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23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. ~ Matthew 4:23-25
Today, we conclude our study of Matthew 4 where the Lord Jesus Christ has begun His ministry and has begun to call His disciples to follow Him. The previous passage included the note that Andrew and Peter had not only responded to the call of the Lord Jesus to be saved, they also responded to His call to be His disciples. Two others, James and John joined them. There is a clear difference between the call to believe unto salvation and that of the call to be a disciple.
In v.23 of today's passage we read, "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people."
Five times in today's passage the word "all" is used. We have often heard those who would ask the question, "What about all those who have never heard of the Lord Jesus?" This question assumes that God is much smaller than He truly is. It also assumes that God is unfair. But, a careful study of the Word of God reveals that everyone has heard of the God of the Bible through His creation and their conscience. For those who respond to the general revelation of God through creation will be given more revelation and that additional revelation may usher them into a personal relationship with God. This will happen only when they repent of themselves and they believe on the Lord Jesus for salvation.
The words "teaching" and "preaching" and "healing" in v.23 describe the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word "teaching" is used almost one hundred times throughout the Bible. It literally means "to cause to learn." I've heard it said, "Never let your education get in the way of your learning." While learning is a lifelong process of gaining knowledge, skills, and behaviors through experience and information, education involves a structured approach to learning that involves the passing down of knowledge, values, and skills from one generation to another. All too often education lacks the heart needed to utilize the learning that has taken place. Although the Lord Jesus went to the synagogues to teach many, His teaching was more about learning than it was about educating. Like the synagogue, education can be so sterile that it prevents the truth from impacting the heart. This is a large reason why the Lord Jesus taught predominantly using metaphors and parables. He knew that one must seek in order to find.
In the synagogue, the Lord Jesus preached or "proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom." The word "gospel" found 76 times in the New Testament means the announcing of the good news. The good news means the Messiah had arrived and He was going to usher in His kingdom which is what brings true freedom to our souls. As we will see, Matthew expanded the information delivered in v.23 in chapters 5-9 of his gospel account.
"Galilee," you will remember means "roll away." As such, it signifies freedom, as if a burden has been rolled away from us. Thus, Galilee means "freedom." It was at this point in time that the Lord Jesus delivered His good news of His victory over sin. As a demonstration of His victory "the Lord Jesus healed all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of diseases among the people." The word translated "healed" literally means "therapy." It gives the idea of restoring a person to a better condition.
In v.24 of today's passage we read, "Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them."
The ministry of the Lord Jesus was being carried out throughout all Galilee and He during that time cured all who came to Him who had some kind of a physical or spiritual malady. Because of this, His fame became known beyond all Galilee. So convinced were the people of His power for healing that they brought Him all those who were sick. How striking this must have been, especially due to the fact that all of the people brought to Him those who were broken in body or in mind and He were restored through His healing touch. The power of the Lord Jesus to accomplish these things validated His power over the diseases that the people struggled with.
In v.25 of today's passage we read, "Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan."
Great multitudes followed the Lord Jesus from Syria to Jerusalem to beyond the Jordan River, a distance of over 120 miles. The people who followed Him were not just a crowd, as if from the local village, but from all over the area. The travels of these who followed the Lord Jesus included a very long walk through some of the most arduous areas. These people followed the Lord Jesus tirelessly because they saw Him as their only hope. The Lord Jesus came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. This means He voluntarily placed Himself under the law and He lived it out perfectly, sustaining the truth every day that He was on this earth. And, He did all of this having never violated the truth, He never sinned. The Lord Jesus fulfilled the law on the behalf of all who were unable to do so on their own. And as the Scriptures tell us over and over, "Everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved."
