Matthew 4:23-25

Matthew 4:23-25

[23] And  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.  [24] 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.  [25] And  there followed  him  great  multitudes of people  from  Galilee,  and  from Decapolis,  and  from Jerusalem,  and  from Judaea,  and  from beyond  Jordan. 

What does Matthew 4:23-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

This brief rsum (cf. Matthew 9:35-38) stresses the varied activities and the geographical and ethnic extent of Jesus" ministry at this time. It sets the stage for the discourse to follow (chs5-7) implying that this is but a sample of Jesus" teaching (cf. Matthew 9:35).
Galilee ( Matthew 4:23) covered an area of about2 ,800 square miles (roughly70 by40 miles) and contained approximately3 ,000 ,000 people who lived in204cities and villages. [1] As an itinerant preacher, Jesus engaged in three primary activities: teaching His disciples, preaching good news to the multitudes, and healing many who were infirm. Matthew never used the verb didasko ("teach") of the disciples until after Jesus had departed from them. He presented Jesus as the teacher during His earthly ministry. This is also Matthew"s first of only four uses of euangelion ("gospel," "good news," cf. Matthew 9:35; Matthew 24:14; Matthew 26:13). His ministry was to the Jewish people. This is clear, first, since he preached in the Jewish synagogues of Galilee. Second, He preached a Jewish message, the good news about the messianic kingdom. Third, he practiced His healing among the Jews. The Greek word laos ("people") refers specifically to "the people," that Isaiah , the Jews. [2] Matthew was hyperbolizing when he wrote that Jesus healed "all who were ill;" He could not have healed every single individual, though His healing ministry was extensive (cf. "all Galilee").
Syria ( Matthew 4:24), to the Jews in Galilee, meant the area to the north. However the Roman province of Syria covered all of Palestine except Galilee, which was then under Herod Antipas" administration. Regardless of the way Matthew intended us to understand "Syria," Jesus" popularity spread far north. Matthew described the painfully diseased people who sought Jesus out in three categories. There were those whom demons oppressed. Others had ailments that resulted in mental and physical imbalances that demons did not induce. Still others suffered paralyses of various kinds. Jesus" miracles dealt with "incurable" afflictions, not just trivial maladies (cf. Isaiah 35:5-6).
". . . both Scripture and Jewish tradition take sickness as resulting directly or indirectly from living in a fallen world .... The Messianic Age would end such grief ( Isaiah 11:1-5; Isaiah 35:5-6). Therefore Jesus" miracles, dealing with every kind of ailment, not only herald the kingdom but show that God has pledged himself to deal with sin at a basic level (cf. Matthew 1:21; Matthew 8:17)." [3]
When Matthew wrote that multitudes followed Jesus, he did not mean that they were all thoroughly committed disciples, as the text will show. Some were undoubtedly ardent disciples, but others were simply needy or curious individuals who followed Jesus temporarily. These people came from all over Galilee, Decapolis (the area to the east of Galilee as far north as Damascus and as far south as Philadelphia), Jerusalem, Judea, and east of the Jordan River. Many of these had to be Gentiles. Matthew made no reference to Jesus ministering in Samaria or to Samaritans.
"While Jesus begins His ministry with the Jews only, His fame becomes so widespread that both Jews and Gentiles respond. This is clearly a foreview of the kingdom. The King is present with both Jews and Gentiles being blessed, the Gentiles coming to the Jewish Messiah for blessing ( Zechariah 2:10-12; Zechariah 8:18-23; Isaiah 2:1-4)." [4]
This section ( Matthew 4:12-25) constitutes a fitting introduction to the discourse that follows. The King has summoned disciples to follow Him, and huge crowds seek Him out anticipating great supernatural blessings from His hand. He has appealed mainly to the Jews, but multitudes of Gentiles seek Him and experience His blessing too. No case was too difficult for Him.
"The evangelist wants us quickly to sense the great excitement surrounding Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, where he began to preach "the good news of the kingdom," before presenting him in more detail as the master teacher (chaps5-7) and charismatic healer (chaps8-9)." [5]