Matthew 4:25, commentary and pictures

His teaching in the synagogues, His preaching of the gospel of the kingdom, and His healing drew great multitudes to follow Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan, showing how wide the reach of His ministry had become. This following came after His fame spread through Syria as He went about all Galilee healing every kind of sickness and disease, torments, demon possession, lunacy, and palsy, which was the disciples' first experience of His ministry as the great Healer. The crowds were eager to hear and receive the grace of a merciful Savior, they received His message and believed His words with the poor and humble most willing to accept the truth, and His acts of mercy at Capernaum won them in reverential love. When He saw the multitude He went up the mountain and taught His disciples the beatitudes, giving the Sermon on the Mount to explain the experience to be gained in the things of God, for His teaching of the way of life with healing and sympathy had awakened deep interest and prepared the people to listen. He used varied ways to draw attention and then proclaimed the truths of the gospel, providing the pattern for carrying God's light and warning message beyond one locality to every place and to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

Crowds Drawn to Jesus

Jesus' teaching in the synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing drew great multitudes to follow Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan, revealing how His work reached people from many regions and drew those in need to Him. This wide gathering from surrounding places showed the broad reach of His ministry in Galilee. It was the disciples' first experience of Christ's ministry as the great Healer, when multitudes from those regions followed Him.

The following came after He went about all Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing all manner of sickness and disease, with His fame spreading through Syria. All who were brought to Him with divers diseases and torments, demon possession, lunacy, and palsy were healed. Many followed because the feast of the Jews was near and many about Jerusalem had come in and heard of His wonderful miracles and sought Him. The sick and afflicted were brought to Him to be healed, with suffering ones restored to health, the sorrowing comforted, the ignorant instructed, and hope awakened in the despairing.

The crowds were eager to hear and receive the grace of the Savior, and rejoiced in the help and grace of a merciful Savior. They received His message and believed His words, with the poor and humble most willing to accept the truth, finding in Him consolation for toil and privation. His labors at Capernaum did great good, many were led to believe on Him, and His acts of matchless mercy won the hearts of the multitudes in reverential love. The crowds grew so large that Jesus sometimes had to hide, requiring caution lest the Roman authorities suspect an insurrection from their enthusiasm.

After seeing the multitude He went up the mountain, where His disciples came to Him and He gave the beatitudes. There He gave the Sermon on the Mount, which explains the experience people may gain in the things of God. His teaching the way of life with healing, and His works of sympathy in restoring the sick, had awakened deep interest and prepared the people to listen to His teaching.

Pattern for Gospel Work

Jesus used varied ways to draw people's attention and then proclaimed the truths of the gospel after teaching, preaching the gospel, and healing the sick drew great crowds from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. His work reached people across many regions and drew them to Him, showing how preaching the gospel and ministering to people's needs can open doors for the truth.

As He cultivated hearts in many places through teaching, preaching, and healing, the gathering of large crowds from those regions provides a pattern for carrying God's light and warning message beyond one locality. That pattern extends to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, since the need for the message of life reaches throughout the highways and byways and not only to a few large centers. The work of sharing the gospel is therefore needed in every place, not in one place only.

It gives the pattern for the work now to be done in all parts of the globe to prepare a people in every place to stand before God. The gospel must be carried directly to all classes and nationalities, including wealthy men and women, great men and rulers and all to whom earthly treasure has been entrusted. Those who have means in banks or in their power must be approached and encouraged to use those goods to help give the message to all nationalities.

This following answers the light sprung up to those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death in Zebulon, Naphtali, and Galilee of the Gentiles and the preaching to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It came after He went about all Galilee teaching in synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and disease, with His fame spreading through Syria and all brought to Him with divers diseases and torments, demon possession, lunacy, and palsy being healed. It calls for walking by faith and not by sight, obeying when the Master calls to a certain work without waiting until all means are in hand, as Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John straightway left nets, ship, and father to follow Him to become fishers of men.

As He traveled from place to place, He sought people wherever they could be found — in public streets, in private houses, in the synagogues, and by the seaside. He toiled all day preaching to the great multitudes that followed Him and healing the sick that were brought to Him, then dismissed the people to return to their homes to rest and sleep. He frequently spent the entire night in prayer to come forth and renew His labors in the morning, and His untiring labor and steadfastness in the work given to Him make Him an example to follow.