“And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
4:13
And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
After John’s imprisonment, Jesus went from Nazareth (small agricultural village) to establish His headquarters for His base of operations in Capernaum (larger fishing city of 30,000) on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. His home town rejected Him (Lu 4:16f).
Jesus went to a center of Roman authority, a political sphere for His headquarters. The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali settled in this area.
4:14
so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
Isaiah prophesied that a “great light” would appear in the area in which Jesus set up His headquarters (Is 9:1-2).
4:15
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
They called it “Galilee of the Gentiles” because it was the frontier between Israel and the outside world. Important roads of the world passed through Galilee. Jesus’ ministry was not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles.
4:16
the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
Matthew viewed the Isaiah 9:1-2 passage as fulfilled in Jesus’ move to Capernaum. Jesus was Himself the “great light.”
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn 8:12
4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying,
Jesus now officially began his public ministry.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus came with a twofold message. First, to be a part of the Kingdom, one must “repent.” Second, Jesus said the “kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus was the kingdom personified. Jesus never taught a kingdom “within” the people to whom He ministered.
PRINCIPLE:
As the light, Jesus is the Savior.
APPLICATION:
Jesus made the stupendous claim that He was “the light of the world.” He is the light of the world because He is the glory of God. He is the visible majesty of God. His person and work on the cross is the animation that produces eternal life.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jn 1:4-5
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 Jn 1:5
Have you come to the place where you put your trust in Christ’s payment for your sins so that you receive eternal life? If you will, God will give you His light.
Grant is Repentance a gift of God according to verses?
(Acts 11:18)
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
(2 Timothy 2:25) In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
(Acts 5:31) Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Scott,
The argument of Acts 11:18 is the shift from the economy of Israel to that of the church whereby Gentiles would be granted into a new body of believers, which would no longer be the nation Israel.
Acts 11:18 is a commentary on Acts 10:43ff. and the conversion of Cornelius and his household. After Peter told believing Jews that Cornelius and his household had been baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, Peter said: “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” Peter never mentioned “repentance” to the Jewish brethren. Rather, he referred to believing (Acts 11:17).
It is not certain what Peter’s friends meant; they might have meant that the Gentiles must have previously repented since repentance leads to eternal life (though is not a condition of it). Peter surmised that since God was doing all of this and he has chosen to deal with Gentiles the same way he treated us Jews, who was I to think that I could oppose God. The argument is clear: opposition to Gentile baptism is opposition to God. An immediate response of acceptance, though Acts 11:18 hardly solves this problem among New Testament Christians; the issue was not resolved until Acts 15. In Acts 15 leaders agreed that God was at work among the Gentiles. The church had moved beyond the framework of Judaism.
When the believing Jews heard the evidence, they offered no further objection. Rather they praised God and affirmed precisely what Peter had told them—God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life. The human and divine elements of salvation couple in this half verse: believers repented, and God granted the Spirit. What do Gentiles have to do to become Christians? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ—and nothing more.
They praised God His gracious initiative and his miraculous confirmation of the conversion of Gentiles, that ‘God has granted even the Gentiles repentance that leads to life’. Those described as devout and God-fearing (10:2), turning to Christ involved a radical reorientation of allegiance and devotion, which is what is meant in this case by repentance that leads to life (tēn metanoian eis zōēn). This was a rejection of everything that hindered the reception of salvation through faith in Christ.
Thus, the argument is Acts 11 not individual salvation but God granting a change of economy to the church.
2 Timothy 2:25
The repentance in 2 Timothy 2:25 is to the “full knowledge” of the truth. God must clear the issue for people to believe; they need to make a rational decision when believing. Minds muddled by false teach distort the truth.
There is no “if” in the Greek; the sentence is a third-class condition implying a condition. God always takes the initiative, but man must respond. It is never an either/or question. It is always a both/and relationship—both God and the believing person are involved.
Acts 5:31
The issue in Acts 5:31 is the national repentance of the nation Israel. The idea is not granting individual salvation but the establishment of a new economy at the arrival of the Messiah.
Your understanding of scripture is impressive! Thanks for replying. I thank the Lord that I came across your website.