Matthew 4:12-23:
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.
Blog:
Before I read the Bible, I used to think that I moved around a lot and had a ton of changes in my life. By the time I would graduate college and finally move out of my Parent’s home full-time, I had lived in 4 houses and attended 4 different elementary schools, 1 junior high school, 3 high schools, and 2 colleges. Post college graduation until today, I have worked at 12 different jobs and lived in 12 different homes – apartments (4), homes (7), and condo’s (1). That’s a lot change, I thought; but, then, I met Jesus in Scripture. While Jesus always has a Heavenly Home at the Right Hand of the Father, He chose a homeless, non-paying Ministry for three years that culminated in His brutal execution. While He was born in Bethlehem and moved immediately to Egypt, He is most commonly known for coming from Nazareth. But, just like in the Gospel here, Jesus moved, lived, and/or worked in all kinds of places; including, but certainly not limited to Phoenicia, Galilee, Decapolis, Samaria, Perea, Judea, Sidon, Zarephath, Tyre, Damascus, Mount Hermon, Caesarea Philippi, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Raphana, Cana, Magadan, the Sea of Galilee, Gergesa, Tiberias, Hippo(s), Dion, Canatha, Nazareth, Gadara, Abila, Nain, Scythopolis (Beth-shean), Pella, Salim, Aenon, Sebaste, Gerasa, Sychar, Mount Gerizim, Jacob’s Well, the Jordan River, Arimathea, Ephraim, Philadelphia (Rabbah), Jericho, Ramah, Emmaus, Jerusalem, Bethpage, Bethany, Bethlehem, Hebron, the Wilderness of Judea, the Salt Sea (Dead Sea), and the Mount of Olives. If you’re feeling a bit homeless, just remember what the St. Paul told us in Hebrews 13:14 when he said, “For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” While, like Jesus, we may feel homeless at times, but, as Children of God, we are never really homeless, but have an Eternal Home with God, Jesus, Mary, the Saints, and our past loved ones. By focusing on Heaven, we can (through the Power of Christ who strengthens us) endure until the day when we all finally arrive back Home with Him.
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