The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 146

Vers. 12-17.-Light in dark11ess. The public work of Christ followed upon his temptation. "No man can be prepared for any deep vital work in the world who has not come through the devil's school" (Dr. Parker). Let no truth-seeker be dispirited by the se'l"erity of his temptations. Consider here- I. THE MELANCHOLY OONDI'l'ION OF THE CHRIS'l'LESS. 1. They Bit in darkness. (1) What a miserable picture! The felon in his dismal dungeon. The traveller benighted in a craggy wild. (2) Such morally is the condition of the "Gentiles." Shrouded with the triple night of ignorance, superstition, vice. "Galilee of the Gentiles." Twenty cities of Galilee were given by Solomon to Hiram (1 Kings ix. 11). Though these were twenty years later restored to Solomon, the Phrenicians would still largely mingle with the Jews there (2 Chron. viii. 2). The Cuth111ans with whom Sbalmaneser replaced the Israelites taken into captivity stocked Galilee as well as Samaria proper (2 Kings xvii. 24). Though under the Maccabees the Jews subdued the Cuthreans, they did not expel them. •• 'l'he way of the sea" was a high-road from Syria into Egypt, and Strabo had reason to say that this country was inhabited by Egyptians, Arabians, and Phcenicians. (3) The Jews in general, and those of Galilee in particular, were woefully degenerate at the time of Christ's coming (John i. 6). Tbere is no deeper darkness than that of apostasy. 2. Their darkness is the " shadow of death." (1) The death of perdition is called "outer darkness." Those involved in it are shut out permanently from the holy universe. (2) The "shadow" of death is the dominion or influence of the infernal world. It is a synonym for the " power of Satan" (Acts xxvi 18). The expression is used for the grave, and for the obscure abodes of the departed spirits of the wicked. The state of sin is the very gloom of hell upon earth (comp. Ps. xcL 1 with cvii. 14). II. 'l.'HE SUFFIOIENCY OF CHRIST AB A SA VIOUB. 1. He i, the Messiah of prophecy. (1) His appearance in Galilee was ignorantly used to discredit this (see John vii. 41, 52). (2) Yet the appearance of Messiah in Galilee was the very thing the prophets required. Matthew cites Isaiah to this effect. Mede refers the first four or five words of the ninth chapter of Isaiah to the last verse of the chapter preceding. In this he ia in agreement with the Chaldee Paraphrast and Jerome. He translates the prophet thus: "According as the first time he made vile ( or debased) the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; so in the latter times he shall make it glorious." Then follow the words quoted by Matthew, "The way of the sea by Jordan, Galilee of the Gen- tiles," etc. No prophecy of Christ is clearer than this of Isaiah (ix. 1-7), and it requires that "Galilee" should be the place of his ministry. (3) Jesus accordingly· wa.s brought up at Nazareth, and afterwards resided principally at Capemaum. In Galilee the principal events of his ministry occurred. His birth, indeed, was at Beth- lehem of Judah, and his death at Jerusalem, which also agreed to the requirements of prophecy. 2. The Messiah of prophecy is the Saviour of men. (1) His presence brings light. "The heathen writers," says Elsner, "represented the arrival of some great public benefactor in a place,as a new light sprung up in the midst of darkness." John was a "burning and shining light," but he burned and shined in the fire and light of Christ. Herod imprisoned John, but he could not imprison John's light. No tyrant can imprison sunbeams. He may shut them out; he cannot shut them in. (2) His light brings life. He shows the way of life. His teaching brings with it the energy of life (John i 4). His illumination is salvation (Acts xiii. 47). (3) He is the Saviour of the whole world. His light is not limited to the Jew, though his mission was first to the Jew (eh. xv. 24). He went to Capernaum "that it might be fulfilled,W etc. This is one of those passages which Lord Bacon says," have a germinant accom- plisliment." .An instalment was fulfilled when Jesus exercised his ministry in Galiler. That ministry there was also a presage of what will yet occur when the "whole earth shall be filled with his glory." Ill. THE TERMS OF HIS SALVATION. 1. The firsl thing '8 repentance. (1) The source of true repentance is conviction of ein. This comes to us through the shining of the light of Divine truth. "That which maketh manifest is light." 'l'he conscience is rendered sensitive by the quickening beams of Divine truth. (2) The evidences of a true conviction of sin are (a) sorrow for sin, (b) confession of sin, (c) forsaking of sin. (3) If we refllle the light it will leave us. Jesus left Nazareth because the peo1,le there rejected him. After his temptation Jesus went from Judrea into Galilee en. 1v. 1-25.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 137