Worship

Epiphany 3                                   January 25, 2026
Matthew 4:12-23                          Pastor Wolfe

Lord of Light, Call Us from Darkness!

Isaiah famously prophesied that death hangs over the people of the world like a thick veil of darkness. But it’s not just death that makes the world dark is it? At times this world is so dark with problems that it threatens to overwhelm us. Just in the week since I’ve been home I’ve seen the darkness as people told me about cancer diagnoses, and serious legal problems, addiction, and family strife. From halfway around the world I saw our own Twin Cities on TV with faces of anger on both sides of the protest lines calling for evil on others. No matter who you voted for or how you feel about what’s going on here, I’m sure we can all agree things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be. It’s not just cold outside in Minnesota today. It’s dark.

Our Gospel reading from Matthew 4 reminds us that our Savior knew the darkness of this world too. He didn’t just suffer at the cross and he wasn’t blind to the darkness around him. After Jesus was baptized and tempted in the desert in the southern part of Israel he receives troubling news. Verse 12: “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison he withdrew to Galilee.” Ruler Herod Antipas had divorced his wife and taken his brother’s wife as his own. John the Baptist was bold enough to criticize him for it. For that he was thrown into prison. The fortress Macherus where John was held, and eventually beheaded, is one of the places I visited on our trip. The rubble is still there today, a reminder that the world’s darkness is nothing new.

When Jesus heard about John’s imprisonment he recognizes that John’s ministry was ending and his was beginning. He leaves Judea and travels to Galilee. Here Jesus would reveal himself as the Light who calls us out of darkness. Jesus speaks twice in these verses and both times it is to utter a command. First he tells the crowds to repent. Then, to the two men who would join his closest followers, he says, “Follow me.” Jesus calls us away from this world of darkness by changing our hearts, and changing our purpose. If you are overwhelmed today by the darkness that surrounds us, listen again to God’s Word here and find peace in our Lord of Light.

Jesus’ decision to leave his hometown of Nazareth and go to Capernaum was intentional. In Epiphany our focus is to see Jesus and learn who he is. Fulfilling prophecy is one way that Jesus shows us he is the promised Messiah. In this case it was a 700-year -old prophecy from Isaiah that Jesus fulfills. “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 area of Israel, the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, named after the two tribes of Israel who had settled there, had a dark reputation. The empires that conquered Israel always attacked from the north, meaning these northern lands were the doormat of Israel. Still today, this is the land that is vulnerable to Hezbollah rockets from Lebanon and Syria. Old bunkers and rusting tanks still dot the landscape today, stark reminders of the place of death where Jesus chose to call home.

But there was another darkness covering this land that was even more dangerous than spears of foreign nations. Since this part of Israel had been overrun so many times by non-Jews, since it was so far away from the temple in Jerusalem and the center of Biblical faith, many in the area had fallen away from their trust in the one true God. They still claimed the title of believer and said they worshiped the true God, but in reality they went about life on their own terms. They were lost in a spiritual darkness that was worse the world’s dangers.

It was to this dark place that Jesus went and in the words of the prophet Isaiah it was as if a great light had dawned upon Zebulun and Naphtali. But exactly in what way is Jesus the light? Look at what he did. Our text says, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Jesus brought God’s light through the message he delivered: “Repent! Change your hearts. Turn away from your sins!”

How do we solve the problem of the world’s darkness around us? We begin with the darkness in our own hearts. How many people today claim the title of believer, hold membership in a church even, but in reality go about life on their own terms? We do it too, don’t we? All around us we hear the lies of false Christianity saying that Jesus’ love for sinners would lead him to tolerate whatever sin we don’t want to let go of. Our hearts tell us that Jesus would be happy with how close we are to usually doing the right thing. He would accept our partial devotion and our half-service. No one is perfect, so as long as I’m better, that’s good enough.

Is that what we hear from Jesus today? No! Light has nothing to do with darkness except to drive it away. Jesus shines his light on us, into us, and exposes our every sin with no place to hide or abide.

But the blinding light of Jesus isn’t a cold light of exposure without warmth. Knowing the sin that Jesus sees in us, perhaps it’s surprising to hear what else Jesus said with his preaching. Go all the way to the last verse of this reading and Matthew tells us Jesus went throughout the region proclaiming this GOOD news of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus didn’t come just to direct a spotlight on our sin to show us our darkness among the darkness of the world. His light also reveals God’s love on us sinners. And that good news wasn’t, “If you clean up your act, God will forgive you.” That’s not good news. It’s a recipe for more guilt.

No, Jesus’ good news is found in all the other prophecies from Isaiah that he kept. That he himself, the Son and servant of God had come to destroy death. To be pierced for our transgressions. To heal us by his wounds. To be the One we can trust as our strength and our song. Our salvation. Jesus, the Lord of Light, calls us away from the darkness of our sinful hearts into the warmth of his love. He comes to us in Word and sacrament and makes his dwelling among us so that our hearts are lifted and our burden is removed. And when we sin, we repent and put our trust again in the fact that as long as he is near us, we stand in the light of forgiveness and grace. So let the world be dark – we have the Lord of Light with us.

Of course, I haven’t spoken about a pretty significant thing that happens in the middle of this reading about Jesus’ light and teaching. In one sense Christians are just like everyone else in the world. We are fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, parents and children, workers and employers, renters and buyers. We have joys and sufferings just like everyone else. But while our lives might look the same, we have a whole different purpose in this life.

You see, the light of Christ can’t help but reflect off us. It changes our hearts in faith, but it brightens the purpose of our time in this world in a way that changes us outwardly too. Jesus has so much more in mind for us who live in his light. He opens our eyes to his truth AND to our place in proclaiming that truth.

For Peter and Andrew and James and John, that purpose became very clear very quickly. In last week’s Gospel we saw Peter and John leave John the Baptist to learn from Jesus and tell their friends about him. But afterward they went back to fishing. Now, Jesus asks for more from them. This time he asks them to give up everything. Right there as they’re working on the job he says, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Or, as we better know it from the old translation, “I will make you fishers of men.”

Peter and Andrew’s response? “At once they left their nets and followed him.” James and John? “immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.” These believers had seen the light that Jesus brought to them. And at his asking, not work, not business, not even family kept them from following Christ’s call and rising to live in his light.

Jesus hasn’t called all of us to leave our lives and dedicate ourselves to preaching and teaching his word full-time. Not all of us anyway. So how do you answer Jesus’ call to follow him? Martin Luther was once asked how a cobbler, a person who makes shoes, could serve God. Luther said it was not in putting little crosses on every shoe but in making the best possible shoes. In the same way, you answer Jesus’ call by being the best parent or child you can be. By faithfully fulfilling your duties at work. By fairly treating and compensating those you employ. By being honest, and compassionate, careful, and kind. We all serve God by honoring the laws of our land and praying for both our leaders and our people, those we agree with and those we don’t. In doing these simple things we’ll find that God gives us opportunities to be fishers of people too. To share the light of faith and peace and hope.

And there’s the answer to the darkness of our times, brothers and sisters. Recognize that the hate of the world comes from a darkness that has nothing to do with us any longer. See the dawn of the Light of the Lord in your life. Let his light drive you to repent of your sins. Let his calling lead you to trust in his promises. And let his love shine in your words and your lives. To him be the glory. Amen.