Gospel in action to your loved ones, friends, co-workers, and neighbors? How will you be an ambassador for the King today?