Aloha Friday Message – January 23, 2026 – The Light at the Middle of the Tunnel
January 23, 2026
2604AFC12326 – The Light at the Middle of the Tunnel ← PODCAST LINK 😀
Read it online here, please. Reading it online allows the email version to reach many more subscribers. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. And please, when you visit there, use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Please forward this to them and ask them also to share it to others.
Isaiah 9:1a,b-2a(GNT)[1] – a There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble. 1b The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region […]
2a2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
Psalm 27:1 – (GNT) The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.
1 Corinthians 1:10 – (GNT)10 By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose.
Matthew 4:12-13 – (GNT)12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee. 13 He did not stay in Nazareth, but went to live in Capernaum, a town by Lake Galilee, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.
ʻŌmea ~~ May the God of Peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Here we are already at the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. As always, there is some really good stuff in our readings for this weekend so let’s begin with that Key Verse from the Gospel. We see that Jesus has left Nazareth and relocated to Capernaum in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. What, or who, or where is that? Let’s begin with the “who” part of that.
Zebulun was the sixth son of Leah and the tenth son of Jacob. His name means “to dwell,” because Leah hoped he would stick around and live near to her. Zebulun’s descendants settled in the norther portions of the Promised Land between the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee – after the earlier inhabitants had been subdued (but not eliminated as God had commanded). They were unable to drive out the tribes of Canaan from their territory, and that became a serious omission and costly problem later on. The territory they were allotted was in upper Galilee, a desirable area of low, rolling hills, fertile land, and a major trade route between Galilee and the Mediterranean. They eventually became entrepreneurial seafaring people who organized and operated trade routes on land and sea.
Naphtali was the 6th son of Jacob and the 2nd child of Bilhah (she was the servant of Rachael, Leah’s sister). Rachael named him Naphtali – which means “my struggle” – because she felt his birth gave her better leverage (against Leah) with Jacob’s complex family. They also settled near the sea of Galilee and became known as military strategists and warriors who later fought in the services of Barak and Deborah – two of the excellent military leaders described in the Book of Judges. Nonetheless, like Zebulun, they were unable to drive the Canaanites out of their birthright territory. Naphtali is a region of rocky hills and rugged mountains, and that affected the areas where people chose to settle and to defend in war. I’ve set a map below to give you a little bit of an idea how this was all laid out geographically. Each of these three maps goes from Tyre to Gaza; the one on the right is a NASA image of that area.
Next up: Why those names and places are important.
The walk from Nazareth to Capernaum was about 40 miles. On the center map, you can see Nazareth about due-west of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is on the North end of the Sea of Galilee.
In our Old Testament Key Verse, we learn that those tribes and the territories they controlled were once smashed by the invading Assyrians; but the Lord promises that from those ruins near “Galilee of the gentiles” would arise a King who would drive away that darkness and desolation with Magnificent Light thereby restoring Justice and Peace. Jesus didn’t get up one morning and say, “Mom, let’s move over to Capernaum. It’s going to be better for your health and I can set up a shop there.” No. This was a strategic move to fulfill a Prophecy, the very prophecy we’ve been studying in the Book of Isaiah.
Here, then, is the power of these images. Naphtali and Zebulun were wealthy, powerful tribal areas in the middle of very fertile land which hosted several trade routes. After the Assyrians came in and wrecked all that, they backed off, left a mess, decided not to try to capture Jerusalem, and demanded tribute from everyone they defeated. They were a right nasty bunch, they were! Their war crimes – as we would call them today – were brutal. Flaying, decapitations, impaling, torture by the most cruel means, terror, gouged out eyes and tongues and genitalia. Enough. They were bad, alright, but later conquerors in that same region would be worse (Babylonia for example). That was a very, very dark time for the Nations of Israel and Judah. The promise of a conquering King, a Messiah (remember, that means “anointed one?”) was a Light in and of itself. It took a while though – like about 750 years +/- 60. Nonetheless, Tradition kept that Hope alive, and Tradition came to Reality when Jesus started his ministry with the words from Matthew 4:17 – (GNT)17 From that time Jesus began to preach his message: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!” or as the Apostle Mark put it “Repent and believe the Gospel!” (See Mark 1:15)
Knowing all this is, for us, a peek into the mind and heart of the Psalmist, King David himself in this instance. Psalm 27 is one of about 9 different “Psalms of Confidence.” For example, in verse 3 he states that even if entire armies encamp around him, he will not fear because God is near and he trusts in God. In verse 13 he says, I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord // in the land of the living. He says, ”I trust God” and backs that up with “I believe God.”
