Read Matthew 4:12-17
Discover
1. What specific areas does Matthew mention that Jesus traveled to?
2. What message did Jesus preach there?
3. How does Matthew connect the dots back to Isaiah for his Jewish (non-Gentile) audience?
Respond
700 years after Isaiah prophesied that God would turn the lights back on in Galilee of the Gentiles, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, Jesus arrived on the scene. Matthew shows his audience that Jesus was the great light they’d been waiting for! And yet, His message was one of repentance from sin and how to live for a heavenly kingdom rather than an earthly one. Spend a few minutes now releasing expectations you have of God and tell Him you want to trust in His creativity to fulfill His promises in your life.
For Further Learning: See this map and this one for a reference of places mentioned.
For Families with Kids at Home
Jesus’ message, over and over again, is about how to pursue the Kingdom of heaven and not the kingdom of earth. Today, pray that your kids would develop a passion for God’s Kingdom, not their own, and that they would trust in His power over their own.