LESSON VI.--AUGUST 7.

JESUS IN GALILEE.--MATT. 4:17-25.

      GOLDEN TEXT.--The people which sat in darkness saw great light.--MATT. 4:16.
      TIME.--A. D. 28, more than a year after the last lesson. In the second year of the Lord's ministry.
      PLACES.--Galilee, Capernaum, the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.
      HELPFUL READINGS.--Mark 1:14-28; Luke 4:14, 15; John 4:46-54.
      LESSON ANALYSIS.--1. Preaching the Kingdom; 2. Making Fishers of Men; 3. The Great Physician.

INTRODUCTION.

      We learn from Mark 1:14 that this Galilean ministry took place after John was cast into prison. This shows that it did not occur immediately after the temptation, but more than a year later. The chronological order of events is undoubtedly best preserved in John. The intervening events are, (1) the return of Jesus from the wilderness to Bethabara, John 1:15-37, where the first disciples are called; (2) the return to Galilee and the miracle at Cana, John 2:1-11; (3) the first passover of the Lord's ministry in Jerusalem and the temple cleansed, John 2:14-25; (4) interview with Nicodemus, John 3:1-21; (5) ministry in Judea, John 4:2; (6) leaves for Galilee, passed through Samaria, conversation at Sychar, John 4:4-52; (7) heals nobleman's son, John 4:46-54; (8) a period of retirement in Galilee, John imprisoned, Matt. 4:12; (9) attends feast in Jerusalem, miracle at pool of Bethesda, John 5; (10) returns to Galilee, April A. D. 28. We thus see that an interval of more than [220] a year is passed over in silence by Matthew, between the last verse of the last lesson and the first verse of this. A considerable part of this time was spent by Jesus in Judea, till so great an opposition rose against him that he left Judea, and spent almost two years in Galilee and the regions round about, with only an occasional visit to Jerusalem.

      I. PREACHING THE KINGDOM.--17. From that time Jesus began to preach. Probably from the time of the imprisonment of John the Baptist, spoken of in verse 12. The message which Jesus began to preach now was, not the gospel of the crucified Savior preached by his apostles, but the same message that John had preached. When John was silenced Jesus took up his message. All was still preparatory. The announcement made is that the kingdom is at hand, and men are called upon to repent as a preparation for it. This is the beginning of the Galilean ministry, to which Matthew confines himself; the Judæan ministry of many months, related by John, is passed in silence by Matthew. It can hardly be doubted that the Lord preached the same message in Judea. Repent. Not mere remorse, but conversion and reformation, or turning away from sin and unto God. The Greek word means change of mind or heart.--Schaff. They were called upon to repent now; for never had they so much reason to repent, and so much help to repent, and so many blessings if they did repent, as the coming of Christ in his kingdom would bring them. The cry "Repent!" shows (a) that men were in a false position; (b) that they had power to alter it; (c) that such power was immediately associated with a great opportunity.--Joseph Parker. The kingdom of heaven. What Matthew in general calls the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 4:17) is designated by Mark and Luke the kingdom of God. The two expressions, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, vary only in phase. The kingdom is divine, and hence heavenly. It is a thing of heaven. It originated in heaven, tends to heaven, culminates in heaven. It is a heavenly community, with a heavenly sovereign at its head. All its objects are heavenly, whether they be on earth or in heaven. Our whole earth should have been a part of heaven. But it is a runaway world, having gone off from heaven. It is not, however, finally lost to heaven. God, the great moral Governor, has not and will not let it go. He desires, not by the use of physical omnipotence, but by glorious moral means, to win it back. Long, long ago, he took the initiative for the accomplishment of this end. He reclaimed a foothold for heavenly institutions. And now the time was come for establishing, in a somewhat developed, and, as it were, completed form, the heavenly community--"the Kingdom of God."--Morison. Is at hand. The end of the old covenant is at hand . . . the Son is born, grown up, anointed (in his baptism), tempted, gone forth, the testimony of his witness is given, and now he witnesses himself; now begins that last speaking of God, by his [221] Son (Heb. 1:2), which henceforth shall be proclaimed in all the world till the end comes.--Stier. The expression "at hand," indicates that Jesus had not yet publicly declared himself as the Messiah.--Schaff. The Greek word translated "is at hand," means "draws near." The term shows that the kingdom was yet future. It was not inaugurated until Christ had demonstrated his Sonship by rising from the dead, and was "lifted up" from the cross and tomb to a heavenly throne.

