140216 Jesus' Early Ministry

Matthew 4:23-25 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

With John the Baptizer in prison Jesus' ministry began to expand. He began in Galilee where he had grown up. Galilee during the days of Jesus was a large region in the northern part of Israel and west of the sea of the same name. Nazareth is near the center of the region and that is where Jesus spent his childhood. Capernaum is on the North Shore of the sea and Jesus seems to have based much of his ministry out of that city. In these few verses Matthew gives us a synopsis of Jesus' early ministry. He taught in the synagogues. He proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. And, he healed every disease among the people.

Now, let's look at that synopsis…

He taught in their synagogues. Even Bible scholars sometimes think about Jesus as being "outside" the synagogues and it is true that towards the end of his ministry he probably was prevented from speaking there. But in the early days he was welcomed most places to speak and teach. Not only did Jesus preach in the synagogues but…

He sent his Apostles there as well. Look at what he had to say to his apostles. Matthew 10:5-8 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Jesus' instructions to his Apostles in the early days was very clear. They were not to go to the Samaritans or among the Gentiles. They were to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were to bring the same message that he, and John the Baptizer, had been bringing, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Beyond that, Jesus gave them power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. They were to take what they had freely been given and freely give it away.

In the same manner, we are to share what God has given us with those who need it. Jesus sent his disciples into the synagogues, after all that's where they would find the lost sheep, to preach and teach. And as for himself…

He prioritized his ministry. Let's look at the example found in Matthew 15:21-28 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

We need to remember that Jesus is the Son of God and as such represents the fullness of the Godhead in human flesh. God is a God of love and compassion. Jesus is often shown to be very compassionate. His heart went out to people but at the same time he had a priority in his early ministry to focus on the Israelites. In this case, Jesus and his apostles moved north of Galilee into a region that was largely Gentile. He is confronted by a woman whose daughter is demon oppressed. I can't think of anything that would stir the heart so much as seeing a child oppressed by a demon. Jesus' words seem to us to be cruel and hard. He had a priority of ministering to people of Israel first. So he wanted to establish that this was an exception to the rule. He knew the mother's heart and he knew she could take what he was going to dish out and it was going to be instructive to his disciples. So he told her that the children's bread should not be given to strangers. No, he was harder than that! He said it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs! She cared nothing for his opinion of her. She only cared that her daughter be set free. So she responded to Jesus with these words, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." We don't have time to deal with all the issues that are raised in this exchange but suffice it to say that even if she were called a dog she would still consider Jesus to be her master. And as such she had the right, at least, to the crumbs if not to the "bread" itself. Take note that Jesus called healing, "the children's bread". We may be able to deal with that more later.

In the beginning, at least, Jesus had made the lost sheep of the house of Israel his first priority. Later we find that...

Paul followed the same pattern. Let's look at some examples from Paul's first missionary journey. Acts 13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. They were sent out by the Holy Spirit and so they had a sense of direction that came directly from God. And that direction was to go first to the Jews. As they continued their journey they followed the same pattern. Look at verses 14-16 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. Paul and Barnabas did not automatically assume that they would be able to speak but they knew that the courtesy of the synagogue leaders would probably let them do so. Further down let's go to verses 44-48 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Wow, there are lots of things going on here. The Jews invited them back and when they came a huge crowd came with them. I think it's safe to say that Paul and Barnabas had been spending their time among the people witnessing and demonstrating the power of God to save. This crowd caused the Jews to become very jealous. Sadly, we see the same kind of jealousy today. And if we are not careful we might feel it ourselves.

Paul and Barnabas first went to the lost sheep of Israel but when they rejected the message, considering themselves unworthy of eternal life, Paul and Barnabas did not hesitate to go to the Gentiles with the good news about Jesus. They quoted a passage from Isaiah 49 showing that God was already prepared to have the message go out to the ends of the earth. They must've known that Jesus had said that his apostles were to begin in Jerusalem and Judea, go on to Samaria and then out to the uttermost parts of the earth with the gospel. That would require that eventually they would have to move away from the synagogue and establish a new structure that included a different meeting place for the gospel.

In his early ministry Jesus went first to the Jews and…

He proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. There are those who would require some kind of division between the salvation message of the Old Testament and that of the New Testament. I don't believe there's any doubt that…
The gospel does not change. In the book of Romans Paul spelled out the gospel very clearly. After having said that he was not ashamed of the gospel he went on to tell us what the gospel is all about. First, we need to recognize the truth found in Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We may not fall short of human standards but we definitely fall short of the standard that is the glory of God. All have sinned so we are all in the same boat.

We continue on what is often called the Roman Road to salvation in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not only do we not measure up to the standard of God's glory but we all receive the wages of our sin. Not just physical death but eternal death separated from God. The good news, the gospel, is that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Now we turn to Romans 5:8 Where we read, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The demonstration of God's love is simple. Christ came to die for us while we were still sinners. Last of all, we turn to Romans 10:9-10 ...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Salvation results when God calls and the sinner confesses that Jesus is Lord. That has always been how a person comes to faith.

