Commentary
Great Light for People who Sit in Darkness
Jesus does not begin his
ministry in Jerusalem, the center of Judaism, where devout Jews worship in the
Temple.
Instead, he goes first to the “land
of Zebulun and land of Naphtali.”
Zebulun and Naphtali were the
first two Israeli tribes that were conquered by the Assyrians. Many of the people were forced into exile by
their conquerors. Their land and homes
were then occupied by non-Jews. By the time of Jesus, over 700 years later,
the area has indeed become what Isaiah prophesized as “Galilee of the Gentiles”
with at least half of the population were non-Jews. [1]
Truly, in fulfilling God’s
plan, proclaimed by Isaiah, Jesus is the light for “the people who sit in
darkness.” He is the Savior who has come
to bring life to “those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death.”
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[1] Raymond Brown, Ed. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall; 1990, p. 638.
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