Matthew 4:12

 Matthew 4:12 says, Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;  When Jesus heard of the arrest of John the Baptist, He went to Galilee.  Verse thirteen adds, And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:  Jesus went to live in Capernaum.  Verse thirteen continues, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  Verse fifteen continues on, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;  Then verse sixteen concludes, The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.  Jesus going to live in Capermaum fulfilled a prophesy by Isaiah, but once again I don't believe that Jesus went there simply to fulfill a prophesy.  Likewise, I dont believe that we can sit with a checklist today and check off the events leading up to the second coming of Christ and determine the precise time that it will happen.  God did not cause Jesus to go to Capernaum simply to ensure that the prophesy would come true.  Verse seventeen declares, From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Jesus began to preach calling for people to repent for the kingdom of God was at hand.  We today need to call for people to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, because the kingdom of God is at hand.  Verse eighteen says, And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee when He called His first disciples, Peter and his brother Andrew, who were fishermen.  Jesus did not go to the religious leaders or even the temple to find disciples, but He called two ordinary fishermen.  God calls people where they are today to follow Christ, and He calls ordinary people to be preachers and teachers.  Verse nineteen adds, And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  Jesus told them that He would make them fishers of men.  He did not promise them great wealth or even security, but He simply asked them to follow Him.  Today, God does not promise us great wealth and security if we follow Jesus, but He simply asks us to follow, or put our faith in Him.  Verse twenty declares, And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.  Peter and Andrew did not wait but immediately left what they were doing and followed Jesus.  Fishing was their way to make a living, but they left it to follow Jesus.  What are we willing to give up to become a follower of Jesus today ?  Verse twenty-one says, And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.  Jesus then saw two more brothers, James and John, mending nets with their father and he called them to follow Him.  Verse twenty-two adds, And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.  James and John not only immediately left their work, but they left their father as well.  We cannot allow other people to come between Jesus and us, no matter how close they may be to us.  Verse twenty-three states, And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.  Jesus began to preach, teach and heal in Galilee.  Verse twenty-four adds, And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.  As Jesus' fame grew, people brought the sick to Him.  Though Jesus may have healed them, this was not His main reason for coming.  Jesus came to bring spiritual healing to people, and physical healing will never be the main reason for putting our faith in Him.  Verse twenty-five concludes,  And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.  People came from all around to see Jesus.  We need to reach out to all those around us today with the gospel, since as a general rule not too many people are coming to Jesus on their own.