Matthew 4:23-25

Section 10. JESUS PREACHES AND HEALS IN GALILEE

(Parallels: Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44)

TEXT: 4:23-25

23. And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people.
24. And the report of him went forth into all Syria: and they brought unto him all that were sick, holden with divers diseases and torments, possessed with demons, and epileptic, and palsied; and he healed them.
25. And there followed him great multitudes from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and from beyond the Jordan.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

a.

Why do you suppose Matthew introduces this obviously general summary into his account at this point?

b.

What does this section indicate about the nature of Jesus' popular ministry?

c.

If Jesus wanted to start a new religion, why did He begin in the Jewish synagogue? What good could be accomplished by beginning this way? What is the connection, if any, between classic Judaism and religion of Jesus?

PARAPHRASE AND HARMONY

Then Jesus went all over Galilee, as He continued teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of God's approaching reign, curing every disease or malady that was among the people. His reputation spread even throughout the whole territory of Syria. Sufferers from every kind of illness or torturing disease, racked with pain, those possessed with demons, the epileptics, the paralyzed - they were all brought to Him and He healed them! Countless crowds of people followed Him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from Transjordan.

NOTES

I. THE EVANGELISTIC EFFORT

Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about in all Galilee. With these three verses Matthew summarizes the first general tour of Galilee, of which the Chapter s that follow may be specific incidents. Jesus apparently made three such evangelistic tours of Galilee in the effort to win its populace: this one, another after the onset of unbelief (Luke 8:1-3), and a third just before the collapse of His popularity (Matthew 9:35 to Matthew 11:1).

Though Matthew does not record it, Mark (Mark 1:35-39) and Luke (Luke 4:42-44) both tell what significant preparation Jesus made before embarking upon His first great evangelistic campaign. After a busy day of great popularity, preaching and prodigies, Jesus arose early the next morning to pray alone. Peter's words of rebuke and anxiety only served to heighten the temptation to satisfy all the wants of His townspeople at Capernaum, Everyone is looking for you. A synagogue full of expectant and admiring people eager to listen might have satisfied the ambition of many a rabbi. Yet Jesus has other plans and goals to reach: Let us go elsewhere into the other towns that I may preach the good news of the kingdom of God there also: for that is why I was sent. Jesus-' eye was on the nation, not upon that small-town excitement which had turned the heads of His disciples. His mission was not mainly or simply humanitarian! His mission was redemption! His was not to one small city, but to the whole flock of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The natural compassion of God within Him for suffering humanity caused Jesus to minister to their bodies. But His miracles were intended to point the mind beyond the acts themselves. He intended that these miracles should function as signs of His identity and prepare their minds for His message (John 5:20; John 10:24-25; John 14:10-14). They must see that through this Man God is compassionately and mercifully working in their midst and that the message of this One was that of God! How often these signs were misunderstood may be gathered from outstanding examples such as Capernaum, who, ironically, here wishes to keep Him from leaving her (cf. Matthew 11:20-24).

Teaching in their synagogues. For a full treatment of the subject synagogue, see under standard Bible reference works, especially Edersheim's detailed descriptions (Life, I, chap. X). Jesus could not have chosen a more logical approach to the Jewish people than through the synagogue, for this was the most important institution in the life of His people, with the only single exception of the temple. Though some teaching was possible in the temple (see, for example: John 5:14 ff; John 7:14 to John 10:18, John 10:22-39; Luke 19:47-48), yet the synagogue was unquestionably the institution essentially adapted for teaching. Further, the liturgy of the synagogue was such that it furnished Him the opportunity that He could best utilize for starting His formal public teaching. The ruler or president of the synagogue could invite to speak any person whom he judged to be qualified. Thus, at least at the first, there was an open door to Jesus in any town large enough to have a synagogue. Then, after Jesus had taught a particular lesson, there would have been time for discussion of the new doctrine He brought, for questions, for talk and fellowship with Him. (Illustrations: Luke 4:16-37; Mark 1:21-28; Matthew 12:9-14)

