Ministry Begins
Today’s reading is Matthew 4:12-25.
The passage begins with “Now when [Jesus] heard that John had been arrested,” which is referring to John the Baptist being thrown into prison by Herod Antipas, the current ruler of Galilee. John had condemned Herod for having a relationship with his brother’s wife. This arrest happens just as Jesus is beginning His earthly ministry. In fact, one of the first disciples called by Jesus is Andrew (verses 18-20), who was previously a disciple of John (see John 1:35-42).
Verses 15-16 is a quote from Isaiah 9:1-2. Isaiah 9 is actually a passage we hear a lot associated with the birth of Jesus, and verses 6-7 are probably familiar to you. While this is not a “Christmas” passage, this marks the beginning of the Light of Jesus shining in the world as He begins to teach, preach, and heal. He begins with the same words used by John in Matthew 3:2, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Following this is the calling of the first four disciples, two pairs of brothers who fish for a living (Simon/Peter, Andrew, James, and John). It was typical then (as now) for the older sibling to be listed first, so it is safe to assume that Peter is older than Andrew and James is older than John. Throughout the gospels, Peter, James, and John are mentioned as a trio who enjoy special closeness with Jesus. It is also important to note that the four knew each other before becoming disciples of Jesus. Only one other pair had a previous relationship, Philip and Nathanael.
This same calling is recounted in Mark 1:16-20 and Luke 5:1-11. Jesus calls these fishermen to become “fishers of men,” and they drop everything and immediately follow Him. How easily could you drop everything in your life to follow Jesus if He came along and asked you to do it? Who would be the hardest people to leave behind?
In the final section of this chapter (verses 23-25), we see an overview of what the ministry of Jesus will look like from this moment on: teaching, preaching, and healing. In fact, the healing ministry is particularly specific in verse 24. Think about the types of things you know need healing – is there anything left out of this list?
Dig deeper:
- Look up the following passages that reference the teaching ministry of Jesus. Where did He most often teach? What was the reaction of those He taught?
- Look up the following passages that reference the preaching ministry of Jesus. What kinds of things did He preach about? How are His preaching and healing connected?