The Land of the Living” is an “nickname” for the Temple in Jerusalem where believers could enter into the Worship of The Presence of God. Whenever I hear that phrase, “in the land of the living,” I feel the Hope my soul holds for God’s gifts a.k.a. charisms χάρισμα (khárisma) – the Grace of the Holy Spirit and the abilities that come with His indwelling – and blessings – μακάριος (makarios) – extraordinary blessings from God which create and/or amplify our charisms – sort of like The Apostle Paul’s Grace that is sufficient, or as in John 1:16(GNT) – 16 Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. Other translations read :Grace upon Grace.
That is an apt description of the repeated, progressive, cumulative increases in well-being which comes to Believers who completely Trust the Lord, who live by the adage “Trust and Obey.” (↔ Music Link) I had to use that music link, even though I use it often, because I hope you will take pause, and meditate on the lyrics as they appear in the recycled electrons on your screen. Now I would like to return to the first phrase of our Old Testament Key Verse, There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
What does that mean?
Well, it’s pretty obvious, yes? I encourage you to take some time this week and read chapters 8-10 of the Book of Isaiah. You will hear how the Lord used the Assyrians as a club to break away the idolatrous lives of Israel and Judah. In this verse (It’s Isaiah 8:23 in the Hebrew texts) God is essentially saying, “You asked for it, and now you’re going to get it.” What is “it?” Correction. They would feel what it’s like to deal with God’s wrath and the punishment for their obstinate refusal to Love, Trust, and Obey. There’s kind of a cycle like that. I see it like this:
God Loves us and we acknowledge and return that Love. (↔ Music Link)
Because of our shared Love we begin to trust God
When we trust God we discover that we have hope in God
When we have hope we find it easier to obey God
Once we begin to obey God we want to serve God
As we serve God we begin to believe in God
When we believe in God we begin to worship God
As we worship God we commune with God
Our communion with God helps us to thank God
As we thank God we then know why we love God
Now then, why is this essay called the light in the middle of the tunnel? Well some time ago I wrote about The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel (← Check it out! In 2401AFC010524) We all know we’re not supposed to look for the Light at the end of the tunnel. That’s the World’s view of it anyway. Those of us who know and Love God know that we have the fulfilling of a promise and the continuation of a blessing: The Light of the World is Jesus. (↔ Music Link) and Jesus is right in the middle of everything for us, Belovéd, so let us head for the light! – yep, that one at the End of the Tunnel – because that is where Eternal Light dwells. What does not dwell there is flesh and the sin that goes with it. “In the flesh” means “In the World,” and that is not our destination! We cannot possibly imagine what that will be like.
We do try to imagine it though. Angels wearing long white robes play harps while riding clouds. St. Peter at the Gate. Streets of gold, meeting our friends and relatives and all the holy men and women who preceded us. We imagine these loved ones as they appeared in the flesh. We think of them walking around in beautiful gardens conversing amiably about anything and everything. They greet and embrace one another even though they have no bodies.
That’s right. They are spirits. They do not have a resurrection body yet. So what do spirits look like and can they really distinguish the differences between this man and that woman? No matter what you think, the answer is: We can only guess until we see it ourselves. Contemplating the gaining of that knowledge is wonderful! Actually gaining it seems to terrify most of us because it is something you learn only after your body dies. The price of admission to the afterlife is quite simply everything you’ve got because you can’t take it with you. We all know that. We all know life in Heaven is … well, heavenly. But we don’t want to get there (most of us anyway) any sooner than we have to … until our number is up. But what will that be like?
As I prepared for this post over the past week, I was led to a passage about the resurrection body. You can read about that here: The Resurrection Body – 1 Corinthians 15:35-56. It’s pretty fascinating reading. It’s clear that until that Day of Resurrection, God has us scheduled for Life in The Spirit because he won’t be ready yet to speak the Miracle of Resurrection and the Glorious Splendor of Light hat IS GOD. I can’t tell you what that’s like; I haven’t been there yet, although I’ve been to the edge of the Light at the end of the tunnel a few times. Now we know because we know we Love God and we Trust and Obey him because – in Love – he gave us the Light of the World, Jesus, and Jesus is here with us right now, right in the middle of the tunnel. Now that we know, it’s time to go!
Before I go, though, I want to ask you to pray with me for the dying friends we know, that God will give them Peace as they move resolutely toward death. Pray also for families shattered by poverty, or drugs, or war, or even something as simple as bad judgment. And pray for your clergy! Thank God for them and ask God to strengthen them. The Ruler of This World is making hell on earth for billions of people. Be part of the shield that deflects his fiery arrows! Pray also for those who are willingly disobeying the Law – God’s Law and Civil Law – that they will recognize the Love of God and learn to Trust and Obey both. We can help them best by showing them something else Jesus taught us.
Matthew 5:14-16 – 14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
I will not fear, for The Lord is near! I will not grieve, for In HIM I believe!
Psalm 37:3-4 – (GNT) 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and be safe. 4 Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desire.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd! Please pray with us hereat Share-a-Prayer.
