Matthew 4:12-25 The Launching of Jesus’s Galilean Ministry by Gan Tuan Boon dated 1.2.2015

When John the Baptist was put in prison as a result of his criticism against the relationship between Herod Antipas and Herodias, Jesus moved to Galilee in the northern part of Israel. This relocation of Jesus’ ministry to Galilee was in fulfilment of a prophecy spoken by the prophet Isaiah about 500 years before Christ.

Jesus did three things in Galilee:

(1)  Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 4:17)

Jesus was concerned for the poor, He was compassionate towards the sick and He was sympathetic to the suffering of the oppressed. But the preaching of the Kingdom had always been Jesus’ top priority in His earthly ministry.

(2) He called His first disciples (Matt 4:18-22)

            (a) The disciples left their profession and possessions

They left their job as fishermen. They also left their nets, boats and all the fishes caught for the day. This example may or may not be applicable to us; it depends on the individual’s calling and conviction.

            (b) They were successful people when they responded to the call

They left to join Jesus’ Training School right at the peak of their fishing business. That was a tremendous sacrifice in terms of career. There are times God can use adverse circumstances to lead people into the ministry; but we don’t have to wait for these challenging situations to come our way before we decide to serve the Lord.

(c) Their responses were immediate

This is a great example for us to emulate. Not everyone is called to full time service; in fact only a small minority are. But all of us are called to serve the Lord in some particular areas. It is up to us to find out our own talents or gifting and respond to Jesus’ call as soon as we can.

(3) He healed the sick and cast out demons (Matt 4:23-25)

The modus operandi of Jesus’ ministry is this: first He taught and preached the gospel of the Kingdom. Then He healed the sick and cast out demons. News of miracles spread and more people were attracted to Jesus. Then Jesus taught and preached the gospel of the Kingdom again, followed by healing of the sick and casting out of demons.

God always healed through Jesus in His earthly ministry. Healing and deliverance were also common supernatural manifestations in the ministry of the early apostles, but we don’t see the same in the modern day ministry. However, it is biblical for us to pray for the sick with expectancy. Therefore we should follow our Lord’s example to pray for sick people.