Matthew 4

v12

What an interesting verse. It seems to suggest that Jesus was not keen to be arrested, so he went rural. I've never heard that before (obviously I've read it here, but don't remember it). Jesus was clearly never in danger of being arrested "early", but perhaps didn't want to foment more trouble.

v13

It makes so much more sense when you know where these places are. Maps are good for that, as are visits to Israel.

v14

Now did Jesus move there to fulfill the prophecy, or did his movement just fulfill it?

v15

It's amazing to me that Galilee was called "of the Gentiles" even way back then. This prophecy was given like 700 years before Christ, and yet the place is still the same (or different, but the name still applies): it's a place where Gentiles live.

v16
Now it's unsure whether this verse is talking about the Gentiles living there, or the Jews living in a place of darkness because of the Gentiles. I think when I preached on this passage of Isaiah I said the second one primarily for that verse; I think I'd say the fulfillment of the prophecy is talking about everyone there, since the light is Jesus.

v17

This is the central message of Jesus' ministry. It's the same as John TB's, with the added "the kingdom is near".

v18

We're getting into M stuff here (ie stuff that is the same as Mark).

v19

There had to be more than that. You don't just follow a total stranger, for instance. Yet this is how Matthew paints it - not necessarily that they're strangers, but that it was as simple as Jesus coming up and saying, "Come, follow me." Had Jesus preached in a synagogue yet? I don't think so. Were these guys already disciples of John TB? Maybe. They might have seen Jesus' baptism (although remember that was at least 40 days before, if not longer!).

v20

It's even more amazing that he uses the words "at once" to show that this was an immediate thing. He didn't come ask them to follow him, and they packed stuff up, sorted out their families, their retirement plans, their income streams; they just went. Feels kind of familiar (note: we did spend like a year raising funds though; I know missionaries who would have said "I've been called" and just gone and trusted God to support them).

v21

The way this is painted is like it's on the same day, one right after the other. Maybe it was; they were all fisherman after all, all at the lake.

v22

These guys are there working in the family business, and they just skip off. This isn't skipping off for an early Friday or something; they are gone for three years (though 'gone' is a speculation; they do spend a fair bit of time in and around Galilee, so who knows if they didn't go back and visit). Matthew doesn't seem to feel it important to mention that they leave Zebedee with the hired men (as Mark does). Maybe he felt it was implied. But why not include it if you were working from a source similar to Mark? Maybe he didn't have it. This is all before Jesus has called Matthew, after all.

v23

And now Jesus' ministry starts. This is a pretty all-encompassing summary of that ministry.

v24

It's one thing to go around visiting places and speaking and having 'healings'. There are plenty of stories of pre-organised healing shows where people are actors or whatever. But for people to come from such a long way away, and for everyone to be healed, not just a select few... it's incredible. For people to be healed no matter their problem... that's phenomenal.

v25

It's little wonder so many people followed him. Why wouldn't you? Clearly something amazing is happening, and clearly the things he taught would have been incredibly entertaining and thought-provoking and meaningful. But that's not the end of the story, is it?