Matthew 4:12-25: Jesus, Light of the World, Fisher of Men
Introduction
We are at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus is now ready for him public work, around 30 years of age.
Up until this point, Matthew has carefully told us how Jesus’ fulfills the Old Testament. Jesus fulfills both Old Testament prophecies, and also the patterns established by the Old Testament, both pointing to Jesus being the Christ.
So Matthew records for us Jesus’ virgin conception and birth (Matthew 1:23, compare Isaiah 7:14), His birth in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:6; Micah 5:2), His flight to Egypt and return (Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1), the slaughter of Bethlehem’s infants (Matthew 2:18; Jeremiah 31:15), and Jesus’ upbringing in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). Matthew records John the Baptist’s promised preparations for him (Matthew 2:1ff; compare Isaiah 40:3), and Jesus’ steadfast refusal to succumb to the temptations of the devil himself (Matthew 4:1-11). All these things point to Jesus being the Christ promised in the Old Testament (Matthew 2:4, 6). Matthew has shown how Jesus is God with us, who will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:23).
John the Baptist has now been put in prison. He was too outspoken. He kept preaching against King Herod’s adultery, for Herod had taken his brother’s wife and made her his own. And as unjust as John the Baptist’s arrest and eventual execution is, all this clears the stage for Jesus Christ.
Jesus, Light of the World (Matthew 4:12-17)
So now it’s Jesus’ turn in the limelight. In fact, Jesus is the light. And once again, Matthew refers to Jesus as fulfilling Old Testament Scripture. Jesus is the promised light.
After his baptism and temptation, Jesus returned from the region around the Jordan, back to Galilee. But he didn’t live in Nazareth. He moved to the lakeside town of Capernaum. And even that, Matthew tells us, fulfills the Old Testament.
READ Matthew 4:13-16.
Jesus is God’s promised light for his people. When Assyria destroyed Israel, Zebulun and Naphtali were the first to fall. But over 700 years later, Jesus makes his home in Capernaum.
And the lands that were first to fall into darkness are now first to see the sunrise. When Jesus brings God’s word to Israel, he starts in Galilee by the Sea. And it is as the shining of a light in a dark place, when all other lights have gone out.
Here is hope for God’s people. For Jesus is coming out to shine.
But Jesus is not just light for God’s people. Jesus is also the Light of the World. Because Galilee was the first to fall, it was something of a melting pot. The nationality of the area was more likely to be mixed after the fall of Israel. Assyrian foreign policy purposely mixed ethnic and racial groups. So not just Jews, but non Jews, lived there too. So it was called ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’, of the nations.
Now, we do see that during his three year ministry, Jesus limited his ministry to the Jews. There are notable exceptions, of course. But generally, he refused to go to the Gentiles.
But that was only temporary. For Jesus the promised light was not just for Israel. The light was for the whole world.
Isaiah prophesied about the Suffering Servant.
"It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6-7 NIV)
The light starts in Galilee. But the light is so bright and so enduring, it will shine to all of Israel, and indeed, illuminate the whole earth. Later, Jesus said of himself.
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12; compare 9:5 NIV)
Shine Jesus Shine.
There is a light that shines for the whole world. It’s called the sun. And none of us can look at it. But Jesus takes a much more subtle approach to illuminating the world. The way Jesus lights the world is by enlightening individuals, one at a time. Christ enlightens the world one by one.
So it is interesting that Jesus later says to his disciples:
READ Matthew 5:14-16.
And there is a link between Jesus, the light of the world, and Christians, who are the light of the world. It is this. As we live different lives, Christian lives in the midst of a non-Christian society, and as we explain the reason for the hope we have, we bring the light of Christ to those among whom we live. We become little reflectors, little mirrors, reflecting Christ’s light and rays to those around us.
Christ is the light of the world, the Son of righteousness. Not just the S O N son, but the S U N sun. He is the sun shining during the daylight hours, that cannot be looked at for it’s glory. But we are, each one of us who trust in Christ, we are little mirrors. As we speak about Jesus and live consistently with the message we speak, we shine the light of Christ for others, so that they too can trust in the light, and become the light of the world with us in Christ.
