Darkness and the People Who Walked in It.

Who were “the people who walked in darkness,” according to Isaiah?

And when, specifically, did they live?

Isaiah referred to a time between Malachi and Matthew–and perhaps beyond.

But who were they?

Generally speaking, those who lived in Judea–those who had no shepherd.

But during those 500 silent years between Malachi and Matthew, the high priest and Sanhedrin ruled in Jerusalem at the Temple. Surely, they were the shepherds of Israel?

Technically, yes. Spiritually, in terms of the attitudes of their hearts, probably not.

And as a result, everyone–Jews and Gentiles– walked in darkness.

Many still do.

What is darkness?

Biblical concept:

Apart from its literal meaning, darkness often has a figurative meaning in the Bible. Its most common figurative usage is as a symbol for evil.

This symbolic usage is natural, for wrongdoers prefer darkness to light. It enables them to carry out their wrongdoing more easily.

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

“And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:4 ESV)

“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness.” (1 Samuel 2:9 ESV)

Here’s the basic English definition:

• Sightless.
• Without knowledge of certain facts that could serve for guidance or cause bias.

Strong’s Concordance provides a Hebrew definition:

חֹשֶׁךְ chôshek, kho-shek’; from H2821; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness:—dark(-ness), night, obscurity.

But the Bible is also full of good news:

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. He lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. (Psalm 146:8 ESV).

(Strong’s Concordance translates this as the physically blind.)

Jesus arrives

John the Baptist was the forerunner to the Messiah–whether the residents of Judea realized it at the time or not.

He, of course, baptized Jesus.

John also criticized those in power who preferred the darkness of their sins and personal life to redemption by the Messiah.

For pointing out that fact, John died in Herod’s prison on the east side of the Dead Sea.

When happened after that?

[Jesus] departed to Galilee . . . and dwelt in Capernaum . . . that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

Matthew 4: 12-17; NKJV

In this context, the Isaiah passage indicated the “great light”–seen by people who had been in darkness–was Jesus.

So what does it matter?

If people do not know they live in the dark, they cannot “see” what they lack.

(That does not mean they cannot sense they lack something, but if they don’t know the light exists, what are they to do?)

Many people in Judea of the first century knew they had no Messiah. They knew their nation and even their religion was dominated by Gentiles–who by definition did not know the light of their Jewish faith.

Unfortunately, their Jewish leaders–the Sanhedrin in particular–did not, either.

When Jesus arrived in Capernaum and began to preach throughout the area, people could see the contrast between a faith that had no effect on their lives, and one that healed them.

Everything changed. (Especially if you could walk again, or even SEE again).

They didn’t live in darkness, apart from their God, anymore.

Darkness and Religious Leaders

Like any devout Jewish man of the first century, Jesus visited Jerusalem and the Temple at least three times a year.

In year 12 AD or so, Jesus (perhaps having recently celebrated his bar mitzvah) dazzled the scholars in the Temple with his insight and wisdom. (See Luke 2:41).

Does it make sense that the Temple scholars that year would forget the boy from Nazareth?

If it were you, wouldn’t you have noticed him, and perhaps watched for his return visits?

Scripture doesn’t tell us, so it’s not important, but I’ve always wondered about those scholars. Surely they saw something unusual about the young Jesus.

Regardless, they must not have been in leadership positions that final Passover week when Jesus returned to Jerusalem on a donkey and eventually went to the cross.

But, what did Jesus do during that holy week? Didn’t he reach out to people locked into their personal and/or political darkness?

As you can read in this post, Jesus spent the last week of his life trying to remove the spiritual blinders from those Pharisees, Sadducees, and others in authority in Jerusalem.

He loved all the Jews that much. He wanted them to be with Him in Paradise.

Do people still walk in darkness today?

Unfortunately, yes, but do they have to?

Remember?

On that Good Friday in AD 33, or so, darkness fell all over the land from the sixth to the ninth hour.

Then Jesus died.

And the temple veil–separating the Holy of Holies from everyone else–tore in two.

Remember what He said?

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12; NKJV)

No one needs to walk in darkness any more.

Thanks be to God.

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