The Calling of the Disciples / Matthew 4:12-25
One of the things I’ve tried to do in my life for some time now is, when I get up in the morning, to just express some gratitude. I try to be thankful. I might get up and say, “God, thank you for a new day. Thank you that I’m in Christ. Thank you for my family.” Whatever blessings come to mind—and sometimes it’s early, so I’m not thinking of a whole lot—I just try to start there. I try not to do it out loud so I don’t wake my wife up, but I want that heart of gratitude.
At the same time, I recognize that we live in a world that is broken. We live in a world that is fallen, a world in darkness. It’s not what God originally intended it to be. Our world is plagued by sin, immorality, apathy, and moral relativism. It’s plagued by pornography, human trafficking, warfare, terrorism, and gang activity. We see the brokenness in abortion, poverty, racism, violence, abuse, and addictions. We see it in unrestrained consumerism, broken families, discord, division, hatred, jealousy, fear, and pain. The list could go on and on.
It’s in the midst of this darkness that Jesus comes. He says that He comes with God’s kingdom. Right in the middle of all this brokenness, He is going to build a kingdom of hope, redemption, and forgiveness. He is going to empower His people to join Him in being a light in the midst of the dark. Tonight, we’re continuing our series in the Gospel of Matthew by finishing up chapter four.
Light in the Darkness
Matthew chapter three showed us Jesus appearing on the scene as an adult. He was baptized, the Holy Spirit anointed Him, and the Father affirmed Him. Then, Jesus was taken into the wilderness to battle temptation with the devil for forty days. Now, we see what happens next.
Matthew 4:12 (NASB)
Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;
Jesus leaves the region of Judea and heads north to Galilee. Between verse 11 and verse 12, other events happened that the Gospel of John records, but Matthew focuses on this turning point: John the Baptist has been arrested. John was thrown into a dungeon because he spoke out against the wickedness of Herod Antipas. This move to Galilee was likely difficult for Jesus. He loved John; they were cousins. John had prepared the way for Him. In His humanity, Jesus relates to our grief and loss. It’s also another example of our broken world—that a narcissistic sociopath like Herod had the power to imprison a good man like John.
Matthew 4:13 (NASB)
and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.
Jesus goes to His hometown of Nazareth first, but as Luke records, they didn’t exactly give Him a great welcome home party. They were so angry that He declared Himself the Messiah that they tried to run Him out of town. So, He settles in Capernaum, a thriving commercial hub and the “bread basket” of the region. It was a place with a teeming fishing industry and a trade route where people of all nations passed through.
Isaiah 9:1-2 (NASB)
But there will be no [more] gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make [it] glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.
By going to Galilee, Jesus fulfills a prophecy written seven hundred years earlier. It’s called “Galilee of the Gentiles” because of the heavy Gentile presence and influence there. Historically, the Jewish religious elite in Jerusalem looked down on the Galileans. They saw them as impure or “less than” because of mixed marriages and pagan influences.
But by going there first, God is making a statement: He has a heart for all people. He didn’t go first to the religious elite; He went to the outcasts, to the people who knew they needed help. Light is a beautiful metaphor for Christ. He illuminates, exposes, and reveals truth, but He does it to call people into healing and hope.
John 8:12 (NASB)
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’
The Message of the Kingdom
As Jesus begins His public ministry, His message is clear and direct.
Matthew 4:17 (NASB)
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Notice that Jesus is proclaiming the exact same thing John the Baptist was. But while John was looking forward to the kingdom, Jesus is saying, “The kingdom has arrived because I am here.” This is the central message of Jesus. You cannot separate Jesus from the Kingdom of God.
At that time, the Jews had two ideas about the kingdom. One was God’s universal, ever-present reign over the whole universe.
Psalms 145:13 (NASB)
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion [endures] throughout all generations.
The second idea was a future kingdom where God would finally establish His reign on earth, bringing justice and righteousness.
Isaiah 24:23 (NASB)
Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And [His] glory will be before His elders.
The people of Israel were longing for that future day. They had been conquered by the Syrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and now they had been living under the brutal occupation of Rome for sixty years. They were taxed harshly and mistreated. They were ready for a new kingdom.
Jesus brings a radical new reality: He says the future kingdom is breaking into the world right now through His presence. It is the “already, but not yet” kingdom. The power of God is here, but the final consummation is still to come. The word “kingdom” here isn’t a place; it’s a rule or a reign. It’s the idea that God is taking His creation back.
