Jesus preached to the gentiles before Paul was commissioned to them.
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| From The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1923. via http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_middle_east.html Category:Historical maps by William R. Shepherd (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
In this passage, Matthew summarizes Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee, an
area encompassing 2,800 square miles. Covering this region is no small
under-taking, because Jesus, if He moves rapidly and visits two cities a day, will need more than three months to visit every town and village!
Jesus is met with much acclaim during the time He spends preaching and
teaching in Galilee. Matthew tells us that “great crowds” from the Decapolis
and from beyond the Jordan follow the Christ, along with many citizens from
Jerusalem and Judea (4:24–25). The Decapolis is a group of about ten cities
included within the Roman province of Syria in Jesus’ day. These are
predominantly Gentile cities, and so again we see how the nations, in addition
to the Israelites, come to Jesus from the very start of His ministry (2:1–12).
Matthew 4 sets the stage for the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 4:23–25 is
an overview of Jesus’ ministry, implying that the sermon is only a sample of
His Galilean teaching, not an exhaustive account. An itinerant preacher, our
Savior repeats the same basic content in different settings, adapting and
applying His same message to various audiences. Thus, it is not surprising
that Jesus’ teaching varies some from one gospel to another. His central
message is “the gospel of the kingdom” (v. 23) — the decisive intrusion of
God’s saving presence into this world through the Messiah’s life, death, and
resurrection.
Along with teaching, Jesus heals all kinds of diseases and afflictions (v.
24). Note that these healings are not simply healings for healings’ sake.
Rather, they validate the message of Jesus and vindicate Him as the Father’s
emissary. Miracles “prove or attest [God’s] agents of divine revelation (Heb. 2:3–4)” and those who proclaim that revelation. John Calvin says in his commentary on Matthew that “when Christ miraculously healed them, he proved his divinity.” This is especially true of Jesus’ exorcisms. In casting out demons, Jesus shows Himself as the usurper of Satan’s authority and reveals Himself as the rightful representative of the sovereign Creator who has come to rule over His people.
If the preaching of the Gospel was central to the ministry of Jesus, we dare
not suffer under the delusion that we are being faithful to His example if we
fail to preach the Gospel today. As Christians, we are called to preach the
good news, if not as part of a formal call to ministry then as a part of our
everyday interactions with friends and family. It is also important to
encourage those pastors who labor in the faithful exposition of God’s Word.
