1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth.’”
5Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and,
‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”
8Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”
10Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.
12Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. 13Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
15“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
16the people who sat in darkness saw a great light;
to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
to them light has dawned.”
17From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
18Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
20They immediately left their nets and followed him. 21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them. 22They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them. 25Great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Mt 4:18—sea of Galilee and the Ancient Boat
The Sea of Galilee, also known as the Lake of Gennesaret or the Sea of Tiberius, is actually what we would consider a moderately sized lake. It is 13 miles long, 8 miles wide, about 33 miles in circumference and about 140 feet deep. It is also the second lowest lake in the world (behind only the Dead Sea 65 miles south), at approximately 670 feet below sea level. It is surrounded by high hills, up to 2,000 feet above the lake.[1] Due to the unique geography of the area where the lake is located, it is known for sudden, violent storms.
The Sea of Galilee is an important part of the region, providing water for drinking and irrigation, as well as fishing and easy transportation. It is not surprising that Jesus’ Galilean ministry was focused on the area around the lake. Here in Matt 4:18, Jesus called His first disciples while “walking beside the Sea of Galilee.”
Although most archaeological remains in the area are found on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the “Galilee boat[RD1]” (popularly called “Jesus Boat[RD2]”), was submerged for two thousand years, and only discovered during an unusually dry period by two local fishermen, the brothers Uval and Moshe Lufan. Ancient remains of harbors have also been discovered in the shallows near the shore, such as at Capernaum. Many other important towns with reference to the New Testament are found on the shores of the lake including, Bethsaida, Magdala and Tiberias. Several others were located on the slopes of the hills around the lake, including Chorazin, Hippos-Susita, Gamla and Gadera.
[1] Merrill F. Unger, Archaeology and the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1962) 125-126.
[RD1]Link to John 6:17
[RD2]Include pic of "Galilee Boat"
Baez