Matthew 4:12-22

Once Jesus was baptized He began His earthly ministry to people. He preached the same message as John the Baptist which was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." We see this message throughout the New Testament ministry of Jesus and it is key for our understanding of Salvation. His message is simple yet profound in the thought that the Kingdom of Heaven is near, which begs the question, was it far off before? Who or what is he referring to this passage is the Kingdom of Heaven. It would seem from this study that this is one of the main questions we want to answer.

Also in this section we see the chosing of the 12 disciples. It has always amazed me that these men just left their nets on the beach to follow Jesus. Was this a literal leaving of the craft of fishing or was it simply a response to someone saying, "Hey, come over here for a minute." It would seem that these men responded to a greater calling without hesitation to become a part of the ministry of Christ to the people.