Those Christians who tend to reject various human inventions as unworthy of Christian practice or consideration on the ground that they are without divine approval should ponder our Lord-s acceptance and use of the synagogue. The synagogue has no proven origin prior to the Babylonian captivity in which it arose out of a felt need for worship of God in a strange land. Certainly, true worship had to be rendered Jehovah at Jerusalem in the temple and at the stated feast-days and hours and in the appointed way. Yet the more devout Jews, living in captivity and having no sanctuary, altar or priesthood, felt the need to hear the word of God and pray together. And even after their return from exile, they continued their synagogue practice even in Jerusalem where stood first Zerubbabel's temple and later Herod-s temple at which all the Mosaic sacrifices were offered (Acts 6:9; John 2:13-20) and where all the services were kept. The synagogue as an institution served mainly for a local tribunal as well as school house for elementary education. However, worship, in the sense of prayers and reading of the Scriptures, developed into a regular service or liturgy before the time of Jesus. In this human invention, brought into being without demonstrable divine sanction or prohibition, Jesus and His apostles participated by using to the full the opportunity it provided not only for proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom, but also for their own personal worship. Obviously, they would continue this latter only as long as their good relationship to Judaism remained intact. With the gradual disintegration of those ties that began during Jesus-' ministry and continued until the ultimately necessary mutual separation of Judaism and Christianity as well as the establishment of a distinct, Christian worship, the frequenting of the synagogues became less and less.

While Jesus knew that at Jerusalem was the place where men ought to worship God (John 4:19-22; cf. Deuteronomy 12:1-14), yet, by His apparent approval and usage of the synagogue, He indicates that the mere fact that a thing-a project, a tool, an aid, an instrument, a means-has no particular divine sanction or prohibition, is no good argument against its use, He ever laid the emphasis on the manner and motives for which a thing is used. The synagogue could NEVER be used as a substitute for the temple. The two existed side by side in Jesus' day and He worshiped BOTH at the temple at the stated feasts AND at the synagogue, (Cf. Luke 4:16) For Him the synagogue did not pose a choice between itself and the temple, for worship at the temple was God's clear command. At the same time, He worshipped and taught in the synagogue, because it was a most logical and practical means of giving witness to His reliance upon the law and the prophets and His example taught the importance of practical, weekly devotion to God by praying with God's people.

Further, the influence of the synagogue-plan upon the formation of the Christian congregation after Pentecost cannot be overlooked. Inasmuch as the synagogue had been so much a part of the culture of the apostles, it should not be at all surprising that they should utilize its basic form of worship and government when they established the Church. Rather, it perhaps would have been more surprising had they not done so, although Jesus could have instructed them in a completely different form of worship and government. The fact that He did not should cause His disciples to reevaluate their acceptance or rejection of things not either prohibited or sanctioned in God's word.

For more direct information on the synagogue, see standard reference works and the following suggestive scriptures: Matthew 6:2-5; Matthew 10:17; Matthew 12:9; Matthew 13:54; Matthew 23:6; Matthew 23:34; Mark 1:21-29; Mark 1:39; Mark 3:1; Mark 5:22-38; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:15-38; Luke 4:44; Luke 6:6; Luke 7:5; Luke 8:41; Luke 11:43; Luke 12:11; Luke 13:10; Luke 20:46; Luke 21:12; John 6:59; John 9:22; John 12:42; John 16:2; John 18:20; Acts 6:9; Acts 9:2; Acts 9:20; Acts 13:5; Acts 13:14; Acts 15:21; Acts 17:1-17; Acts 18:4-26.

Preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing. Matthew summarized Jesus' activities in such a way as to express perfectly His true purposes, as declared by the Lord Himself (Mark 1:38; Luke 4:43):

1.

Jesus came to reveal the MIND of God. He defeated man's ignorance and corrected his misunderstandings.

a.

Not about the universe or the world in general, for man could learn this on his own, given enough time.

b.

But about the true knowledge of God, man was in gross ignorance. Jesus came to reveal what man could not have found out by himself. Decisively He puts an end to all groping and guessing about God by revealing Him!

c.

And man had a lot to learn about the true nature of himself. Man is at his very best as servant of God, as a subject of God's kingdom: this is that for which God planned man, not for self-rule or self-satisfaction. He revealed God's will for man.

2.

Jesus came to reveal the HEART of God. He conquered man's heart by demonstrating the Almighty's loving concern for man, by healing his diseases. This was very important:

a.

Man, writhing in pain or tortured by a lingering illness, finds sermons about high morality and noble ideals quite unconnected with his personal, painful reality. He might ask himself, What does God care if I waste away here on this bed of affliction?

b.