2604AFC12326 – The Light at the Middle of the Tunnel ← PODCAST LINK 😀
Read it online here, please. Reading it online allows the email version to reach many more subscribers. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. And please, when you visit there, use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Please forward this to them and ask them also to share it to others.
Isaiah 9:1a,b-2a(GNT)[1] – a There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble. 1b The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region […]
2a2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
Psalm 27:1 – (GNT) The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.
1 Corinthians 1:10 – (GNT)10 By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say, so that there will be no divisions among you. Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose.
Matthew 4:12-13 – (GNT)12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee. 13 He did not stay in Nazareth, but went to live in Capernaum, a town by Lake Galilee, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.
ʻŌmea ~~ May the God of Peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Here we are already at the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. As always, there is some really good stuff in our readings for this weekend so let’s begin with that Key Verse from the Gospel. We see that Jesus has left Nazareth and relocated to Capernaum in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. What, or who, or where is that? Let’s begin with the “who” part of that.
Zebulun was the sixth son of Leah and the tenth son of Jacob. His name means “to dwell,” because Leah hoped he would stick around and live near to her. Zebulun’s descendants settled in the norther portions of the Promised Land between the Mediterranean and the Sea of Galilee – after the earlier inhabitants had been subdued (but not eliminated as God had commanded). They were unable to drive out the tribes of Canaan from their territory, and that became a serious omission and costly problem later on. The territory they were allotted was in upper Galilee, a desirable area of low, rolling hills, fertile land, and a major trade route between Galilee and the Mediterranean. They eventually became entrepreneurial seafaring people who organized and operated trade routes on land and sea.
Naphtali was the 6th son of Jacob and the 2nd child of Bilhah (she was the servant of Rachael, Leah’s sister). Rachael named him Naphtali – which means “my struggle” – because she felt his birth gave her better leverage (against Leah) with Jacob’s complex family. They also settled near the sea of Galilee and became known as military strategists and warriors who later fought in the services of Barak and Deborah – two of the excellent military leaders described in the Book of Judges. Nonetheless, like Zebulun, they were unable to drive the Canaanites out of their birthright territory. Naphtali is a region of rocky hills and rugged mountains, and that affected the areas where people chose to settle and to defend in war. I’ve set a map below to give you a little bit of an idea how this was all laid out geographically. Each of these three maps goes from Tyre to Gaza; the one on the right is a NASA image of that area.
Next up: Why those names and places are important.
The walk from Nazareth to Capernaum was about 40 miles. On the center map, you can see Nazareth about due-west of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is on the North end of the Sea of Galilee.
In our Old Testament Key Verse, we learn that those tribes and the territories they controlled were once smashed by the invading Assyrians; but the Lord promises that from those ruins near “Galilee of the gentiles” would arise a King who would drive away that darkness and desolation with Magnificent Light thereby restoring Justice and Peace. Jesus didn’t get up one morning and say, “Mom, let’s move over to Capernaum. It’s going to be better for your health and I can set up a shop there.” No. This was a strategic move to fulfill a Prophecy, the very prophecy we’ve been studying in the Book of Isaiah.
Here, then, is the power of these images. Naphtali and Zebulun were wealthy, powerful tribal areas in the middle of very fertile land which hosted several trade routes. After the Assyrians came in and wrecked all that, they backed off, left a mess, decided not to try to capture Jerusalem, and demanded tribute from everyone they defeated. They were a right nasty bunch, they were! Their war crimes – as we would call them today – were brutal. Flaying, decapitations, impaling, torture by the most cruel means, terror, gouged out eyes and tongues and genitalia. Enough. They were bad, alright, but later conquerors in that same region would be worse (Babylonia for example). That was a very, very dark time for the Nations of Israel and Judah. The promise of a conquering King, a Messiah (remember, that means “anointed one?”) was a Light in and of itself. It took a while though – like about 750 years +/- 60. Nonetheless, Tradition kept that Hope alive, and Tradition came to Reality when Jesus started his ministry with the words from Matthew 4:17 – (GNT)17 From that time Jesus began to preach his message: “Turn away from your sins, because the Kingdom of heaven is near!” or as the Apostle Mark put it “Repent and believe the Gospel!” (See Mark 1:15)
Knowing all this is, for us, a peek into the mind and heart of the Psalmist, King David himself in this instance. Psalm 27 is one of about 9 different “Psalms of Confidence.” For example, in verse 3 he states that even if entire armies encamp around him, he will not fear because God is near and he trusts in God. In verse 13 he says, I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord // in the land of the living. He says, ”I trust God” and backs that up with “I believe God.”
