Jesus' Ministry Begins (Matthew 4:12-25)

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.
- Matt 4:12 NLT

I assume this is the arrest that lead to John's death.  The timeline is a bit off for me if that is the case.  Interesting to me that Jesus left Judea/Judah and went north to Galilee (Nazareth then Capernaum) (see map below) instead of to John's aid in Machaerus.

From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the kingdom of Heaven is near."
- Matt 4:17 NLT

Matthew marks Jesus' first teaching as being a continuation of John the Baptist's... "Repent."  Today, do we shy from or gloss over Christ's first message?  We make repenting a prerequisite for salvation but then it seems to be deemphasized in sermons in favor of grace and love.  I do not think we should go as far as the Catholics, however, I think a dose of self-examination, identification, and remorse for sin is important... without pointing fingers.  

And they [brothers Simon (aka Peter) and Andrew] left their nets at once and followed him.
- Matt 4:20 NLT
They [brothers James and John] immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
- Matt 4:22 NLT

David pointed out last week that some of these men may have already known of Jesus.  Would you have been intimidated to go with Jesus?  To be a member of His inner circle?  These men did not hesitate, they left their livelihoods immediately.  Why do we hesitate?  We know more of Him now then they did on the shore that day.  Seriously, do you plot a pros/cons list before talking to someone about Christ?  I do.

Application

To grow spiritually I must examine my sins and figure out why I continue to repeat them.  Obviously some, like anger, can be a visceral reaction, however I can do better in controlling it.  Others like lust and pride are choices that I make.  I think if I reflect more on why they are bad for my relationships (esp. with God and my family) I will be more contrite and hopefully repeat them less. 

Focusing more on the long term, such as someone's salvation and God's kingdom, will help me ignore the short term risks for speaking more easily about the Gospel.  Isn't the other person worth it?  Isn't God worth it?  Most definitely.

 

Galilee, ca. AD 50 from Wikipedia.