The Train Leaves the Station

Matthew 4:12-17

Now when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he went to Galilee.  He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum, which lies alongside the sea in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali.  This fulfilled what Isaiah the prophet said:

 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

        alongside the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

     the people who lived in the dark have seen a great light,

        and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in shadow of death.

From that time Jesus began to announce, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!”

Today, we note that Jesus moves his ministry focus from Judea to Galilee.  The interesting thing about this move is that it seems to be prompted by Jesus hearing that John has been arrested.  We have reasons listed in the story for why John’s arrest would prompt Jesus to move, but that hasn’t stopped many scholars from proposing possible motivations.  A couple of those have to do with timing.  John is wrapping up his ministry as his call was to prepare for the arrival of Jesus. The thought is that Jesus doesn’t want to be arrested just as his ministry is beginning.  Another scholarly proposal is that, by moving to Galilee, Jesus is moving away from the close scrutiny of the Pharisees, whose influence is the greatest in Judea.  What is compelling about both of these proposed motivations is that Jesus will eventually confront both Herod and the Pharisees, but He has a lot to accomplish before that happens. 

One other proposal concerning Jesus’s decision to go to Galilee concerns John’s followers.  When John is arrested, John’s followers are left without a leader.  Out of compassion, Jesus goes to pick up where John left off.  To me, this idea makes the most sense because it fits well with the progression of the story Matthew is telling.  In Matthew 3, John baptizes Jesus, simultaneously signifying the end of John’s ministry and the beginning of the mission of Jesus.  Then, right after Jesus moves to Galilee where He immediately announces what will be the overriding them of His ministry:

          “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!”

The message of John was “repent because the kingdom is coming.”  Jesus’s message is “the kingdom has arrived.”  Further, the first people to hear this shift in message in Matthew’s order of events are John’s followers.  This is a very compelling reason for Jesus to go to Capernaum.

Matthew tells an incredibly compelling story of how one person’s purpose in life can, at least in part, be to prepare for the purpose of the one who comes next. 

Question:  Who are the people who prepared the way for you?  Who are the people for whom you are preparing the way?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, even You had people who prepared the world for what You would bring.  Help us see clearly how our lives as we know them have been made possible by those who came before us.  Give us clarity on how we “pay it forward” to those who are coming next.  Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Spend some time thanking God for the people who help pave the way for you.

Song:  People Get Ready – Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck