Shroro

The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest - May, 2005

Bible Study - Commentaries
Verse 4:16-17

from Kaniyamparmabil Achen, the Great Teacher of Malankara

Verse 4:16 “The people that sat in darkness, have seen great light; and to them who sat in the region and shadow of death”. 

“The people that sat in darkness”: They are the people who are status worshippers and who sit in the shadow of death. They are also Jews who observed the Laws but were not revealed of the Grace of God. (Chrisostom) 

“Saw a great light”: Isaiah’s prophecy that the light rising upon Zebulun and Naphtali (Is 8:23-9:1) is fulfilled in the Lord’s residence at Capernaum


V 17: “Repent; for the kingdom of heaven hath approached.”

Just when John was imprisoned, Christ started the ministry. That is when the “Law” ended and the “Gospel “started. Both Lord and John started by an exhortation to “Repent” because repentance changes the soul. Repentance is a change of thinking which results in a change of life. In Greek (metanoeo) it has the meaning to change one's mind and in Hebrew (nacham) it means ‘to be sorry or to repent for one's sins; to regret or to have regretted.’