Matthew 4:12-25

Matthew 4:12-25

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

DAY 19
9-22-24

The King’s Early Ministry

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-25

Read scripture: 

(NIV 1984) 12 “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali– 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles–
16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”

OVERVIEW of PASSAGE

The King begins His earthly ministry, to execute God’s perfect plan of redemption for the people of the Kingdom of heaven. 

God’s plan for our redemption is well thought out, meticulously planed and flawlessly executed. His plan is perfect. And Jesus is perfectly prepared and equipped by the Holy Spirit to carry it out. 

This section is a micro-snapshot of God the Fathers perfect plan for Jesus’ earthly ministry, enabled by the Holy Spirit. And this section gives us a little, tiny glimpse of what Jesus’ ministry will be like throughout the rest of Mathew’s Gospel.

Jesus will be:

  1. Preaching (His example means for us: Proclaiming, teaching and preaching)
  2. Calling (His example means for us: Making disciples; followers of Christ; witnessing, evangelizing, baptizing, teaching/training)
  3. Healing (His example means for us: Serving others; helping, being other-centered)

The MAIN POINT

“Come, follow me”

Jesus leads, we follow. 

We follow His example in love, in deeds and in character. 

Today’s verses:

V. 12-14 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali– 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

Q: When Jesus left Nazareth, what did He leave behind?

A: Home of 30 years, family friends, job, life as He knew it up to then. 

Q: Why did he leave Nazareth? 

A:

  1. To fulfill the purpose of God’s will for His life.
  2. In direct obedience to God. (John 14:31)

APPLICATION:

Relevant Verses: 

———————————————————-

Today’s verses:

V. 15-16. 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, along the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles–

16 the people living in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.”

USE MAPS

SHOW SUNRISE VIDEO

SUNRISE

Discuss how the seemingly slow sunrise (could be much faster!) is emblematic or symbolic of how the progressive quality of God’s truth and plans in scripture is revealed slowly, stage by stage, truth by truth. 

Q: Why is knowing the slow progressive nature of God’s revelation important to us?

A: God wisdom and knowledge are absolutely humongous and, to mere human mortals, OVERWHELMING. We are not capable of digesting and processing the enormity of God’s wisdom and plans, so, He reveals them to us in bits and pieces over time. 

APPLICATION:

Relevant Verses: 

———————————————————-

Today’s verses:

V. 17.  From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Q: What is significant about this simple verse?

A: 

  1. “From that time on…” indicated the content and nature of Jesus teaching, up until Matthew uses those same words again in 16:21.
  2. Same message as John the Baptist, validating both John and John;s message. Jesus takes the baton from Jesus and continues the race.
  3. Until Matt 16:21, Jesus message, teaching and training will revolve around various aspects of repentance (why, how, and of what, etc.) and on teaching a CORRECTED understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven. Many Jews, especially the Pharisees, had wrong ideas and expectations regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. 

APPLICATION:

Relevant Verses: 

———————————————————-

Today’s verses:

V. 18-22. 18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Q: What seems to be significant here?

A: 

  1. “Come, follow me,”
    1. Is this a “suggestion? (Or a command?)
  2. At once they left their nets and followed him.
    1. What do you think the end results were of anybody who answered the call to “follow Jesus?” (And continued on until the end!)
    2. What do you think the end results were of anybody who DID NOT answer the call? (Or started to follow, but DID NOT continue to the end.)

APPLICATION:

Relevant Verses: 

———————————————————-

Today’s verses:

V. 23-25. 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.

Q: 

A: 

APPLICATION:

Relevant Verses: 

———————————————————-

APPLICATION

Immerse yourself in scripture. It is awesome!
Get to know Jesus, to love Jesus, to understand what drives His heart. 
Follow Jesus in everything. Mimic Him. Imitate Him. Proclaim His Gospel. 
Purpose in your heart to be like Christ. 

——————————————

NEXT WEEK: 

September 29 is an OFF TOPIC DAY

Then, the following Sunday, October 6, 2024, 
We will start Matthew chapter 5, 
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT!

The Olive Tree Bible App is free and comes with several free books. You can buy additional books if you like.
Olivetree Bible App website – home page

Holman Commentary of Matthew in Olive Tree r

Olive Tree Support page “HOW TO” videos

What is a Covenant? By Keith A. Mathison on TableTalkMagazine.com

What is a Covenant in the Bible? by Ester Kuhn at firmisrael.org

Discover the Five Covenants in the Bible – an article on the Olivetree Blog

Why was geneologies so important to Israel? By gotquestions.org

What is the Relevance of Geneologies in the Bible? By gotquestions.org

Good article on The Kingdom of God by Tim Barnett of Stand To Reason website

Why did God give us Four Gospels by GotQuestions.org