The Light of the World, Part 1
Isaiah 9v1-2
28th November 2025
The well-known prophesy in Isaiah 9 about Jesus Christ begins with these words:
Isaiah 9v1-2
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.
In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in
the future he will honour Galilee of the Gentiles, by the Way of the Sea,
beyond the Jordan —
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in
the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
Isaiah was speaking around the end of the 8th century B.C. about the people of the ancient tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun in northern Israel, the territory we know as Galilee. The people there were in a desperate state. They’d been taxed and subjected to forced labour under Israel’s evil kings. They’d borne the brunt of two invasions by the army of Assyria. They’d suffered many deaths and the destruction of their crops and homes. The Assyrians had then removed most of the people and transported them to foreign lands. It seemed the northern Israelites would never recover their ancient land, and God would never be worshipped there. It seemed God had turned His back on them. But God can redeem any situation, any person, any nation. It’s never so dark that God can’t bring light.
In the wake of all this devastation, Isaiah prophesied that "In the future he [God] will honour Galilee of the Gentiles." They had to wait a long time, but what great honour He would show them! More than 700 years later, Jesus Christ came to Galilee.
When Jesus came, the darkness still lay upon Galilee. It was called "Galilee of the Gentiles" because the Assyrians had populated its empty lands by transporting people there from other parts of their empire, people who didn’t know God. Even in Jesus's day, the population of Galilee was still much less Jewish than many of us tend to think. It was occupied by the Romans, and – like most occupied countries – it was in great poverty, because of the heavy taxation the Romans had imposed.
Its Jewish people were desperate for hope. Some found hope in the various Zealot movements – seeking to overthrow the Romans by violent revolt. Others were looking and waiting for the Messiah to come. They knew their Old Testament. They knew Daniel had prophesied that the Messiah would come about this time. And Jesus came. Isaiah’s prophecy came true: "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."
Jesus is that great light. The apostle John begins his Gospel with these words:
John 1v1-5
In the beginning was the Word [that is, Jesus], and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been
made.
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus’s light caused a revolution, but His revolution wasn’t one of violence. His was a revolution of the heart. He didn’t come to lead an uprising against Rome; He came to bring the Good News of the kingdom of God, to utterly change our understanding and our attitudes, and to bring us into healthy relationship with God. He brings light to men and women, to tribes and nations.
In the poverty and misery of first-century Galilee, Jesus preached about the kingdom of God. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He was the friend of outcasts, prostitutes, tax collectors and lepers. He spoke with kindness to the poor, lonely and needy. In the midst of Roman oppression, He showed compassion to desperate people.
Jesus taught the people about God. He taught them about themselves. He told them what would happen in the future. He explained how ordinary people like them – and us – could have a healthy and beautiful relationship with almighty God. And by the way He lived, the way He spoke to people, His wisdom, His compassion, and the power He displayed, He didn’t just teach us about God, He demonstrated God. He was, as Isaiah had also prophesied, in Isaiah 7v14, Emmanuel – God with us.
If you want to know what God is like, study Jesus.