1The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2As it is written in the prophets,
“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you:
3the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord!
Make his paths straight!’”
4John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. 5All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. 6John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen. 8I baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
9In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
12Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were serving him.
14Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”
16Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men.”
18Immediately they left their nets, and followed him.
19Going on a little further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20Immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.
21They went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. 22They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, 24saying, “Ha! What do we have to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”
25Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
26The unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” 28The report of him went out immediately everywhere into all the region of Galilee and its surrounding area.
29Immediately, when they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31He came and took her by the hand and raised her up. The fever left her immediately, and she served them.
32At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by demons. 33All the city was gathered together at the door. 34He healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. He didn’t allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there. 36Simon and those who were with him searched for him. 37They found him and told him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
38He said to them, “Let’s go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason.” 39He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
40A leper came to him, begging him, kneeling down to him, and saying to him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”
41Being moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I want to. Be made clean.” 42When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was made clean. 43He strictly warned him and immediately sent him out, 44and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anybody, but go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
45But he went out, and began to proclaim it much, and to spread about the matter, so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places. People came to him from everywhere.
The Sea of Galilee, also known as the Lake of Gennesaret or the Sea of Tiberius,[1] 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. Due to the unique geography of the area where the lake is located, it is known for sudden, violent storms.[2]
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[3]” (popularly called “Jesus Boat”),[4] 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.[5] Many other important towns mentioned in the New Testament are found on the shores of the lake including, Bethsaida,[6] Magdala[7], and Tiberias[8]. Several others were located on the slopes of the hills around the lake, including Chorazin[9], Hippos-Susita[10], Gamla [11], and Gadara[12].
[1] Merrill F. Unger, Archaeology and the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1962) 125-126.
[2] See Matt 14.24.
[3] See John 6:17
[4] The "Galilee Boat," sometimes called the "Jesus Boat" is located at Kibbutz Ginosaur Museum.
[5] Capernaum, the home of James and John, is along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (aerial).
[6] Possibly at the side of Bethsaida (aerial) is at the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee.
[7] Magdala (aerial), the city of Mary of Magdala (Magdalene) is on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, lower than Capernaum.
[8] Tiberias (aerial) was a Gentile city in the days of Jesus and is not given as a city that Jesus visited.
[9] Chorazin (panorama) is a short distance west of the Sea of Galilee, not on the coast.
[10] Hippos-Susita (also known Antiochia-Hippos) is a little over a mile east of the Sea of Galilee and was a Gentile city.
[11] Gamla (Hebrew word for camel) is a city built on a small mountain shaped like the back of a camel, that was defeated by the Romans soon after the Jewish rebellion in A.D. 66, and where General (Titus) Flavius Josephus was captured by the Roman army.
[12] Gadara, one of the cities of the Decapolis (ten cities) of New Testament times, is more than 1200 feet above sea level, bordering on Israel and Syria, and overlooks the Sea of Galilee several miles away. The Arabic name is Umm Qais. Some have argued that Gadara was the city near where Jesus cast out demons into a herd of pigs that went down into the Sea of Galilee, but this is unlikely in view of the distance from the Sea.