      II. FISHERS OF MEN.--18. And walking. He was probably on his way from Nazareth, from which place he had been driven away, to Capernaum. If he

had already been at Capernaum he would not have waited till the Sabbath before healing Peter's wife's mother.--Peloubet. Sea of Galilee. So named from the province on its western side. It was also called the Sea of Tiberias from a city built by Herod Antipas on the southwest shore, and named in [222] honor of the Emperor Tiberius (John 6:1; 21:1). It is pear-shaped, the broad end being toward the north, the greatest width being six and three-quarter miles; it is twelve and a half miles long, and 165 feet deep. It is surrounded on all sides by hills, from 500 to nearly 2,000 feet high. Its waters are pure and sweet, and abound in fish. It is, according to Lieut. Lynch, 653 feet below the Mediterranean. Many populous towns once stood upon its shores, but they and their commerce are gone. Tiberias and Magdala are the only inhabited spots.--G. W. Clark. Simon called Peter. A contraction of Simeon, a Hebrew word which means "hearing." He had previously been named Peter, "a rock" (John 1:42), the name by which he was called after the disciples were constituted apostles. Andrew. A Greek word meaning "manly." Whether he was younger or older than his brother, Simon Peter, is not known. They had formerly lived in Bethsaida (John 1:44), but had afterward gone to Capernaum to live (Luke, 4:31, 38). Casting a net into the sea. A hand-net. Hand-nets are exceedingly common in the East, and of various kinds. They differ from drag-nets, which are trailed along the bottom of the fishing-place. Hand-nets are let down into the water, and are more or less of a bag shape. They were fishers. The occupation was, of course, a humble one, but not, as is often assumed, mean or servile, or incompatible with some degree of mental culture. His family were probably in easy circumstances. He and his brother Andrew were partners of John and James, the sons of Zebedee, who had hired servants; and from various indications in the sacred narrative we are led to the conclusion that their social position brought them into contact with men of education.--F. C. Cook.

      19. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. The Lord had already called them to be his disciples, at Bethabara, after the temptation. He now calls them to a preparation for the apostleship. Fish in the waters are as sinners in the world. It is the preacher's art so to bait the hook of divine truth as that, with ready appetite, the sinner will receive it and be captured for salvation. Hence, there was a striking accordance, and perhaps even an intended typism, between the early engagements of these men and their subsequent profession as apostles--Whedon.

      20. They straightway left their nets. The words seem to suggest, as their immediate and strict sense, that the fishermen thus summoned left their nets lying where they were, without waiting to deposit or secure them.--J. A. Alexander. Followed him. That is, from this time, they were constant followers of the Lord. But when he happened to be in the neighborhood of their homes, they resumed their fishing.--Alford. ILLUSTRATION: "Who will go to China?" asked the moderator of a Scotch Presbyterian assembly. "I will," answered William C. Burns. "When can you leave?" "To-morrow!"--S. S. Journal. [223]

      21. James the son of Zebedee. James (same as Jacob). He was a son of Zebedee; his mother's name was Salome. Compare Matt. 27:56, with Mark 15:40. He probably resided at Bethsaida; joined Jesus, with his brother John, at the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 4:21); is never mentioned in the gospels except in connection with his brother John; was martyred under Herod Agrippa, A. D. 44 (Acts 12:2). There is reason to believe that he and his brother John were own cousins of our Lord.--Abbott. John. He was a brother of James, and, of course, is not to be confounded with John the Baptist. Several references in the New Testament indicate that his family was one of some wealth and social position (Mark 1:20; Luke 8:3; 23:55; compare with Mark 16:1; John 19:27). He appears to have accompanied our Lord in his first ministry in Judea; and he is the only one of the evangelists who gives any account of that ministry. He is mentioned frequently in connection with Peter and James as especially intimate with Jesus (Matt. 17:1; Mark 5:37; John 13:23); and of those three, he appears to have been the one most beloved of our Lord.--Abbott. In a ship. The word translated "ship" means anything that sails, corresponding more exactly to craft, or vessel, than to ship, which in modern usage commonly implies a certain size, if not a certain form and structure. The vessels here meant were small fishing smacks, propelled both by sails and oars, and drawn up on the shore when not engaged in actual service.

      22. They left their father. All of these had already been directed to Jesus and attended his footsteps. See John 1:29-42. "There is a nearer conjunction between Christ and the faithful than there is with father and mother. Of them we have a being in nature; but of Christ, a being in grace; of them our being, of Christ our well being. To "honor father and mother" is the fifth commandment, but to honor God is the first commandment of the law, to show that to honor God is above all.

