The aim of this passage is to cause us to learn how Jesus Christ started His ministry after coming from the wilderness where He had overcome temptation.
Jesus moves to Galilee, starts His ministry and calls the first four disciples (Mat 4:12-22)
Believers in Jesus Christ are called to win souls to the kingdom of heaven.
John the baptist was arrested. We read in Mark 6:17-18, “For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’” When Jesus heard of it, He left Nazareth and went to Galilee and lived in Capernaum by the sea of Galilee. This was the territory of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali.
In doing this, Isaiah’s prophesy in Isaiah 9:1-2 was fulfilled where he said, “But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”
It is in Galilee where Jesus started His ministry. He preached repentance of sin in preparation for the coming of the kingdom of heaven.
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was two brothers, Simon and Andrew fishing. He called them to himself saying, “follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They left their nets and followed Jesus. Some distance from there Jesus saw two other brothers, James and John, mending their fishing nets in a boat with their father and called them too. James and John left their boat and their father and followed Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Romans 10:14-15 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
How can you integrate witnessing into you life as a believer?
Jesus heals all the sick and suffering that come to Him and His fame spreads widely (Mat 4:23-25)
Jesus can take away all our sickness and suffering.
Jesus went throughout the whole of the Galilee region teaching in synagogues and declaring the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. He healed every disease and every cause of physical pain or suffering among the people. Because of all this, Jesus’ fame spread widely throughout all Syria and people brought the sick, those oppressed by demons, epileptics and paralytics and Jesus healed them all. Great crowds of people come to Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
Luke 4:17-19 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
How does this passage affect your approach to pain and suffering in the world?
Robert Nduati 