On them light has shined

Third Sunday of Epiphany, 25 January 2026: Isaiah 9:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23; Psalm 27:1, 5-13

When Jesus begins his ministry, he moved to Capernaum in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. Matthew tells us that this is to fulfill the promise of Isaiah that we read to day: “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined”.

Isaiah was writing in a time of political tension and anxiety; Jesus was seen to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah when Israel was occupied by Roman forces. It’s not surprising that Matthew looked back to Isaiah, and talked about darkness.

The importance of the political context of Jesus’s ministry shows up over and over in the Gospels, in the concern about what kind of king Jesus was: would he overthrow the Romans? That’s the question Pilate asks Jesus at his trial. But Jesus is not that kind of king. He offers another message, of overcoming darkness through love, generosity and caring. His is a different kind of kingdom.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” This week I have certainly felt the darkness. Early in the week it was the kidnapping and detention of 5- year-old Liam Ramos, in the country legally while his family awaited an asylum hearing. Then yesterday, the murder of Alex Pretti, a VA nurse who was helping a woman who had been tear gassed. He was killed when he was pinned on the ground, shot multiple times and denied medical care. 

The darkness can be overpowering. So where is the light? The light is that the people present when Alex Pretti was killed kept evidence, tried to protect the crime scene, and gave testimony to the state. Liam’s fate has been widely reported, and his bunny hat has spawned imitators. The people of Minnesota have worked collectively to support their neightbors who are afraid to go out: they do laundry, go grocery shopping. They use whistles to warn of ICE vehicles in a neighborhood. On Friday, when the temperatures were -10 F, more than 50,000 came into downtown Minneapolis to protest the work of ICE. The people bring the light.  

Jesus preached a message of love.  The light in the darkness comes from love and community, people speaking up for and protecting their neighbors.  They are loving their neighbors. 

What we learn from Jesus is that we can’t expect a savior on a white horse to make everything right. But our Savior came to preach love and justice, and while it does not fix all the problems (and never has) it does provide light. As the psalm says, “the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?”

Jesus has taught us how to be the light.  We can all be part of the light when we act with love and support our neighbors.  We do not have to wait.