The Land of the Living” is an “nickname” for the Temple in Jerusalem where believers could enter into the Worship of The Presence of God. Whenever I hear that phrase, “in the land of the living,” I feel the Hope my soul holds for God’s gifts a.k.a. charisms χάρισμα (khárisma) – the Grace of the Holy Spirit and the abilities that come with His indwelling – and blessings – μακάριος (makarios) – extraordinary blessings from God which create and/or amplify our charisms – sort of like The Apostle Paul’s Grace that is sufficient, or as in John 1:16(GNT) – 16 Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. Other translations read :Grace upon Grace.
That is an apt description of the repeated, progressive, cumulative increases in well-being which comes to Believers who completely Trust the Lord, who live by the adage “Trust and Obey.” (↔ Music Link) I had to use that music link, even though I use it often, because I hope you will take pause, and meditate on the lyrics as they appear in the recycled electrons on your screen. Now I would like to return to the first phrase of our Old Testament Key Verse, There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
What does that mean?
Well, it’s pretty obvious, yes? I encourage you to take some time this week and read chapters 8-10 of the Book of Isaiah. You will hear how the Lord used the Assyrians as a club to break away the idolatrous lives of Israel and Judah. In this verse (It’s Isaiah 8:23 in the Hebrew texts) God is essentially saying, “You asked for it, and now you’re going to get it.” What is “it?” Correction. They would feel what it’s like to deal with God’s wrath and the punishment for their obstinate refusal to Love, Trust, and Obey. There’s kind of a cycle like that. I see it like this:
God Loves us and we acknowledge and return that Love. (↔ Music Link)
Because of our shared Love we begin to trust God
When we trust God we discover that we have hope in God
When we have hope we find it easier to obey God
Once we begin to obey God we want to serve God
As we serve God we begin to believe in God
When we believe in God we begin to worship God
As we worship God we commune with God
Our communion with God helps us to thank God
As we thank God we then know why we love God
Now then, why is this essay called the light in the middle of the tunnel? Well some time ago I wrote about The Light at the Beginning of the Tunnel (← Check it out! In 2401AFC010524) We all know we’re not supposed to look for the Light at the end of the tunnel. That’s the World’s view of it anyway. Those of us who know and Love God know that we have the fulfilling of a promise and the continuation of a blessing: The Light of the World is Jesus. (↔ Music Link) and Jesus is right in the middle of everything for us, Belovéd, so let us head for the light! – yep, that one at the End of the Tunnel – because that is where Eternal Light dwells. What does not dwell there is flesh and the sin that goes with it. “In the flesh” means “In the World,” and that is not our destination! We cannot possibly imagine what that will be like.
We do try to imagine it though. Angels wearing long white robes play harps while riding clouds. St. Peter at the Gate. Streets of gold, meeting our friends and relatives and all the holy men and women who preceded us. We imagine these loved ones as they appeared in the flesh. We think of them walking around in beautiful gardens conversing amiably about anything and everything. They greet and embrace one another even though they have no bodies.
That’s right. They are spirits. They do not have a resurrection body yet. So what do spirits look like and can they really distinguish the differences between this man and that woman? No matter what you think, the answer is: We can only guess until we see it ourselves. Contemplating the gaining of that knowledge is wonderful! Actually gaining it seems to terrify most of us because it is something you learn only after your body dies. The price of admission to the afterlife is quite simply everything you’ve got because you can’t take it with you. We all know that. We all know life in Heaven is … well, heavenly. But we don’t want to get there (most of us anyway) any sooner than we have to … until our number is up. But what will that be like?
As I prepared for this post over the past week, I was led to a passage about the resurrection body. You can read about that here: The Resurrection Body – 1 Corinthians 15:35-56. It’s pretty fascinating reading. It’s clear that until that Day of Resurrection, God has us scheduled for Life in The Spirit because he won’t be ready yet to speak the Miracle of Resurrection and the Glorious Splendor of Light hat IS GOD. I can’t tell you what that’s like; I haven’t been there yet, although I’ve been to the edge of the Light at the end of the tunnel a few times. Now we know because we know we Love God and we Trust and Obey him because – in Love – he gave us the Light of the World, Jesus, and Jesus is here with us right now, right in the middle of the tunnel. Now that we know, it’s time to go!
Before I go, though, I want to ask you to pray with me for the dying friends we know, that God will give them Peace as they move resolutely toward death. Pray also for families shattered by poverty, or drugs, or war, or even something as simple as bad judgment. And pray for your clergy! Thank God for them and ask God to strengthen them. The Ruler of This World is making hell on earth for billions of people. Be part of the shield that deflects his fiery arrows! Pray also for those who are willingly disobeying the Law – God’s Law and Civil Law – that they will recognize the Love of God and learn to Trust and Obey both. We can help them best by showing them something else Jesus taught us.
Matthew 5:14-16 – 14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
I will not fear, for The Lord is near! I will not grieve, for In HIM I believe!
Psalm 37:3-4 – (GNT) 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and be safe. 4 Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desire.
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd! Please pray with us hereat Share-a-Prayer.
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
