Today we see several new beginnings as the central theme of our text. In the passages in Genesis, we see God's covenant being made with Noah, and the building blocks being set in place for the history of all mankind. In the passage from Matthew, we read about the beginning of Jesus ministry, and the calling of his first disciples. The new testament text is what I am going to focus on today.
The first thing that we see happen today is Jesus moves from Nazareth to Capernaum, where he decides to begin his ministry. Now, from most accounts, Nazareth is Jesus' hometown, where He grew up. In fact, he was called a Nazarene, or Jesus of Nazareth. Nikkie talked quite a bit about "home" and what that means to her on Wednesday. What home means to me is I am a Yooper, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. That is where I grew up, and it defines the kind of person that I am, and will always be. A lot of people move to get a new start, to break free from other people's view of them. In Nazareth, in most people's minds, Jesus will always be known as Joseph's son, or the son of a carpenter. We see that attitude being taken when he returns to his hometown later in his ministry. So, in order to have a clean slate, so to speak, Jesus moves the 30 miles north-east to Capernaum, a nine hour and twelve minute walk, according to Google maps. Whatever the reason for his move, Jesus moved. This move marks the beginning of His ministry, and subsequently the calling of His first disciples. It moved him to a town built on the Sea of Galilee, where fishing was the major resource. Jesus first four disciples are all fishermen, but as we read further we will see that Jesus is going to teach them how to become "fishers of men." I love how Jesus uses his surroundings throughout his ministry, and Matthew 4:19 is a prime example of this.
I am excited to be writing this year, and I hope that you all get as much out of reading through the Bible as I did last year. Welcome to the journey!
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