11/11

Matthew 4:23

²³And 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.

This is exactly the region to which Isaiah predicted the Messiah would bring light (Isaiah 9:1-2). It was called "Galilee of the Gentiles" because of numerous large Gentile cities. There were also a large number of Jewish cities in this agricultural region, many more than there are today. The ruins of some of these synagogues where Jesus taught have been discovered by archeologists.

One might wonder why God would send His Son to this particular region. Most of the disciples came from this area. In spite of the critical attitude Judea held against this area, it was quite a studious region. The Galileans had a stronger expectation and hope of the coming Messiah. They also had more interaction with the rest of the world, as it lay on the crossroads of major trade routes.

The "gospel" means "good news." Jesus was sharing the good news that God desires to forgive us of our sin and be the Lord of our life. His healing ministry showed His power over the curse of sin and death. If He could deal with the effects of this fallen world, then we should have the hope that He can deal with our other problem, the effect of the sin nature we inherited from Adam. His ability to powerfully heal every disease gave the people hope that He could heal our spiritual disease of sin as well.

Consider: When we follow hard after the Lord, we are sometimes discouraged by our shortcomings. Know that the Lord has the power to see you through to your homecoming. He will finish the work He started in you (Philippians 1:6).