Jesus begins His Ministry and Proclaims the Kingdom of God.

Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.

“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Matthew 4: 1-11 NASB

“Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: 15“ THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES— 16THE 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 his at hand.”

What the Word is Saying

I just noticed verse 12 for the first time. Sadly, I think I glossed over it in the past when I read these verses. But it is significant; John’s mission was to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. To make the ways straight and the valleys filled, and the mountains brought low (Luke 3:4-5). One can presume then that once Jesus returned from the wilderness and His temptation that He was ready to begin His ministry but waiting for the right time. Whether the arrest made the conditions in Nazareth no longer safe for Jesus or not we are not told. What is clear is that He took this as a sign to move to Capernaum and begin His ministry.

Capernaum was on the north end of the sea of Galilee and was the birthright of the descendants of Naphtali. Zebulun was just to the west of them. Matthew ever the one to tie in Old Testament prophecy with Jesus’s actions ties the two events together. Jesus comes to Capernaum because of His need to leave Nazareth and therefore now Naphtali and Zebulun are graced with the presence of the Christ. It is at this point that Jesus begins to preach on the kingdom being at hand. This is important to Matthew because as the descendant and Heir to the throne of David. Jesus is now gong forth proclaiming to the people their King has arrived.

The big problem and one Jesus will face throughout His ministry is it will not look like the Kingdom that the Jewish people are expecting. Instead of violence this Kingdom will be taken by service and sacrifice. Namely, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

If you have not received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I implore you to do so now. All He asks for is for you to accept the free gift He gave you. Therefore, humble yourself and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all. He alone is all powerful and you submit to His authority. Next you must believe He did what He did. That is; die on a cross and rise again from the dead. These are both actions of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for with evidence not seen. Meaning you believe even though you don’t have physical evidence to prove it. I know you made it to this page for a reason and the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. The Father has drawn you and He alone can reveal to you the truth of what I am saying. I know that He is now, and you need to take a step of faith and pray these words with me.

Right where you are; say these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I yield my will to your will for you are greater than me. I believe you came to this world and lived a sinless life; I believe you suffered and died on cross for my sins, I believe they put your lifeless body in a tomb, and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I also ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to give me power to live a sanctified life and to lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, I urge you to contact us here so that we might come beside you and hold you up in prayer as you begin your journey with Jesus. I assure you that we have all been where you are. We may have committed different sins, but we are just as guilty, nonetheless. We all needed forgiveness and someone else supported us as we began our Journey with Him.

Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.