[12] When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. [13] Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— [14] to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: [15] “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— [16] the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” [17] From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” [18] As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. [19] “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” [20] At once they left their nets and followed him. [21] Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, [22] and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. [23] Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. [24] News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. [25] Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.(Matthew 4:12-25, NIV)
Notice what Jesus did.
He talked to people. He invited people to follow Him.
Proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, Jesus was inviting people to follow Him. The stories show His continuation of making disciples and working miracles:
1. proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom,
2. inviting people to follow Him,
3. making disciples,
4. working miracles.
How is Jesus doing that today? How is Jesus doing that through us today?
Jesus had people with Him. Who is traveling with you?
I know. Relationships are risky. But with the risk is a great reward:
1. Relationships are painful.
2. Relationships need work.
3. Relationships transform us.
Read the story again. Think about what Jesus did. Think about what Jesus is doing through you. Think about the people Jesus is inviting into your story.
I believe Jesus invited people because he knew with his actions they would follow. He is the Christ. The chosen one. He is the all mighty and his actions are physical
Proof of this. We see this in this story and when he transforms water to wine we can physically see that. Jesus has followers . I have a relationship with him and I have people in my life that have a relationship too. We’re all folloers
The blog is focusing on a story from the Bible about how Jesus started his mission by preaching about the good news of the Kingdom and inviting people to follow him. The blog emphasizes the importance of relationships and making disciples, just as Jesus did with his followers in the story. Also asks how Jesus is working through us today to build relationships and make disciples. The blog encourages us to think about the story and consider who they are traveling with within their own lives. Relationships can be challenging but they can also have the power to transform us. Our relationship with God and others are important because we need support when we are traveling within our own lives, we can deepen our understanding of how we can follow Jesus and continue his mission of spreading the good news of the Kingdom. This can lead to personal growth and transformation, as well as positively impact the lives of others.
This was a very intresting quote that gave me a lot to think about. Jesus invited many people to come and follow him. I think it is important to note the types of people Jesus invited. He chose to lead fishermen and general working class people to come follow him. Jesus must have felt that it was important to guide to ones who work the hardest. Jesus also healed all that came before him with no care of who they were and what they may have done. I think this was a very important quote to read and I enjoyed this blog post.
This blog was really good for me to read. I’ve read this story probably 50 times in my life, but I’ve never really asked the question as to why Jesus did what he did, and why he created those relationships. In life, it is so easy to just forget about other people and forget about creating bonds, because we’re so encompassed by ourselves. I went through a time like this last semester, where I only hung out with one person every single day. And that person is not a bad person, but I didn’t have really any other quality relationships in my life at the time, and it caused me to have resentment over myself, because I missed hanging out with others. We need community and we need others to grow, and when we aren’t growing, we are dying both physically and spiritually.
I think Jesus really wanted his followers not only to hear his words, but to also see his actions. He did miracles that spoke more volume than maybe a sermon. Jesus wanted his relationships to be far more than superficial and I think that is a lesson we could all learn. Healthy vulnerability is a beautiful thing and Jesus was. He was also intentional as should we.
I really enjoyed reading this blog. Jesus shows the importance of relationships. Jesus opens his arms to anyone who crosses his path. He does not judge them all he does is pure love for them. What if we all just loved everyone we met unconditionally like family instead of judging them? Don’t you think the world would be such a happy place? Every day we have the choice to be happy and I am purposefully choosing happiness.
This blog post was super interesting to me. Growing up I have read this bible story many times, but sometimes I read it without fully grasping the true meaning behind what he was doing. You would expect Jesus to be surrounded by church leaders and the “holy” people of the time. But what you don’t expect is for him to be surrounded by sinners, prostitutes and the sick. Then you realize these are the people Jesus himself invited. I think that is so important to remember because, even when we may feel like we don’t deserve to be in the presence of Jesus, we do because he invites us there.
I think that Jesus had a goal in building the relationships that he did. As humans, we are meant to be in fellowship with other people. That is the way that God intended it to be. I often like to isolate myself when things are rough in my life instead of being around people who will hold me accountable. The point about relationships really spoke to me in this way.
I think there’s a lot of evidence of support that we as Christians are continuing Jesus‘s ministry on earth. One of the things that always sticks out to me is how in the book of acts, particularly, we see how the early church is continuing in what was Jesus‘s ministry. They are seen going to different towns, whether it be alone, or with others, sharing the gospel, making disciples, performing miracles, and sharing the good news. Overall, the church and ask is seen in unity as they continue with the ministry bitches Trace found it and showed.
I really appreciate the confidence Jesus had to allow people to follow him and see what he was doing and follow that. Obviously, he is God, and he cannot do wrong, and we should all follow him. But as I was reading that story, I was thinking, how often am I so intune with what God is calling me to do that I would be confident enough for people to follow me and see all that I am doing? I want to be that confident in what God calls me to
Relationships are vital to us in life. I don’t know where I would be without some of the relationships I have gained while going through life. I have been let down by people before more times than I could count. The relationship that I have been in with Christ is one that may not look like other people. It may even be scary at times, but I know that He has me. That relationship where God is beside us through it all makes the next laugh a little more joyful. It makes the next cry a little less painful. A relationship can make us more open to hear the truth that we sometimes don’t want to hear because we know it is out of a caring heart. I believe that is the kind of relationship Jesus wants to have with us.