Jesus Begins His Ministry And Preaches In Galilee

Bible Study Lesson from Matthew 4:12-17

After John the Baptist baptized Jesus, he was later taken into custody. Christ made his way into Galilee where he began his preaching ministry.

4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;

13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.

14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

15 "THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI,

BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES--

16 "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT,

AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH,

UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED."

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Jesus Begins His Ministry In Galilee

Christ Preaches

Can you imagine going to church this Sunday and seeing Jesus in the pulpit? What an amazing thing that must have been to be in the congregation while the Savior preached!

Fulfillment of Prophesy

Zebulun and Naphtali as mentioned in the prophesy were two of the original 12 tribes of Israel located in the same region of Galilee as Capernaum thus fulfilling the sayings of Isaiah 9:1. This verse says that the Messiah will go to these places and people of darkness would see a "great light" which is Christ.

"Kingdom of Heaven is Near"

The "kingdom of heaven" Jesus mentions in verse 17 has the same meaning as the "kingdom of God" used by Luke and Mark. At any rate, Christ preached repentance just as John The Baptist did before Him and proclaimed that the "kingdom of heaven is at hand".

That was then but what about now? Is the kingdom of God still near?

In a word, yes. The reason? Through Christ, the kingdom of God now resides in our hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit placed within us when we accept Jesus as personal Savior.

Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? Today is a good day to let Him change your life forever.

Love in Christ

- Bob

Matthew 2:19-28 - Jesus the Nazarine