Jesus, Fisher of Men (Matthew 4:18-22)
That is why Jesus is also the fisher of men. His first job, even before he goes out teaching the people, is to fish for followers. He goes head hunting, choosing an inner circle of disciples. We see this in Matthew 4:18-20 [READ]:
Here the image changes. Jesus was first a light for those in darkness, inviting others to reflect his light. Now Jesus is fishing for fishermen. These Galilean fishermen will have a much bigger prize to catch in the days to come. For Jesus came to lure men and women, and then reel them in to himself. He wants to win the hearts and minds of precious people. He wants to rightfully capture their allegiance. And these Capernaum fishermen will help him.
It means they must leave their job and their livelihood. They will need to retrain. They know about nets and how to catch fish. They probably grew up in that trade. But catching men is a different job to catching fish. Becoming the leaders of men – the statesmen representing an international movement that will change the course of human history – that will need retraining. And Jesus will spend three years training them, equipping them for what lies ahead.
Jesus fishes for men so that they too will be fishers of men. None of us are apostles or prophets. Few of us are pastor-teachers. But all of us are called to declare the praises of God and his Son Jesus, who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. All of us are called to have an answer prepared for those who ask. All of us are called not to be ashamed to confess Christ before men. And so all of us too will become fishers of men.
Colin Buchanan writes a great song about this.
Quote Chorus of "Reel ‘em In", from Jesus Rocks the World CD.
Get them interested with our godly Christian love. Speak of the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus. Don’t worry, God will draw his elect to himself. But when they ask why you’re a Christian, bang, right there and then you speak of Jesus, that He is king of the universe, and that His death and resurrection won us free forgiveness, and that this can be yours too, if you would just give yourself to Christ. It’s not hard. But it takes faith.
A little further down the beach Jesus saw another two brothers.
READ Matthew 4:21-22.
Like the brothers Peter and Andrew, the sons of Zebedee have been called to a new trade, a new employer, a new life. Here is career diversion in action. They no doubt had their plans. From childhood, they would have seen their dad working the boat, bringing back the catch. ‘One day, the business would be yours’, Zebedee would say. More than likely from their teens, they’ve been about their father’s business.
But not anymore, because Jesus diverts careers. Jesus divides families. Jesus separates father from son. Jesus steps in and re-orders priorities. Things that were important become less important. Things once seen as trivial become more important, even vital. Because fishing for men is more important than going fishing.
Perhaps you have big decisions in front of you. What will you do after school, after TAFE, after uni, after your studies, after your course? To you, Jesus says ‘follow me’. And ‘follow me’ for you might mean a change for your life plans. Maybe you see that following Jesus means fishing for people. And your plans for your life might make fishing for people very difficult, or impossible. Well, perhaps you need to leave your plans and the family business and follow Jesus. I don’t know, but you need to think it through. Because following Jesus means fishing for people. That is the most important job.
Many Christians make decisions like this. A Christian might say, ‘I want to do this job, so I need to be prepared to move for my job. So once I get my job, then I can work out where I’ll live. And when I know where I’ll live, I’ll look for a church. Hopefully there will be a good church around.' And Jesus and Christianity is right down the bottom of the list. Jesus and church is at the bottom of the food chain.
The same thing happens with jobs. A Christian might say, ‘I want this career, I’ve got to get into it.’ And then you end up working Sundays. Or you have to work the long hours to do the job. And then Jesus and church and Christianity just gets squeezed out.
Now, I’m not saying that Christians can’t be nurses and policemen and firemen. We need them to work on Sundays to have a safe society. But I am saying, if you have the choice, choose the job where you can maximize your time 'fishing for men’. That might mean saying no to the Sunday job, so you can teach Sunday school and give your energy to church. And don’t let church get squeezed out by the Sunday work roster.
It happens with kids priorities. I observe for many people, even Christians, church stuff ends up at the bottom of the food chain. Some people give first priority to sport, because after all, that’s our national religion. Or if you have a more academic bent, music or tuition gets the best time. Then dancing, or scouts, or nippers, or whatever it is. Then, if you can fit it in, church stuff.
