John the Baptist’s ministry lasted somewhere between four and eighteen months, during which time he accomplished the mission to which God had called him. He caught the attention of the nation, awakened its conscience, and baptized and introduced the Messiah. John also stirred up the wrath of Herodias and Herod by denouncing their illegal marriage

When Jesus arrived in Galilee, He made a second move. He left His boyhood home in Nazareth and moved to Capernaum on the sea of Galilee. We can visualize Him handing over the family business to His brothers, kissing His mother goodbye, hugging His sisters, saying His farewells at the local synagogue to neighbors, friends, and customers. We can see Him taking one last look at the valley that had been home to Him for so long.

Much had happened since He had gone south to be baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. The apostle John filled in the details in his Gospel. John told of the Lord’s preliminary activities in Galilee: the calling of the disciples, the first miracle in Cana, and the first visit to Capernaum (John 1:35–2:12). John went on to tell of the Lord’s early Judean ministry, His first Passover after His anointing, the cleansing of the temple, the talk with Nicodemus, the Lord’s baptism of His disciples, and the loyalty of John the Baptist (John 2:13–3:36). And the apostle told of the Lord leaving Judea for Galilee, His short stop in Samaria, and His encounter with the woman at the well (John 4:1–42).

Much had happened since He had gone south to be baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. The apostle John filled in the details in his Gospel. John told of the Lord’s preliminary activities in Galilee: the calling of the disciples, the first miracle in Cana, and the first visit to Capernaum (John 1:35–2:12). John went on to tell of the Lord’s early Judean ministry, His first Passover after His anointing, the cleansing of the temple, the talk with Nicodemus, the Lord’s baptism of His disciples, and the loyalty of John the Baptist (John 2:13–3:36). And the apostle told of the Lord leaving Judea for Galilee, His short stop in Samaria, and His encounter with the woman at the well (John 4:1–42).

By leaving Judea and settling in Galilee, Jesus made a significant gesture. It was an indication of His worldwide purpose, always present in His thinking even when He was ministering to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

The move to Capernaum was Scriptural—“that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet.” Matthew appealed to Isaiah 9:1–2, where the prophet had pinpointed the place where the Messiah would live.

From then on Jesus took up the message which John had preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It was a further call for moral renewal in preparation for His kingdom. The kingdom was near in the sense that the King was present

He challenged, using their occupation as an illustration of the kind of work in which henceforth they were to be engaged.

The two men needed no further persuasion. They had already seen enough of Jesus to be convinced that He was indeed the Messiah. It was the chance of a lifetime to be called to be charter members of the impending kingdom. At that time they had no idea that the Lord was headed not toward a throne, but toward a tomb; they did not know that what lay ahead of Him was a cross, not a crown