Isaiah 9:1-2 "1. Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined."

So we see Jesus’ ministry beginning in Galilee, just as Isaiah the prophet said it would. A couple of things to take note of here. According to Josephus, the region of Galilee was a fertile, progressive, highly populated region. There were some 3 million people populating Galilee. In an area of about 60 by 30 miles, there were some 204 villages with none having less than 15,000 people. That gives a population of more than 3 million for the region. Galilee was predominately Gentile in its population, but with a large number of Jewish cities and citizens. So right off the bat, Jesus begins His ministry in an area that was populated with both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus truly is the light of the world, and the world encompasses all nations and peoples.

Notice also that the prophecy from Isaiah, tells us that “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

This place was a dark place as is all of the world. Without Jesus we are all walking in the shadow of death.