Crowds followed him

Read Matthew 4:23-25

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Jesus has been active in Galilee since the arrest of John, proclaiming the message of God’s kingdom (4:12-17). The lake of Galilee, at the heart of that region, was the location for the first disciples of Jesus to respond to his call to follow him (4:18-22). And Matthew now tells us of the wide range and great impact of Jesus’s early Galilean ministry.

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Jesus travelled throughout Galilee, teaching and “preaching the good news of the kingdom”, and performing many miracles (23). In Mark this summary is preceded with examples both of Jesus casting out demons and of him healing the sick (Mk.1:21-34,39). No wonder that news about him spread to all the surrounding areas (24) and “large crowds” flocked to him and “followed him”.

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But this following was not of the same kind as that of the first disciples in the previous section. Throughout the gospels, there are many references to crowds following Jesus (e.g. Mt.12:15; 14:13; 19:2) but that’s shown to be a superficial response, rooted in self-interest. When “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him”, Peter stood firm because he believed and knew that Jesus is “the Holy One from God” (Jn.6:66-69).