4 – Jesus Begins His Work

Matthew 4:12–17

Jesus starts to speak God's message in Galilee

12 Then Jesus heard that Herod had put John the Baptist in prison. So Jesus returned to Galilee.

13 But he did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in Capernaum, which is a town on the shore of Lake Galilee. It was in the part of Israel called Zebulun and Naphtali.

4:13Zebulun and Naphtali were two of Israel's 12 tribes. This was the region of Israel where those tribes had lived.

14 This caused God's message to become true. Long ago God had said through his prophet Isaiah:

15 ‘I am speaking to you people who live in Zebulun and Naphtali.

Your land is on the way to Lake Galilee.

It is across the Jordan River in Galilee,

where people of other nations live.

16 They are like people who are living in a dark place.

They live in the shadow which death brings.

Now God will send a light to shine on them.’

4:16See Isaiah 9:1-2. These people did not understand the truth about God. It is like they were living in a dark place with no light.

17 Then Jesus began to speak God's message to people. He said, ‘You must turn away from your sins and change how you live. Do this now, because the kingdom of heaven has come very near.’

Matthew 4:12-17 EasyEnglish Bible (EASY)

Did you Know?

Jesus grew up in Nazareth in Galilee.
A ‘Gentile’ is anybody who is not Jewish.
The ‘kingdom of heaven’ is not a place. We’re in God’s kingdom when King Jesus rules our life.

The Meaning of the Story

Many people are scared of the dark. People are scared to go out at night-time.

There are different kinds of darkness. There is ‘physical darkness’ when night comes. There is ‘spiritual darkness’ when people don’t know God or obey him.

Jesus came to people in spiritual darkness. Jesus brought light into the darkness of people’s lives.

Jesus preached about the ‘kingdom of God’. God is the king of everyone and everything. God made his Son, Jesus, the king in his kingdom. Jesus’ kingdom is not like any other kingdom because Jesus rules over the hearts and lives of men and women. Jesus told people to become a part of God’s kingdom. We enter God’s kingdom by following his Son, Jesus. This means that we have to obey God and stop doing things that are wrong.

Who is Jesus?

God loves us and doesn’t want us to stay in the darkness. God sent Jesus to bring light into a dark world. God wants us to live with him and be part of his family.

Jesus was a teacher. Jesus taught us how to enter God’s kingdom and how to live in God’s kingdom.

Thinking about the Story

What darkness have you seen in the world?
Is there ‘spiritual darkness’ in your own life?
What would it mean for you to ‘turn back to God’?