Ministry in Galilee Lesson 3.1 Luke 4:14-5:11

Context Having left Samaria after preaching the gospel there, Jesus continued his original mission, which was to travel to Galilee. Here he would begin his ministry officially, and make this his central hub of operation. Galileans: simple people. Farming community. Small villages on the countryside. These were the “regular” people, and Jesus started his ministry with them.

Jesus’ Reputation Even though this was the first days of his ministry, Jesus was already well-known in Galilee. Why?: Jesus was now over 30 and grew up in Galilee. He studied at the synagogue, and would regularly read the OT aloud. 6 months before this, Jesus has turned Water to Wine in Cana, and the story had spread. Many Galileans would have been in Jerusalem during Passover when Jesus flipped temple tables.

Jesus in the Synagogue Jesus started his ministry in his own hometown: Nazareth. There he went to the synagogue and read a passage out loud from Isaiah 61:1-2. This passage spoke about what the Messiah and what he would do when he came. Ministry of the Messiah: (1) Preach the Gospel; (2) Heal the brokenhearted; (3) set captives free; (4) Proclaim the Year of the Lord’s Favor

Jesus Proclaims His Fulfillment of Scripture and is Rejected

Nazareth’s Rejection After calling himself the Messiah basically, the people of Nazareth “marveled” at him. Verse 22: “Is this not Joseph’s son?” The Nazarenes were saying, “Is Jesus not one of us?” “Is he not OUR Messiah?” They were expecting a bunch of hometown miracles to make their lives better, but Jesus knew their motives and rebuked them (4:23-28). Jesus’ rebuked angered the people. If Jesus couldn’t be THEIR Messiah, then he could be NO ONE’s. So they tried to kill him.

Capernaum’s Acceptance The people of Capernaum heard Jesus’ words and were “astonished,” not for selfish gain, but because of the authority of Jesus. They saw him as worthy of worship and honor. Jesus then performed many miracles like he read from Isaiah 61:1-2. “Preach the gospel”: spoke in synagogues “Heal brokenhearted”: healed Simon’s mother-in-law “Set captives free”: cast out many demons in Galilee. “Proclaim Year of Lord’s Favor”: Luke 4:43**

Jesus teaching in the temple, casting out demons

Calling of Disciples The calling of the disciples by the Sea of the Galilee was not a calling of random men like we typically believe. By the time Jesus got to Capernaum, he had already gained 5 followers. 2 came from John the Baptist; other 3: Peter, Nathaniel, and Phillip. At some point, these men went there separate ways for a little while. So, the call in Luke 5:1-11 was a reconvening of these men by Jesus to bring them into more intimate ministry w/ him.