EXPLORE THE TEXT
Jesus's call means following His example and ministering to others.
23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,
and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
24 Then the news about him spread throughout Syria.
So they brought to him all those who were afflicted,
those suffering from various diseases and intense pains,
the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics.
And he healed them.
25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee,
the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
Matthew provided a summary of how Jesus carried out his work during the early days of His Galilean ministry.
Summarize this content from pages 26-27 of the PSG to further define teaching, preaching, and healing:
Teaching was a regular part of synagogue life
- rabbis would give explanation of the Scriptures.
- Focused on content and the discovery of truth in God's Word. .
. . Preaching differed from teaching
- It was proclaiming or announcing a message.
- Teaching would explain the message. Preaching was making the message known.
In this case, Jesus was proclaiming that God's Messiah had come to usher in the kingdom,
The third aspect of Jesus's ministry was healing.
- They gave evidence to His deity and divine power.
- They were the credentials of the Messiah.
Use information for Matthew 4:24 to explain the different groups Jesus healed.
(v. 24)
Word about Jesus reached as far as Syria.
In this case, Syria was not so much the nation we know today,
but a region north of Capernaum.
Desperation moved them to action as they brought to him all those who were afflicted.Many were suffering from various diseases and intense pains.
He did not offer diagnoses; He simply healed whatever ailment He encountered.People also brought the demon-possessed to Jesus.
He had authority over evil spirits and cast them out by His Word (Matt. 8:28-32).
Scripture makes a clear differentiation between physical illness and demonic possession.
Jesus has power over both.At the hand of Jesus, lepers were cleansed, the lame walked,
the blind saw, the deaf heard, and the mute spoke.
Note that Jesus's works drew large crowds.
identify the regions mentioned in the verses.
Jesus's focus remained on revealing God's kingdom
and we should make that a priority in our lives as well.
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 29 of the Personal Study Guide:
Direct adults to consider which statement would be hardest to apply and why. Allow a few volunteers to share their responses.
Direct attention to the second set of questions on page 29 of the PSG. Facilitate a brief discussion on what a disciple of Jesus looks like in a contemporary context. Challenge adults to spend time during the week talking with God about what their lives say to others about their commitment to Him.
Point back to Pack Item 4 (Poster: Key Verse: Matthew 4:18b-19). Lead the group in reading the verses two or three time aloud together. Encourage them to continue memorizing the verses this week. Remind them to be alert for opportunities God provides to be a fisher of men in the coming days.
Read the session’s focal statement: Jesus calls people to follow Him. Give adults a few minutes to pray silently about how He wants them to apply the truths of this session. Close in prayer, asking God to help each adult be the hands and feet of Jesus each day.
Text or email the group to provide a short list of ways they can reflect Jesus to the world. (Examples: sacrificing personal time or resources to perform ministry, visiting and praying with people who are ill, challenging an unbeliever to turn away from their sin) Encourage adults to be intentional about choosing one way they can put their faith into action this week.
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. (See John 3:3; Colossians 1:13.)
Observe when and for what purpose a New Testament passage includes an Old Testament quotation.
Matthew quoted Isaiah 9:1-2 to describe how Jesus fulfilled prophecy as He lived and ministered in northern Galilee-the ancient land of Zebulun and Naphtali. Read Isaiah 7 and 8 to give context for Isaiah 9:1-2. How would the people of Isaiah’s day have been encouraged by the hope of the Messiah? What was similar about the people touched by Jesus’s ministry in Galilee?