Matthew 4:12-23 Epiphany 03-A
Kurt A. Van Fossan – In Nomine Christi Iesu
Our theme this morning, based on our text from Matthew, is “Reacting to Darkness.” The question I would like you to consider this morning is how you personally, and we as a congregation, react to darkness. By darkness I am referring to the unknown--being “in the dark” as they say.
What are some of the things you are “in the dark” about? Maybe it’s what you’ll be doing after you finish you finish you’re A levels or College.. Maybe you’re in the dark about your financial situation or your present employment (whether or not you will be made redundant or whether or not you will get that new job). Maybe you’re in the dark about your health or the health of someone close to you. Or perhaps it’s your future after the death of a loved one.
Being in the dark about such things can be pretty scary—scary because there are so many unknowns. You do your best to stay in control of the situations in your life, but the more experience you have, the more your realize how little control you actually have. You do your best to put on a brave face, but inside you can’t help feeling worried.
Image how John the Baptist and his followers must have felt at the time of our text. Thing had been looking good. They had seen Jesus Christ. At Jesus’ baptism by John, God assured them that Jesus was the promised Saviour especially through His voice from heaven, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” But suddenly things changed. John the Baptist was arrested and put in prison by Herod Antipas. Why? Because he had been saying that it was not lawful for Herod to sleep with his brother’s wife. Basically John the Baptist was telling Herod the same message He was telling everyone else, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near” (Matthew 3:2). Good Law and Gospel preaching. What did it get him? Not much worldly “success.” Instead it got him thrown into prison.
So what did Jesus, the promised Saviour, do when He heard that John had been put in prison? How did He react? “He withdrew into Galilee.” That certainly doesn’t sound like something our long awaited Saviour would do. He’s suppose to deliver us from evil. John had been speaking out on Jesus’ behalf. Now, when John’s in deep trouble, you would think this would be a good time for Jesus to demonstrate His power as our Saviour, and come to John’s rescue. Instead, Jesus retreats way up North into Galilee. Those were certainly dark, confusing days, certainly not the kind of thing that encourages church growth, you would think!
Isn’t that the way you feel at times in the midst of your troubles. Where’s God, our Saviour! Why doesn’t He demonstrate His power and His love for me by coming to my rescue! Such times just don’t make sense to our human reason, but let’s consider such times based on our God given faith.
First let’s consider John the Baptist. John had been preaching that the end was near, but also that the Saviour had come. What did Jesus come to save us from? From all evil, from our sins and death. What kind of death? Eternal death. How are we delivered from our sins and death? Through the gift of faith in Jesus as our Saviour. John had been given that faith. He said, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God” (John 1:32-34). So you see, John had already been rescued!
Many people, including Jesus’ own disciples at times (including you and me) often expect Jesus, if He is the Saviour, to deliver them out of their present earthly troubles. Does He at times? Sure He does. In our text we also hear that Jesus was “healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” These miracles showed most clearly that Jesus had come to reverse what man’s sins had done, and that He had the power to do so. And let’s face it, when we’re in trouble, we want Jesus to come to our rescue right now. That’s what we’ll be praying for in our General Prayer. While we’re praying for God’s will to be done, we’re hoping that His will is that we or others would be delivered from our illnesses, our troubles, right now! But what about when that immediate, visible deliverance doesn’t come? John the Baptist is a good case in point.
Have you ever thought of your times of darkness as opportunities for you to share the light of Christ more clearly? Jesus came to deliver us from our sins and from this world full of sin. He did that by taking our sins upon Himself and allowing Himself to be punished in our place, through His damning death on the cross. Through His resurrection from the dead He assures us that He has overcome our sins, death, and all the evil in this world. This is the light of Christ, the good news for a world lost in darkness.
How is our faith in this good news most clearly shown? When we, like John the Baptist, remain faithful in the midst of trouble. Such faith is not easy, is it? We need help, we need a stronger faith. And how does God sustain and strengthen our faith in Him? Through His Word and Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Isn’t that the main thing that Jesus did after John the Baptist was arrested? “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The exact same message that John the Baptist had been preaching. The light of Christ comes through His Word—His Good News—that we have been delivered from eternal darkness, and assured a place in the Son!
And you know what happens when the Lord gives and strengthens our faith in this Good News? He automatically makes us a witness of our faith to others. The stronger our faith in Christ, the brighter the light of Christ shines forth from our lives, especially as we pass through this valley of the shadow of death.
I can’t help but point to the opportunity we had recently to share the light of Christ as a result of Sid Iron’s sudden death. Working through Sid’s friendly, caring attitude toward those around him, God filled this church last Wednesday overflowing with people for his funeral service. This provided us an opportunity to share the confident hope we have in Jesus Christ—the assurance of eternal life for all those who depart this life in the Christian faith—with many people who may not normally hear that message. By the grace of God, this message will continued to be proclaimed through Sid’s family and friends, like you. In the midst of man’s greatest unknown, death, we, as a result of our faith in Christ, are not in the dark about where Sid is right now. We also know that we will one day join him. Such faith, visible in our words and actions, naturally results in a powerful witness to others about the light of Christ.
In Christ there is no darkness—no unknowns. When our faith rests in Him, even in the midst of this world’s troubles, we are at peace in the knowledge that our almighty Saviour knows. [Prayer: God help our faith in You to be evident in all that we say and do.
For Jesus’ name sake. ]
Amen.
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