But hang on, being Christian doesn’t mean we stick church stuff at the bottom of the priority list for our kids! The best thing I can give my kids is a knowledge of Jesus and the habit of listening to his word week in, week out. That’s more important than playing Cricket for Australia or winning an Olympic gold medal, or going to university or having a good job.
Or perhaps you’ve been working for a long time. You’ve been bringing in the fish. You’re the fish winner in your family, putting fish on the table. But perhaps Jesus is calling you to hunt bigger game. Will your Christianity, your faith in Jesus, affect whether accept the promotion or the pay rise? For they will want their pound of flesh.
I don’t know what the outcome will be. But following Jesus means fishing for men. And fishing for men means that somewhere along the line, you’ve got to say no to fishing for fish.
Or perhaps you’ve retired. And isn’t Shellharbour a lovely place to retire to. And all the messages that our society gives you are: ‘This time is your time. Kids are off your hands. Time now to kick back and do all the things that you couldn’t do. Time to spend the inheritance.'
We had a family day yesterday. Met some of our interstate relatives up at the Caravan and Motorhome Show at Rosehill Racecourse. All around the Race Course, grey nomads were considering what caravan or motor home to buy. Now was their time. Spend the inheritance, kick back, do all the things you couldn’t do.
Of course, this is all pagan thinking. Retirement is not ‘your time’. When you’re Christian, no time is your time. Your time belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, who bought you, and all your time. Jesus bought us and owns us. The cost was his life. He bought us when he died on the cross for us. Now we are his servants and slaves, who live to do his bidding.
What is your retirement? It is the final lap in your marathon of living for the Lord Jesus. Now is the time to sprint home, to make the most of the rest of your life, not to waste your life on shells and baubles and trinkets, not to self-indulgently spend on yourself, but look to your treasure in heaven, and invest there, and to give yourself now in these remaining years fully to the work of the Lord. Holidays aren’t wrong. You need to stay sane, and connect with family. But holidays aren’t our right, either.
Retirement isn’t the time to hang out the sign ‘gone fishing’. It is time to give yourself to even more desperate ‘fishing for men’.
And I love it and am greatly encouraged when older Christians see that the end of the finish line is approaching, and the run with even greater determination. And I often see this in older Christians, a greater awareness of how short life is, a desire to make the most of the short days, humbly serving God with every ability and resource he has given them. They are even more desperate to finish strong in the Christian life. The closer they get to the grave and meeting Jesus, the more focused they are on bringing as many people with them to heaven.
Christians never retire. It’s true of the retired ministers I see. And it’s true of all older Christians. The Christians real retirement is in heaven. Then we will have endless days and unending strength. In the new heaven and earth, we will then do those things we didn’t have time for on earth. So now, we work, whether 16, 36, 56, or 76, knowing that our labour in the Lord is not in vain. We are about ‘fishing for men’. And the smallest cup of cold water given in Christ’s name will not go without reward in the age to come.
Jesus: Preacher, Teacher and Healer (Matthew 4:23-25)
So Jesus calls these men to follow him. They will be with him, and learn from him. And in about three years, they with others will take news about him to the ends of the earth.
But for now these new fishers of men watch their new master, as Jesus restricts his ministry to the Jews of Galilee.
READ Matthew 4:23.
And of course, as verses 24 and 25 tell us:
24 News about [Jesus] spread all over Syria [a Gentile area], and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, [25 That is, the Ten Cities, a Gentile area} Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (NIV)
News of Jesus quickly spreads far and wide. Both Jew and Gentile are attracted to Jesus. And why wouldn’t they be? He is healing them!
Conclusion
Jesus heals because he is merciful. He is undoing the affects of sin and the fall. But he has come not just to empty the 1st century hospitals. He has come to preach the good news of the kingdom. He has come to fish for men. He has come to be a light for those in darkness, to save those in the shadow of death, which he will do by his death and resurrection, for which we thank God.
Let’s pray.