The gospel does not change and…

The gospel includes an invitation. Jesus gave that invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 "…Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

What encouraging words these are. On a human level I am reminded of the words at the foot of the Statue of Liberty. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” I know the comparison is poor but I think it's still effective. Throughout the history of this nation we have been the sheltering place for those who simply wanted to be allowed to make their own way in the world. Those immigrants wanted salvation from the bondage of other nations to become free Americans.

Jesus offers a different kind of freedom. The freedom that Jesus offers can be enjoyed by people wherever they live, under whatever government they may have, no matter what their culture has been. Everyone comes to Christ the same way with the same opportunity.

Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom. A gospel that does not change that includes an invitation…

Leading to a new birth. Not just a new life, though it certainly is a new way of living! A ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus came to Jesus one night and commended him on the good work he was doing which proved he had come from God. Let's look at what came next, John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

The gospel of the kingdom requires that a person change allegiance from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. A change from being sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to being children of the Living God! Nicodemus found this very hard to understand. He certainly was one of the tired and heavy laden. He came to Jesus and was told that one must not just have a human birth but one must also have a new birth of the Spirit. This is the work of God not of man. As much as we might wish to we cannot save ourselves, nor can we save another person. The gospel of the kingdom says that we come as sinners on level ground to the foot of the cross. There we confess our sins because he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Everyone is in the same boat, no matter how socially acceptable, or unacceptable, we may be! We are all sinners and are all subject to the wages of sin which is death. But God loved us so much that he sent his son to die for us so that if we will confess that he is our Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead we will be saved. Not only did he preach the gospel of the kingdom but in this case…

He healed ALL their diseases. Many people believe that every sick person who ever met Jesus or was ever in his presence was healed. It seems that that would be the case but it certainly is not. Based on what is written in the Gospels we can see that…

All are healed at least three more times. That is a total of four times, according to the Bible, all are healed! Let's look at Matthew 8:16 Jesus had entered into the house of Simon Peter and there they found that Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Jesus healed her and they sat down and had a meal together then, That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. Later on we find in Matthew 9:35 Jesus had been moving from place to place ministering to the people. Here we find, And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. I believe that is what we expect to hear about Jesus. He went to all the cities and villages proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. Let's see, there's one more example found in Matthew 12:15 The political leaders of the day had begun to plot how they could take his life. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all. Once again we find those words, "and he healed them all"! Again I say, that is what we would like to think always happened…

But all are not always healed. At one point when Jesus had been travelling from place to place he went back to Nazareth. Let's read about it in Matthew 13:53-58 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

He went into his hometown synagogue and began to teach and preach. We know that he was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Instead of receiving the gospel and allowing their lives to be changed the people who had been his neighbors and even playmates in childhood rejected him! He was the carpenter's son. His mother Mary had lived all her life among them. His brothers and sisters were living there and these people could not get past these things to hear the truth that their hometown prophet was giving them. In this case no doubt some were healed and some demons were cast out but he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief! Could that be an explanation for the lack of mighty works today? “Because of their unbelief” certainly applies to the majority of people in the world we live in. No, Jesus did not always heal all the people that were sick some were left for others because…

Healing authenticated ministry. Luke, the beloved physician, gives us an instance when Jesus might have healed a person but did not. I am sure that Jesus had seen this man many times. Listen while I read Acts 3:1-10 Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Peter and John apparently went regularly to the temple to pray. Since this man was laid daily at the temple gate they must've seen him before. For the same reason, Jesus also saw the man and, I believe, asked the Father each time he saw the man, "Do you want to heal this man?" That man was left for Peter and John. They had something far more precious than silver and gold to give him. They had something far more precious than healing to give him! They had the gospel of the kingdom! No, we are not told that they presented some sort of salvation narrative to him and asked him to confess his sin and accept Jesus as Lord. What they did do was tell him that they had nothing they could give him but the living Lord, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, could give him healing. God gave the man faith to believe and, I believe, God gave him eternal life and we'll see him in heaven someday. Actually, I get a little excited — sometimes a lot excited — when I think about what we will encounter on the other side. We will be able to enter into the presence of the creator of the universe. We will see friends and family members who have gone before us if, in this life, we have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus and responded to his call to come to him for rest.

In the beginning of Jesus' ministry he was very successful in gathering great crowds. Obviously, the size of the crowds meant very little to him. In fact more than once he withdrew from the crowds and occasionally presented teachings that drove them away. The important thing is not the miracles themselves but the spiritual results that came from the mighty works. Jesus' ministry was, and is, all about the gospel — or the good news of the kingdom. In the sermon on the mount Jesus admonished us to seek the kingdom of God first, and his righteousness, and all the things we need would be added to us. The gospel of the kingdom comes first. Everything else follows after. Have you responded to the gospel? Have you accepted Christ into your life as Lord and Savior? Remember, now is the favorable time; now is the day of salvation. If you turn to Jesus he will not turn you away.

All scripture quotes from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.