The Growth Of Christ Jesus' Ministry ~ Matthew 4:12-17

Welcome to the Panhandle and my blog. Come on in and sit awhile and lets enjoy some time in God's Word.

Last Spring and early Summer when we had quite a bit of rain, and the grass grew tall fast. And because it kept raining it was hard to get the yards mowed. It was great to get all the rain and great to see the yard so green, but kind of a pain to cut. But what does tall grass have to do with our study this morning? Well I'm glad you asked.

Matthew has shown us that Christ Jesus had grown into a man, He had been baptized and anointed by God, and He had withstood Satan the tempter. As a result of what Christ Jesus had gone through, we now see rapid and tremendous growth surrounding His ministry.

As we see this growth we are now transitioning from John the Baptist to the proclamation of the Messiah Himself. John had been the herald of the King, announcing the coming of the King and His kingdom. John the Baptizer's fearless preaching and his ethical integrity in holding men accountable led to his arrest and imprisonment. John had publicly accused Herod of adultery and had been arrested and jailed for it. John, would eventually be killed for His boldness (Mark 6:17-29).

With John's martyrdom Christ Jesus found Himself showing up on the religious leader's radar. This was not a good thing. After John's arrest Christ Jesus went home. His bold preaching in the Synagogue at Nazareth riled the crowd until they became hostile, so He moved to Capernaum, where He preached “Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” There He grew in popularity and or infamy depending on who was asked.

As we look at the last half of Matthew, Chapter 4; we are going to see three areas of growth over the next few weeks as Christ Jesus begins His earthly ministry. Today the first area of growth we see is “Growth of Christ Jesus' Ministry.”

Matthew 4:12-17

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."

1. Christ Jesus Goes To Capernaum. (vs.12-13)

Christ Jesus had left the region of Galilee and had gone to be baptized by John in the wilderness near Jerusalem. After hearing of John’s arrest, He left the area near Jerusalem and went back to the region of Galilee. If you look at Luke 4:16 you will see that Christ Jesus returned home to Nazareth, after leaving the wilderness; and there He preached in the Synagogue.

At first the people there were impressed with what Christ Jesus had to say, but soon things turned sour. The people chased Christ Jesus out of the Synagogue with the express purpose of killing Him. But He “passed through their midst,” supernaturally some scholars say; and left them.

And so Christ Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum. Why would He do this? For several reasons I sure, the first being He was just chased out of His hometown of Nazareth. Second the move placed Him in both a social and religious center to the north of the Sea of Galilee. Here in the north far from the religious center of Jerusalem Christ Jesus would preach, teach and minister to “everyday people.” These were the farmers, ranchers, shop keepers, tax collectors, young people and old people and yes even fishermen. Christ Jesus came to earth so that everyone would have a chance to have a restored relationship with God. That everyone includes you and me.

Matthew McCraw (Christian author) noted; For its size, Galilee had a dense population. Josephus said there were 204 villages in this region with no fewer than 15,000 people. He also said that the people of Capernaum, “have never been destitute of courage,” but a people open to new ideas and movements.

Not only did Christ Jesus begin His ministry in a setting where many people would hear Him, but His move to Capernaum from Nazareth was a breaking of the ties with His home and community~And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.” (Luke 4:24). Capernaum, a bustling town right on the Sea of Galilee with more people, and more people meant more opportunities for ministry. This was taking place as Christ Jesus’ ministry was starting to grow and John the Baptizer's was coming to an end.

2. Matthew Once Again Turns To Isaiah (vs. 13-16)

Matthew once again points to the prophecies of Isaiah~But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness

Will see a great light;

Those who live in a dark land,

The light will shine on them. (Isaiah 9:1-2).

Notice there's a great light that would be brought to the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.

Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the twelve tribes of Israel. Each of the tribes received a part of the promised land after settling there. The areas inherited by the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were bordered by the Sea of Galilee.

