I am a Jesus pusher!!! “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Jesus was ministering in Judea alongside John the Baptist. Suddenly John was put in prison; upon hearing this news Jesus left Judea to begin a new ministry in Galilee. Galilee, a mixture of Gentiles and Jews, had little connection with the temple and the strict order of the scribes and Pharisees. This area was often called the “Galilee of the Gentiles.” Isaiah prophesied concerning this moment, describing this region as “people who walked in darkness” (Isaiah 9:2). Hundreds of years later, Matthew quoted this passage about Jesus (Matthew 4:15-16). He took liberty with the quote saying, “The people who sat in darkness,” indicatingthey are worse than those who walked in darkness. Darkness overwhelmed them, and in their comfort they no longer knew they were in such a state. They were content sitting in their sin. But the good news is that they “have seen a great light.”
Jesus came to Galilee; He did most of his mighty works in the three major cities of Galilee (Matthew 11:20). He chose eleven of His disciples from the citizens of this area. According to Matthew, this happened shortly after the Father filled Jesus with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16). “Light” came to a darkened area because a Man sourced by God walked among them. His messages and His activities were all a demonstration of the power of the Spirit within Him. He could not control the “light” contained within Him. He pushed back the demonic forces and penetrated the darkness. Jesus is “the light of the world!” Now Jesus proclaims this same reality for us. We must be filled with Him as He was filled with the Father. He is the prototype of this reality. I can know Jesus as Jesus knew His Father. I am a Jesus pusher!!!