Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea …
- Isaiah 9:1
 
Galilee of the nations. How much weight that phrase carries!
 
Galilee stood far from the center of Hebrew religious life. People who lived in the region travelled long distances to get to the Temple to worship. Their brightest and most ambitions religious leaders left to go to Jerusalem. Galilee wasn’t known for its piety.
 
And piety – the observance of religious laws, rhythms, and practices – formed a significant boundary marker between the Jewish community and Gentile nations.
 
Galileans rubbed shoulders often with the nations. Warring armies would march through and raid on their way to and from Egypt or Babylon. Traders would lead caravans through the area. Gentile-filled towns popped into existence over the years. This created tension.
 
Galilee had a reputation for producing rebels by the time Jesus came along. This could have been because its intense ethnic diversity led to conflict. But this also could have been because of prophecies like the one we’re looking at this week. “The Messiah will come from there,” people thought. This might have given an additional boost to would-be Messiah’s of Galilean origin.
 
And the rebellion led by Jesus is appropriately located in Galilee of the nations. Jesus’ coming is for all people, everywhere. The light of Christ shines on us all. Although Jesus was born into a particular ethnic community, his redemptive mission includes each and every one of us.
 
This creates a tension for us.
 
We’re more comfortable when we’re surrounded by people just like us … neighbors and friends we choose. This is part of what makes the holidays so difficult: being pressed to spend time with people who you’re related to but aren’t like you. And this is what makes the call to love both neighbor and enemy so challenging. We need Jesus’ help in order to love in this way.
 
From the margins of Galilee comes a savior who will gather all the nations to himself. But unlike other empires, this one would bring people together through grace and mercy, not war and conquest. And that same grace and mercy that brings us into Galilee of the nations is at work in us to help us to love those people around us. The Jesus who pushes us to love across borders did this himself and did this by design he knows how to do it. He has the power to do it. And he is with us.
 
How might you show kindness, compassion, or support to someone who is different from you this holiday season? Ask the God who became human at Christmas to help you love those around you.