Regarding the prophecy that Matthew quoted here. In Holman's Commentary on Matthew, Stuart K. Weber writes: Isaiah 9 is a part of a larger prophetic statement concerning the coming Messiah. In Isaiah 8:22, Isaiah emphasized the Lord's judgment on errant Israel: “Then they will look towards the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.” Israel was in trouble. But look at the first word in Isaiah 9 (KJ), it is “Nevertheless” or “But” here in the NASB. By using these words Isaiah was introducing a contrasting light and hope to Israel's darkness; brought by the Messiah.

The portion used here by Matthew, Chapter 4 and verse 14 is a small segment of a larger message of hope for Israel. To quote Stuart K. Weber again, writing about Isaiah 9; “ Among the promises made here are the renewed covenant blessing on Israel; the removal of the oppressor's yolk; the birth of the promised child, whose name shall be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”; and his reign on David's throne in justice and righteousness. There was no doubt who this Jesus is.”

After he tell Israel about the impending darkness, Isaiah tells the people there is hope, that the Messiah would bring light into darkness. Remember, it was foretold by the angel in Matthew 1:24; that Christ Jesus would save His people from their sins. Christ Jesus did just that. He did bring salvation for sins, healing for disease, and light into darkness. Christ Jesus, the light of the world, He did come and He did change lives! Christ Jesus is still bringing light to darkness. Some of you may have darkness in your life right now. Know this, that Christ Jesus will bring light into your darkness if you will let Him! Call out to Him and seek Him now!

Christ Jesus’ love, healing, and forgiveness would not only touch the people of Israel but would go beyond them. Christ Jesus is not only the Saviour for the people of Israel, not only the Saviour for the entire world, but He is Saviour for you personally. And all you have to do is call on His name.

Verse 17 marks a turning point in Christ Jesus' life. Christ Jesus role has changed, no longer is He just the son of a carpenter, no longer is He just the son of Joseph and Mary. Christ Jesus is ready to fulfill His role as Messiah as Saviour.

3. Christ Jesus Began To Preach (vs. 17)

What did He preach? The content of the Christ Jesus' message is a brief but powerful message and a familiar one. Christ Jesus preached the same message that John the Baptizer preached. His message:“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Preaching is an announcement with both certainty and authority. For many people today the word “preach” has negative connotations. Dr. Donald Miller has said that “One of the signs of the 20th century is the statement, ‘don’t preach at me.’” But the atheist Voltaire once said of John Brown of Haddington, “Yon’s the man for me; he preaches as though Christ Himself was at his very elbow.” M. S. Augsburges & L. J. Ogilvie in their commentary on Matthew.

Christ Jesus preached, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Remember repentance means turning from one's sins and turning to God. Repentance indicates a new life committed to new goals in life. Matthew Henry in his Commentary on Matthew said this about repentance: “The doctrine of repentance is right gospel-doctrine. Not only the austere Baptist, who was looked upon as a melancholy, morose man, but the sweet and gracious Jesus, whose lips dropped as a honey-comb, preached repentance; for it is an unspeakable privilege that room is left for repentance.” What Matthew Henry was saying was that repentance is not just preached by Baptist preachers. And before there were Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Non-Denominational or what ever denomination preachers; our loving and gracious Lord Christ Jesus preached repentance. Christ Jesus is calling you to something good and something better, so you should seek repentance and welcome the forgiveness that only Christ Jesus can give.

Christ Jesus also speaks of the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven refers to the establishment of God’s rule and working out of His will on the earth. There are many examples of the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God, seen throughout history. The fight to end slavery, the establishment of hospitals, Mother Teresa and her work in the slums of India and the list goes on. The kingdom of God has come, and is coming in its full extent someday. Have you repented and turned away from your sin? Are you going to be ready when Christ Jesus returns and calls His people home? Where will your eternal home be?

I pray you have enjoyed our time together and until next week, may our gracious a loving Lord and Master, Christ Jesus bless you and all of yours.

Biblesurfer

Sources: Matthew McCraw, Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J.Stuart K. Weber