Then, Jesus mercifully touches the man's affliction, heals his body and opens the man's grateful heart to the message of the kingdom. Now the man is ready to listen and respond to Jesus.

c.

Matthew lays a proper emphasis on this healing ministry by mentioning both the great variety of healings that Jesus accomplished as well as the widely scattered areas from which people came to be healed.

II. THE EXTENSIVE EFFECTIVENESS

Matthew 4:24 The report about Him went forth into all Syria. It is not easy to establish the exact bounds of Syria in Jesus-' time nor the exact use Matthew may make of the term. In OT times Syria had been the small country just north of Palestine. But following the conquests of Alexander the Great and the Maccabean period, Syria had come to mean the whole area from Egypt clear up to the Orontes River and Antioch.

Note how Luke in the parallel (Luke 4:44) uses the word Judea, not in the sense of the area around Jerusalem, but in the sense of the whole country of the Jews or Palestine. He often does this. (Cf. Luke 1:5; Luke 7:17; Luke 23:5; Acts 2:9; Acts 10:37)

Even if Matthew intends the smaller region, obviously the fame of Jesus is travelling like a prairie fire, Certainly there were Jews living in Damascus (Acts 9:2; Acts 9:20-22) and in Antioch (Acts 11:19), whose business and family connections kept them in touch with Palestine. Besides, the regular caravan routes from Babylon to Egypt passed directly through Galilee and carried all the most interesting gossip great distances.

They brought unto him all those who were sick. Because of the mixed population of Galilee and the certainly Gentile population of Syria, it is incompatible with the merciful love of Jesus to think that non-Jews brought to Him should be turned away. (Cf. Matthew 8:5-13; Matthew 15:21-28; Luke 17:11-18) Sick with various diseases: for specific cases, see Matthew 8:1-17; Matthew 9:18-31. Those possessed with demons: for examples, note Matthew 8:28-34; Matthew 9:32-34. For discussion of demons and demoniacs, see comments on Matthew 8:28 ff. Epileptic, a later case: Matthew 17:15. Paralytic means any lame or partially or totally paralyzed person; specific case: Matthew 9:1-8. And He healed them! What glorious, unfailing power! There were none sent away, rejected due to failure: there were no incurable cases, There was no anxious waiting for weeks when Jesus touched those bodies.

III. THE ELECTRIFYING EFFECT

Matthew 4:25 Great multitudes followed Him. What an eager, excited audience to whom His earth-shaking messages could be preached! He has their attention: their hearts are open. But where did these crowds come from? From all over Palestine, says Matthew. (See map)

Decapolis, is a name meaning ten cities, which refers to the federation of ten independent city-states located all but one (Scythopolis/ Beth-Shan) on the east side of the Jordan Valley. They were inhabited mostly by Greeks or Romans. Because they were completely independent of local rule, Matthew rightly separates them from the area beyond the Jordan, although, logically and geographically, Decapolis was also beyond the Jordan.

ET CETERA

The sheer generality of this passage draws our attention to the all-sufficiency of Jesus. He can meet man at any point of his human experience, at any physical crisis, at any spiritual condition, and save him! Matthew's swift summary also gives another impression: Jesus is keenly interested and especially drawn to the et ceteras of human existence. Without doubt there were in these vast assemblages individual wrecks who had lost all hope, all self-esteem, all love. Yet, Jesus had time to deal gently with each one! Whether they were strangers, foreigners and sinners of every sort mattered not to Jesus, for he loved them and mercifully welcomed each one. To Jesus, the nobody was really somebody whom He could love, heal and save. Thank God for such mercy! Most of us are nobodies, but in Jesus-' eyes we have value, Who would dare fail to respond to such a Master as He?

FACT QUESTIONS

1.

What is meant by the following words or phrases in the text:

a.

holden

b.

divers diseases

c.

torments

d. demon possession
e.

epileptic

f.

palsied

2.

What events are recorded in the parallel passages as having occurred just prior to this first general tour of Galilee?

3.

According to the parallels, how did Jesus prepare Himself for this extensive evangelistic effort?

4.

Of what value was the Jewish synagogue to the ministry of Jesus? What opportunities did it provide Him?

5.

Tell something of the nature and use the Jews made of their synagogues.

6.

What was the obvious purpose for which Jesus was sent, as revealed in this text and its parallels?

7.

What effect did this evangelistic tour have upon the nation?

8.

Locate the different areas whence people came to be healed by Jesus.