Text: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
The first part of our text says, “And Jesus went about all Galilee…” Jesus did not begin His ministry until He heard John the Baptist was cast into prison. John’s ministry was geared to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. God sent John to prepare the way for the Messiah and to identify the Messiah when the right time arrived.
When the appropriate time came, John said to the people, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John did not know Jesus was the messiah until he “…saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him” (John 1:32).
John’s preaching caught the attention of many people. Scripture tells us, “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him” (Mark 1:5). Perhaps some of the people were only curious about the man dressed in camel’s hair, sporting a leather belt around his waist and eating locusts and wild honey.
Maybe some people were really interested in hearing John’s message of proclaiming the good news of Almighty God. On the other hand, some people might have thought John to be the Christ. People were waiting for the Messiah.
There is a time span of about 400 years hundred between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Malachi became a prophet in 430 B.C. and was the last prophet for the next 400 years. Almighty God spoke these words to the prophet Malachi: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes” (Malachi 4:5).
Since Elijah was one of the great prophets, God was indicating He was going to send someone like Elijah. This would not happen for 400 years and the prophet who would come would be like Elijah with the mission of announcing the coming of the Messiah. The prophet God sent was John the Baptist.
John’s mission was to prepare the heart of the people for the day of the coming of the Messiah. John urged people to repent of their sins so that when Christ appeared, they would be able to live together in harmony and tranquility.
The prophet Isaiah became a prophet in 740 B. C. and in wrote his book in the time frame 680 B. C. to 700 B. C. Isaiah talked about “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’” (Isaiah 40:3). When John appeared and began preaching, the “…Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was” (John 1:19).
They asked John if he was Elijah or the Prophet to which he replied that he was not. He answered with the words Isaiah wrote, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’” (John 1:23).
God had promised a Messiah or Redeemer would arrive and there would also be a forerunner or one to prepare the way for Him. People held on to this promise. They believed the words of the prophets like Isaiah and Malachi. God’s promise was a comfort to the people because they now had something to look forward to.
It is interesting to note that when Jesus appeared upon the face of the earth, the civilized world was not in uproar, but more at peace. It was true that the Romans were in the driver’s seat. I believe God thought this to be the best time for the Messiah to appear because news of His presence, His work, His death and His resurrection would spread rapidly throughout the land.
After John’s ministry got under way and people became used to hearing John’s message to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2), God brought forth the next phase of His plan which was to bring forth the Messiah.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel” (John 1:29-31).
John was fulfilling his mission. He was to make the Messiah known to the people. He was not looking for anything that would inflate his ego, but instead, he was satisfied honoring God the Father. Identifying Jesus as the Messiah was the beginning of Jesus’ mission of salvation and redemption of mankind.
As soon as John identified Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus went through baptism. He was not baptized because He was a sinner, but He was baptized to “…fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). In order to accomplish God’s mission and to fulfill God’s wishes, water baptism would further John’s work and assure those present support for what John was doing.
Prior to water baptism, one repents of their past sins and expresses a desire to live in close proximity with Almighty God. In other words, water baptism indicates a washing away of sins and beginning anew.
Do you know who John was baptizing? He was baptizing Jews. The Essenes were a sect of the Jews living in Palestine during the time Jesus walked upon the face of the earth. They were a little different in that they lived a simple life while living together in settlements. They observed the Sabbath and lived by a very strict set of conduct rules. The Essenes practiced water baptism as a means of purification.
John’s water baptism was used as a symbol to indicate repentance. John could not forgive sins, but he was preparing the way for the One who could and would forgive sins. This One was the Messiah or Jesus.
After John Baptized Jesus, an amazing event took place. “As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (Mark 1:10, 11).
When the Spirit descended upon Jesus, this was God the Father’s way of showing approval of His divine Son. The Spirit sent Jesus into the desert where He would be tempted by Satan. Jesus was sinless, but He faced temptation to show us that temptation is not a sin until we succumb or give in to the temptation.
When we do not give in to temptation, we become a stronger person because our character is made stronger. Jesus was tempted by Satan three different times, and each time He used Scripture as the tool to overcome giving in to temptation. Satan likes to make worldly things look good to us. He likes to makes us believe we could not live without taking or doing what he has to offer.
We know that Satan is an angel who rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven with a third of the angels. The angels were created by God before the creation of the earth. Satan was the leader of the fallen angels. Satan and his angels are opponents or enemies of God and of man. Satan fell because he wanted to be equal to God or perhaps better than God.
It has been said that Satan’s angelic name was “Lucifer, son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12). Satan’s fall was due to pride in himself and determination to be independent of God.
God allowed Satan to tempt Jesus after Jesus was baptized by John. I believe the reason for the temptation was to demonstrate that God is more powerful and He is still in control. It also enables us to realize temptation is real to all of us. Jesus’ means of resisting the fall to temptation is God’s Word.
