Matthew 4:23–25

Matthew 4:23- 25: Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds

Synopsis

In this short passage, Jesus goes throughout the region of Galilee “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (verse 23 (ESV) ). Because of this his fame spreads throughout all of Syria, and large crowds start to follow him.

Thoughts

I don’t actually have much to say about this passage, except to note that as long as Jesus is fulfilling the crowd’s expectations of what a messiah is supposed to be like, they’re more than happy to follow him. But as soon as he stops fulfilling their expectations, they will drop him. As Christians, do we ever do the same thing with God, or with Jesus Christ—our Lord and Saviour?

I don’t know if the area called “Syria” in the ESV is the same as what we’d call “Syria.” According to the ESV Study Bible, Syria is defined as “A Gentile region north of Galilee, between Damascus and the Mediterranean Sea.”