Matthew 4:12 - 17

12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

We are told more about John's imprisonment in Matthew 14, but this is inserted in this verse to give us reference as to when Jesus entered Galilee.

Jesus had divine powers so this statement does not mean he necessarily heard it by word of mouth.

Jesus now moves his residence from Nazareth where Mary and Joseph have lived since returning from Egypt. He moves to another town in Galilee named Capernaurn, it is on the coast of the sea of Galilee. It is at the northern tip of the sea of Galilee. When the book of Matthew references “his own city” it will refer to Capernaurn while “his own country” will refer to the vicinity of Nazareth.

Many times we see the words “that it might be fulfilled” this does not always mean it was done just so a prophecy would be fulfilled, but sometimes it does mean it was done to fulfill a prophecy. But sometimes it just means when this action was completed it did fulfill a prophecy.

Matthew quotes the prophecy listed in Isaiah 9:1 – 2. Sometimes there are more than one place with the same name. In consideration of this Isaiah had listed several characteristics of the place being refered to so it is clear which place has the prophecy attached to it.

Jesus brought a spiritual light to the area he was inhabiting by his teachings there, before he took up residence there was no spiritual light available in the area. His teaching provided a great light as the prophecy said, and “a new light had dawned.”

This verse gives us an important message that Jesus was an example for.

Jesus did not begin his ministry until he was baptized. Men today cannot be considered a worker for the Lord until they are baptized.