God’s Word is just as powerful today as it was in Jesus’ day. When Satan realized he was losing the test, “The Devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him” (Matthew 4:11). Jesus was a victor and if we follow in His footsteps, we can be a victor and not a victim.
Jesus was now ready to begin His ministry, but He did not begin until He heard John was put in prison. At the time John was preaching, Pilate, Herod and Caiaphas were very powerful rulers or leaders in Palestine. They did not want to share or lose any of their power.
When this prophet preacher came out of the desert and began to preach the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 3:2), fear crept into their mind. They knew the Scripture reference of Isaiah which said, “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’” (Isaiah 40:2).
These rulers or leaders thought John might just be this new leader or the Messiah. They did not want him to interfere, so John was cast into prison.
Jesus knew the state of people during the time John was preparing the way for Him to begin His ministry. He knew people were hurting and suffering. Jesus knows the same about each of us today. He knows how people are living, how they are being treated, how they are treating other people and the concern that is upon each heart.
“When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the are of Zebulun and Naphtali – to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along 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’” (Matthew 4:12-16).
Jesus then began His ministry preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). When Jesus used the words, “Kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God,” He was referring to His living within our heart. The Holy Spirit had not yet come, but God had prepared the heart for the future indwelling.
Jesus left Nazareth where He was raised because He was not wanted or appreciated. In fact, Jesus was thrust out or run out of Nazareth. Some of the people did not want to hear what He was preaching in the Synagogue. “So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff” (Luke 4:28-29).
These people wanted very much to destroy Jesus, but an amazing thing happened out on the edge of the cliff. “He passed through the midst of them, and walked away” (Luke 4:30).
Jesus will never force Himself upon anyone. He will not stay or live where He is not welcome. He has been rejected down through the years by many people. These people are under the control of Satan, who manages to control their mind steering them down the wide road to destruction.
People could not destroy Jesus. God’s plan would not be destroyed. Jesus’ mission would be completed, which is fortunate for all mankind.
Jesus wanted to involve other chosen people in His ministry. These disciples would carry on His ministry after The Father called Him back home. He knew what God’s plan was. His earthly ministry would last for about three years and then after that time, His disciples or followers would carry it forth.
He began to pick disciples as He walked beside the Sea of Galilee. “He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew…casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew 4:18-20).
Jesus asked these two men to give up their means of livelihood and follow Him. The men would be fishing for men and bring them into a closer relationship with Almighty God. He called James and John and they also immediately left their father and followed Jesus. This was the beginning of His group of disciples. As time went on, Jesus ended up with 12 disciples. Before He ascended into heaven, He instructed the disciples as to what He wanted them to do.
Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). This is known as the Great Commission.
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). As we look at this Scripture, three things about Jesus’ ministry stand out. He was teaching, preaching and healing. These three items were the basis of His ministry.
Jesus’ teaching demonstrates His understanding of us and consideration for each of us. He understands who we are, how we feel and what is on our heart. He is considerate of how we act or react, the mistakes we make and the many prayers we send Him.
His preaching leads us down the road of commitment. He talks to us about lust, divorce, vows, oaths, and love for all His children, helping the needy and our dedication to Him.
Jesus’ healing ministry demonstrates His concern for our whole being. He is concerned about our physical being. For example, He healed the man who had leprosy; He healed the Roman Centurion’s paralyzed servant; He healed Peter’s mother-in-law; He healed the blind, as well as many other people.
He wants health, wealth and happiness for each one of us. He wants us to live life according to His words. He wants us to continuously communicate with Him and involve Him in every facet of our life. Jesus wants to have first place in our life.
“All Things to All Men”
Christ was a home missionary, in the house of Lazarus.
Christ was a foreign missionary, when the Greeks came to him.
Christ was a city missionary, when he taught in Samaria.
Christ was a Sunday school missionary, when he opened up the Scriptures and set men to studying the Word of God.
Christ was a children’s missionary, when he took them in his arms and blessed them.
Christ was a missionary to the poor, when he opened the eyes of the blind beggar.
Christ was a missionary to the rich, when he opened the spiritual eyes of Zacchaeus.
Even on the cross, Christ was a missionary to the robber, and his last command was the missionary commission.
-----------Amos R. Wells
“Tributes to Christ”
Christ is the great central fact of the world’s history. All lines of history converge upon Him. All the great purposes of God culminate in Him.
------------------Charles Spurgeon
“The Three Short Years!”
“The three short years of the public ministry of Jesus have done more to soften and regenerate mankind than all the moralizing of all the moralists, and all the philosophizing of all the philosophers since the world began!” (Leckey)
Amen.
