After Satan leaves Jesus, Matthew turns to the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry. In this passage, we see his journey to Galilee, and the calling of his first disciples.
Matthew 4:12 tells us that Jesus heads to the region of Galilee. The reason for this destination is that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been thrown into prison. This likely weighed heavily on Jesus’ heart for two reasons, first, they were related, and second, John was the forerunner of Jesus, preparing the way for his ministry.
If we only had the Synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark and Luke — we would know very little about this event, and in fact, this entire period of time. The Synoptics skip a whole year of Jesus’ life and ministry, moving from the temptations to this trip to Galilee. Thankfully, we have John’s account to fill in some of the blanks. He covers this period in John 1:19-3:36. From the lack of information in the Synoptic three, we can assume that John may have been in prison for a year or more, and that Jesus’ ministry begins in earnest after his death.
Jesus Ministry In Galilee – Matthew 4:12-17
It is also at this point that Jesus ceases to make Nazareth his home. He moves to Capernaum — which means city of Nahum, or village of consolation. This will be the centralized headquarters of his ministry for the next three years. Capernaum was located in the region belonging to the tribe of in Naphtali, and the border of Zebulun was just a few miles away to the south. This area was heavily populated at the time of Jesus. This move to Capernaum was predicted by Isaiah centuries earlier, in Isaiah 8:21-22; 9:1-2.
Matthew quotes that prophecy from Isaiah, and applies those words to Jesus. Matthew was Jewish, and his initial readers were too. They would have been familiar with this passage, and to have it applied to Jesus would have brought them the hope that a Messiah had finally come.
As Jesus continues his ministry, he preaches the same message as that preached by John: a message of repentance. Of course, John could only point the way. But Jesus was — and is — the way, so he could take that message one step further, and call people to follow him. That call is still echoing for us to hear: The Kingdom has been announced, it’s time to enter.
Jesus Calls The First Disciples – Matthew 4:18-22
In verse 18, Matthew tells us that Jesus was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. This may look like a leisurely stroll along the beach, but it is anything but. He has a purpose, an appointment with certain individuals.
The Sea of Galilee is an interesting body of water. This name refers to the region bordering it to the west, but it goes by several other names throughout Scripture. It is called the Sea of Chinnereth, which means “harp-shaped,” in Numbers 34:11 and Joshua 12:3. It was called the Lake of Gennesaret in Luke 5:1, which is the name of the plains nearby. It has been referred to as the Sea of Tiberias in John 6:1 and 21:1, named after a town along the southern shore.
The Sea of Galilee is a central location for Jesus’ ministry. Eighteen of the thirty-three recorded miracles of Christ were performed at or near this location, and ten of those were in Capernaum, which lies on the northwestern shores. The distance from Jerusalem is about 60 miles, which indicates that it took some time to travel back and forth between the two.
The Sea of Galilee is 685 feet below sea level, and maintained a vibrant fishing industry upon it. This is why Jesus is there. He’s looking for a few fishermen. From this region, in fact, from that walk along the seashore, Jesus calls the first four of his disciples.
First, Matthew states that Jesus sees Peter and Andrew. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” he calls. They do so immediately, leaving their nets behind. Next he offers the same call to James and John, who are mending nets with their father. They too, leave everything behind and follow him.
They recognized the call of their Master and Savior, knew that following him was a higher call, and a higher purpose than what they were currently doing. And so they followed him. No questions. No hesitation. They just followed.
He is still calling. Have you followed him?
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