“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, beyond the Jordan—

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy.”
Isaiah 9:1-3

In Jesus’ time, trade routes meant a huge deal to people in the ancient world. These primitive, early roads, rough hewn and unpaved as they were, represented the international highways of the time for trade, exchange, taxes, and livelihood. Jesus would have been familiar with three major trade routes: the 1) Ridge Route, the way through the mountain country; 2) th…