"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

The Itinerant Ministry Of Jesus (4:23-25)

INTRODUCTION
  1. Jesus started His public ministry by moving to Capernaum - Mt 4:12-17
    1. A city on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee
    2. A fulfillment of the prophecy in Isa 9:1-2
    3. From which He began to preach His message of the kingdom
  2. But Jesus' work was not what you might call a "located ministry"...
    1. He did not stay in one place
    2. Where people might easily come to see and hear Him
  3. His ministry was an "itinerant ministry"...
    1. He traveled from place to place
    2. If people wanted to hear Him more than once, they had to follow Him

[In our text, Mt 4:23-25, we find a summary of "The Itinerant Ministry Of Jesus." In this study, let's begin by taking a look at...]

  1. THE NATURE OF JESUS' ITINERANT MINISTRY
    1. HE DID NOT STAY IN ONE PLACE LONG...
      1. He "went about all Galilee" - Mt 4:23
      2. He went about "teaching in their synagogues" - Mt 4:23
      3. Luke records an example: in the synagogue at Nazareth - Lk 4:14-30
      4. But as mentioned by both Mark and Luke, Jesus felt compelled to keep moving - Mk 1:35-39; Lk 4:42-44
    2. HE PROCLAIMED THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM...
      1. His preaching involved "good news" about the kingdom - Mt 4:23; cf. Mk 1:14
      2. As recorded by Mark, this "good news" included the following:
        1. "The time is fulfilled" - the time foretold by the prophets, cf. Dan 2:44
        2. "The kingdom of God is at hand" - the kingdom foretold by the prophets, cf. Dan 2:44; Lk 1:32-33
    3. HE HEALED ALL KINDS OF SICKNESS AND DISEASE...
      1. He healed people afflicted with various diseases and torments - Mt 4:23-24
      2. Including the demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics - Mt 4:24
      3. Both Mark and Luke provide more detail at this point in their gospels
        1. Casting out an unclean spirit - Mk 1:21-28; Lk 4:31-37
        2. Healing Peter's mother-in-law - Mk 1:29-30; Lk 4:38-39
        3. Healing many after a Sabbath sunset - Mk 1:32-34; Lk 4:40-41
        -- Matthew records these events after The Sermon On The Mount in his gospel
    4. HIS FAME SPREAD...
      1. Throughout all Syria, the region to the north of Galilee - Mt 4:24
      2. Evidently throughout Decapolis, Judea, and beyond the Jordan, regions to the south and east - Mt 4:25
      3. The healing of a leper forced him to stay in deserted places - Mk 1:45
    5. GREAT MULTITUDES FOLLOWED HIM...
      1. From Galilee and regions all around - Mt 4:25
      2. Mark says they came to Him from every direction - Mk 1:45
      3. They came to hear Him, and to be healed by Him - Lk 5:15
  2. OBSERVATIONS REGARDING JESUS' ITINERANT MINISTRY
    1. EVERYONE NEEDS TO HEAR THE GOSPEL...
      1. Jesus' concern was not just for those in his town of Capernaum
        1. Compelled to preach the gospel in other cities, He went about "all Galilee"
        2. He later sent His disciples to preach throughout all the cities of Israel
        3. He finally commissioned to them to preach to every person, making disciples "of all the nations" - Mk 16:16; Mt 28:19
      2. It has been said, "No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, before everyone has heard it once"
        1. This statement reflects a sentiment worth remembering
        2. Once the gospel has been shared, we are not under obligation to repeat it again and again to one not interested
        3. If those who hear are not interested, they have judged themselves unworthy of eternal life - e.g., Ac 13:44-47
        4. As long as there are souls who have not heard, we do not always have the luxury of "spoon-feeding" the spiritually indifferent in an attempt to reach them!
      3. Similarly, churches may not always have the luxury to hold on to their evangelists
        1. Some are like the people who tried to keep Jesus from leaving them - Lk 4:42
        2. But having received the word, they need to appreciate the need for others to hear - Lk 4:43
        3. Especially today, when we have Bibles to teach us, we can more liberal with letting evangelists do their work of evangelizing! - cf. Ro 10:14-15
    2. THE PURPOSE OF THE HEALING MIRACLES...
      1. Certainly they were an expression of Jesus' compassion - Mt 14:14; 20:29-34
      2. Such miracles were also confirmation of prophecy - Mt 8:16-17
        1. They were recorded that we might believe - Jn 20:30-31
        2. They were intended to confirm who Jesus was - cf. Jn 5:36
      3. In a similar way, the miracles done by His followers was for the purpose of confirming their message as being from God - cf. Mk 16:19-20; He 2:3-4
        1. Their purpose was not to make Christians "healthy and wealthy"
        2. Their purpose was not for personal benefit; e.g., Paul did not heal Timothy of his stomach ailments and frequent infirmities, prescribing medicinal treatment instead - 1Ti 5:23
        -- The primary purpose of such miracles, as always, was to confirm God's messengers; in this case, confirming Jesus to be the Son of God! - cf. Ac 2:22
    3. AUTHENTIC MIRACLES CAN'T BE KEPT SECRET...
      1. Jesus' reputation quickly spread throughout the region
      2. Even His enemies had to admit His miracles were real - Jn 11:47
      3. Such was true with the miracles performed by the apostles - Ac 4:14-16
      4. If one could truly heal today as Jesus and His apostles did...
        1. It would be on every TV network
        2. None would deny it, especially Christians who question the validity of what is often claimed to be miraculous today!
        -- The more you study the miracles of the Bible, the easier it is see that those who claim to do miracles today are either sincerely mistaken or deliberate deceivers!
    4. FOLLOWING JESUS REQUIRES EFFORT ON OUR PART...
      1. The multitudes who wanted to hear and see Jesus had to follow Him where He went
        1. It required leaving their homes, probably at great expense
        2. It was probably very inconvenient, especially when sick and disabled!
      2. Following Jesus today requires some effort also!
        1. Time and energy must be expended to learn and grow in the teachings of Christ
        2. It may not always be convenient to utilize opportunities to learn more about Jesus
        -- The next time you stay home because of some physical inconvenience, think of those souls who followed Jesus on His itinerant travels!
CONCLUSION
  1. Many Christians have often thought how wonderful it must have been to see Jesus on earth during His public ministry...
    1. To see the miracles, to witness the healings
    2. To hear His sermons proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom
    3. To sit at His feet, listening to His gracious words of instruction
  2. In reality, it may not have been as easy as one might think...
    1. You would have had to leave home for an extended period of time
    2. Contending with the multitudes, it might have difficult to even get close to Jesus
    -- I wonder if many Christians today would have made the effort!
  3. As we think of "The Itinerant Ministry Of Jesus", I hope we will remember...
    1. The importance of spreading the gospel of the kingdom today
    2. The compassion our Lord had for the sick and oppressed
    3. The effort we should be willing to make to follow the Lord
  4. Perhaps most importantly, to realize...
    1. That once you have heard the gospel of the kingdom, no one is obligated to repeat it to you again and again
    2. That having heard it once, you may never have the opportunity to hear it again!

It is your responsibility to heed the call to repent and accept the good news concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you?