      III. THE GREAT PHYSICIAN.--23. And Jesus went about all Galilee. In the next three verses are condensed the labors, preaching and journeying of a [224] long period, of which the detailed account is given in the subsequent chapters. Jesus first offered the gospel to Judea and remained a number of months, until circumstances made it expedient to change to Galilee. Now a systematic and continued effort is made to leaven Galilee with the truth. Teaching in their synagogues. The synagogues, the Jewish houses of worship where the Jews met every Sabbath, furnished Jesus a congregation and a suitable place for teaching. It was customary to read the Old Testament in course, and after the reading, a famous teacher, or rabbi, was usually called on the speak. This custom gave Jesus and his apostles after him, a fine opportunity to declare the New Covenant. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Gospel means "good news." He announced the good news of the speedy advent of the long expected and anxiously looked for kingdom of the Messiah. He did not, however, at this time proclaim himself to be the Messiah. This central truth of the kingdom was not preached until after he was risen from the dead. Healing all manner of sickness. Christ healed the body in order that he might heal the soul. So Christianity aims to help men in every respect, to improve their temporal condition and to save them eternally.

      24. His fame went throughout all Syria. Thus every miracle, besides relieving its immediate subject, and disposing him and all who saw it to the reception of the truth, helped to make our Lord more generally known, and to excite a spirit of inquiry with respect to him and his religion.--J. A. Alexander. Possessed with devils. The word demon is the correct translation and means an evil spirit. Persons were actually subject to the control of demons. Evidences: (1) Supernatural strength (Mark 5:4). (2) Mind not source of blindness (Matt. 12:22). (3) Insanity cannot divine (Acts 16:17). (4) Demons knew Jesus (Mark 1:24). (5) Jesus addresses the demons (Matt. 8:32). (6) Demoniacs confess this control (Mark 5:9). (7) Apostles assert it (Luke 10:17). (8) Jesus admitted it (Matt. 12:28). (9) Peter assures us of it (Acts 10:38).--W. H. Van Doren. Lunatics. Epileptics in the Revision.

      25. Great multitudes from Galilee. The fame of his teaching and miracles caused great multitudes to gather from all Palestine. The accounts elsewhere given confirm this statement. Galilee. The northern part of Palestine. Decapolis. A district containing ten cities east of the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. [225]

PRACTICAL AND SUGGESTIVE.

      Wherever we are, we should by word and life preach the gospel of the kingdom.

      We should watch opportunities for doing good. While Jesus was walking he called the four.

      Jesus honored labor by calling his first ministers from the scenes of toil.

      Faithfulness in daily labor prepares us for Christ's spiritual work.

      Therefore God calls busy people to serve him. None can do it better.

      It is observable that God has often called men to places of dignity and honor when they have been busy in the honest employment of their vocation. Saul was seeking his father's asses, and David keeping his father's sheep, when called to the kingdom. The shepherds were feeding their flocks when they had their glorious revelation. God called four apostles from their fishery, and Matthew from the receipt of custom: Amos from among the herdsmen of Tekoa; Moses from keeping Jethro's sheep, and Gideon from the threshing-floor. God never encourages idleness, and despises not persons in the meanest employments.--Palmer.

      The earliest extant hymn of the Church, by Clement of Alexandria, at the end of his treatise on "Christ as the Instructor," (pæedagogus,) dwells on the image with a rich and suggestive playfulness. Christ is thus addressed

      Notice, in the ministry of Jesus, (1) He was active; (2) He went where people were; (3) He went where the busiest people were--fishermen, those at work, Simon and Andrew--those preparing to work, James and John; (4) He went where worshiping people were; (5) He went where needy people were.

POINTS FOR TEACHERS.

      1. Bring out the idea of the Kingdom of heaven. It implies a King and subjects. Point to the King and show who are the subjects. 2. Show that prophets proclaimed it, John was the messenger and declared it near, Jesus still says it was near, but the apostle speaks of it as existing, show the date of its inauguration. 3. Point out conditions of entrance. Repentance a preparation. Faith, repentance and obedience to the risen Lord admit. 4. Point to Christ as the great Healer, doing good, curing all manner of sicknesses: still he heals. Can cure every soul of sickness, 5. Point to Christ calling men, whom he called, their prompt obedience, the reasons for it. 6. Point out the example in this lesson that we should follow, let all be named. [226]

Source: Barton Warren Johnson. The Christian International Lesson Commentary for 1887. Des Moines, IA: