Matthew 4:18-25 NASB
¹⁸Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
¹⁹And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
²¹Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. Ministry in Galilee
²³Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
²⁴The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.
²⁵Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
Devotional
The property of Jesus
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” we read recently.
Matthew 4 shows us an introduction to the actual work of Jesus.
We also get a description of this in today’s verses.
Jesus’ actual mission is to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
For the establishment of God’s Kingdom in this world, Jesus wants co-workers. In Matthew 4:18-22 He calls four people to Himself as His disciples (= disciples) to be formed into apostles (= envoy, ambassador, sent out).
This concerns two pairs of brothers: Simon (or Peter) and Andrew, and James and John.
They will become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
They will gather the people of God into God’s Kingdom.
Some find it strange or unbelievable that these men just (‘immediately’, Matthew 4:20,22) leave their work and family and go with Jesus.
But Jesus’ unquestioning call and their immediate obedience become more understandable as we read Luke’s more detailed account in Luke 5:1-11.
Nor was this for Andrew and Peter their first encounter with Jesus.
They had already come to know Him through John the Baptist (John 1:35-43). But now they give up everything to follow Jesus.
To give a glimpse of what it will be like in God’s Kingdom, Matthew 4:23-24 summarizes the various aspects of Jesus’ ministry:
▪︎ He teaches in the synagogues,
▪︎ He proclaims the Good Tidings of God’s Kingdom (He acted as the messenger of joy promised in Isaiah 52:7)
▪︎ and He heals the sick.
Creation has been destroyed since the fall.
But before the power of the Messiah, the power of the devil with his humiliation of life must give way. Jesus restores the totality of human life. There is no category of disease against which His power is not strong enough.
This is how Jesus completes the preparation for his work on God’s Kingdom:
▪︎ by not yielding to temptations
▪︎ and by making clear what it will be like in God’s Kingdom.
Jesus has authority and is our Healer in every way.
How fortunate we are to be his property!
Question
▪︎ How do you expect God’s Kingdom?
Prayer Suggestion
▪︎ Thy kingdom come.
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
Website 1: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
Website 2: http://bijbelplaatjes.nl
You are welcome to share your comment in the comment section.
About Author
