The final three verses of Matthew 4 summarize the first part of the ministry of Jesus in the region of Galilee. This summary is for a lengthy period of time, and is covered in detail in the coming chapters of Matthew.

The ministry of Jesus is described and summarized in this brief passage, giving us some insights into the ministry strategy of Jesus as he seeks to serve people in this region. Matthew gives us the three main thrusts of Jesus ministry, after calling many to follow him: teaching, preaching, and healing.

Teaching

First, Matthew tells us that Jesus spends time teaching in the synagogues. The synagogue was the Jewish place of worship, where the Jews met every Sabbath. Such a location was an ideal place for Jesus to spend time teaching, since it was a gathering place for the Jewish people.

Typically, a service would include some reading from the Old Testament. After this, the local leader, or rabbi, would speak. As a rabbi, Jesus would have received the invitation to speak in settings such as this, providing the perfect opportunity to use Old Testament Scripture to point to the reality of a new kingdom coming.

Preaching

While there isn’t much of a clear distinction between preaching teaching, Matthew lists both of them as activities of Jesus’ ministry. Perhaps the best way to differentiate between the two would be to state that teaching would utilize and explain the Old Covenant passages, while the preaching, or proclamation, was more of an announcement of the Good News that Jesus brought to the world.

That’s a fine line, but we can only really understand the saving actions of God, including those described throughout the Old Testament, through the ministry of Christ. The practical aspects of this for the individual life will be described in detail through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7.

The proclamation that Jesus brought was truly Good News. The time of the long-expected Messiah was at hand, and his teaching and preaching confirmed that clearly.

Healing

The third aspect of Jesus’ ministry strategy was the healing of many people. Large crowds would follow him wherever he went, and they would bring their sick and injured with them. Jesus healed their physical needs, and in many cases, he restored people spiritually as well, through the casting out of demons. This served to further his influence and impact on people’s lives.

This caused news of his work to spread through the region, and the crowds grew. People were impacted throughout all of Israel, and even regions outside of the physical borders of the Jewish nation, such as Syria, which lay north and east of Palestine, and at this point in history, included Palestine as well. Familiar cities in this region were Damascus and Antioch.

At this point in the ministry of Jesus, many of those in the crowds were attracted by the material benefits of Jesus’ kingly rule, and not because of any spiritual impact on their lives. His popularity as a healer was paramount, and his teachings weren’t what drew people just yet. Because of this, many people were following for the wrong reasons, and when pressed, many such “fair weather followers” would leave him (John 6:66).

But for now, many are following, and Jesus is about to give them some key teachings.

Question: Have closely do you follow Jesus? You can leave a comment by clicking here.