The Call to Repentance
What does it look like when God takes over? It starts with the word “repent.” In the Greek, metaneo means to turn around, to change your mind and your will. It’s a decision to act.
Several years ago, I was driving back from a soccer tournament in the Bay Area with my son. It was late, I was tired, and I decided to take a different route home. I thought I was heading toward the Ranchos, but I ignored my GPS. Siri was going crazy telling me to turn, but I just turned her off. I kept driving until I ended up in Firebaugh. I realized then that I had gone the wrong direction.
I needed a new direction for my life in that moment. Just knowing I was lost wasn’t enough; I had to humble myself, turn the GPS back on, and actually turn the car around. That is repentance. Jesus doesn’t leave wiggle room. He says, “Make a decision. It’s time to turn your life around and put your faith in Me.”
The Call to Obey
After preaching this message, Jesus starts calling individuals to join Him.
Matthew 4:18-22 (NASB)
Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the [son] of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Jesus calls these blue-collar fishermen to be His disciples. These were hard-working men with good instincts who knew how to work in a team. Jesus says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
We shouldn’t overlook the cost of their obedience. It was radical. They left their livelihood, their hometown, and most significantly, their families. In that culture, family was everything. Your identity, your security, and your future were tied to your kin. To leave your father in the boat was a massive sacrifice.
For three of these men, it eventually cost them their lives. James was put to death by the sword. Andrew was martyred. Peter was crucified. Only John survived an attempted martyrdom to die of old age in exile. They gave up everything for a relationship with God. Jesus didn’t ask them to change themselves; He said, “I will make you.” As they walked with Him, He transformed them.
A Foretaste of Restoration
As the ministry grows, we see the power of the kingdom in action.
Matthew 4:23-25 (NASB)
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and [the] Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and [from] beyond the Jordan.
Jesus goes into the synagogues teaching and preaching, but He is also healing every kind of disease. People are coming from everywhere—Syria, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and beyond the Jordan. He heals the spiritual (demoniacs), the mental (epileptics), and the physical (paralytics).
These healings authenticate Jesus as the Messiah. His authority in the physical realm proves His authority to forgive sins. It also reveals the compassionate heart of God. But most of all, it gives us a foretaste of the future kingdom. In the same way Adam brought sickness and death, Jesus brings healing and life. As Philip Yancey wrote, “Miracles are the early glimpses of restoration.”
How Is God Calling You?
To encounter Jesus is to encounter restoration. Our world is broken, but Jesus has come, and His work starts within us. In the next few chapters of Matthew, we will see how this kingdom work begins in the heart and moves outward.
So, I have to ask: How is God calling you today into His kingdom purposes? What does it mean for His rule to work in your life right now?
I’m asking myself the same thing. I’m still growing. I’ve put my faith in Jesus, but it’s still a battle to walk in repentance as a lifestyle. There are rooms in the house of my heart where I don’t always invite Jesus. Walking in repentance doesn’t mean you’re losing and gaining your salvation over and over; it means keeping your relationship with Him vibrant.
Think of it like marriage. My wife, Chris, and I have been married for twenty-three years. If I hurt her this week, I can’t just say, “Hey, remember when I apologized the week after we got married? That should cover this, right?” That would be stupid. I continue to apologize and seek forgiveness to keep our relationship strong. It’s the same with God.
Recently, the Lord put it on my heart to make changes to become healthier spiritually, emotionally, and physically. He’s calling me to be a better “fisher of men” with my neighbors and the parents of my kids’ friends. I’ve even been going through Regen, our Christ-centered recovery program. I originally went in thinking I’d just learn how to help others, because surely I didn’t have “issues.” I was wrong. God is doing a restorative work in me, dealing with things from my past that I didn’t even realize were still affecting me.
What about you? Maybe you need to come to faith for the first time. It doesn’t matter how much you think you’ve messed up; God loves you. He came in the person of Jesus to absorb the weight of your sin on the cross and rise again so you could have life.
Maybe you’ve been walking with Christ, but you’re hiding something. It’s time to come into the light. Maybe there’s a step of obedience you’ve been avoiding. It’s time to stop playing defense and start walking into the vision God has for your life.
We are not defined by our past or our circumstances. We are defined by Jesus Christ, the cross, and the resurrection. In the midst of darkness, Jesus still saves. He is the light of the world, and He works through us to change it. When people meet Jesus, they are totally changed. Let’s go to Him and find life, healing, and hope. That is what it looks like when God takes over.