NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

CHAPTER FOUR

Part III

It is also worth noting that the mention of Galilee as being the place where many non-Jews lived seems to be a parenthetical statement placed there by the scribe that was translating Matthew’s notes from Hebrew into Greek. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that once the Jews regained their freedom after being made slaves by the Macedonians, and after many struggles, and great battles, Judas, the general of their army continued fighting until he died in battle fighting for them. This calamity of the Jews was greater than anything they had experienced since their return out of Babylonian exile. But those companions of Judas who survived, seeing that the nation was ready to be destroyed in a miserable manner, came to his brother Jonathan, and begged him to follow the example of his brother who took good care of his countrymen. Later, when Jonathan received a letter from King Demetrius who, in an act of gratitude for Jonathan’s friendship, said “I relinquish my control over them as of this day: and as to the poll-money, which ought to be given me for every head of the inhabitants of Judea, as well as the three hierarchies that adjoin to Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, and Peres.”¹ This shows that Galilee at the time of Jesus was inhabited mostly by Jews.

For Matthew, none of this was coincidental, it had all been arranged by the prophecy in Isaiah.² In his mind, the light that now came to dwell in Capernaum was none other than the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. John Gill comments on this portion of Matthew and gives an explanation of Isaiah prophecy as it “relates to the place where the Messiah was chiefly to fulfill his ministry, as the great prophet in Israel, which appears to be Galilee of the nations.”³ Says Gill, “…that whereas those parts of the land of Israel mentioned here, had suffered much by Tiglath Pilezer,who had carried them captive,⁴ which is the vexation referred to; so they should be very much honored and glorified, by the presence and conversation of the Messiah, who is the great light, in verse 9:2, that was to shine in those dark and obscure parts, and give light unto them, and there become famous himself, and make them so by his doctrines, miracles, and holy life and conversation; who is no other than the child born, and son given, of whom such great things are spoken, and to whom such magnificent titles are given in verses 6 and 7.”⁵ And there are others in the Jewish community who look back and come to the same conclusion. Arthur Edward Waite notes that in their literature that speaks about the date of the arrival of the Messiah they say: “…it is said that heaven shall visit the daughter of Jacob…the King Messiah shall be revealed in the province of Galilee.”⁶

Now that Jesus had resettled, Matthew goes on to tell the reader, “From that time Jesus began to tell people his message: ‘Change your hearts and lives, because God’s kingdom is now very near.’”

No doubt Jesus wanted the message that John the Baptizer had been preaching to remain relevant. After all, if John the Baptizer could no longer announce His arrival, then He needed to start letting it be known that His ministry was about to begin. That’s why the light needed to shine on its own accord. “Light” was often used as a metaphor for the Messiah.⁷ This was certainly a part of Jewish Theology. For instance, one Rabbi commented on what David wrote: “Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart,”⁸ by saying: “…this light alludes to the royal Messiah.”⁹ And in another Jewish book we read: “Finally, according to the very wise Rabbi Bibi, the name ‘The Enlightened One’¹⁰ is given to the Messiah.”¹¹ And another highly respected Rabbi comments on David’s words: “Send Your light and Your truth,”¹² by saying: “The King Messiah, who is compared to light, as it is stated: ‘I have set up a lamp for my anointed.”¹³ And a well-known Jewish philosopher points out that “Zebulun is a symbol of light, since his name means the departure of night; and when the night departs and leaves us, then of necessity light arises.”¹⁴

So as we can see, Matthew’s quote of Isaiah has a double meaning when it comes to Zebulun,¹⁵ because the light there had gone out until the Light arrived to make Capernaum His temporary earthly home. But I like the way a Jewish writer summarizes the comparison between Jesus and John the Baptizer: “The young Nazarene was of an altogether different temperament from that of John the Baptizer, the stern, Elijah-like preacher in the wilderness; he manifested Himself as a preacher and as a healer of the sick for whom He had profound love, and tender sympathy for suffering humanity…This drew him toward that class of people who were shunned as unclean by the uncompromising leaders of the Pharisees…His simple countrymen, the fishers and shepherds of Galilee, on hearing His wise and humane teachings and seeing His miraculous cures, considered him a prophet and a conqueror of the hosts of demons, the workers of disease…He felt it to be his calling to bring the good tidings of salvation to the poor and outcast, to “seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and win them for God.”¹⁶

Verses 18-22: “As Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Simon’s brother Andrew. These brothers were fishermen, and they were fishing in the lake with a net.”

Luke tells us that this happened after Jesus finished speaking to the crowd that came out to hear Him teach. But instead of using their nets to fish, Luke says they were washing their nets. Therefore, the location of this event was on the Sea of Galilee near the city of Capernaum. It was called Lake Kinneret earlier because it is shaped like a harp, which is “kinner” in ancient Hebrew. Also, Peter’s name can cause some confusion. In the Galilean dialect his first name was pronounced “Shim’on,”¹⁷ while in the Judean accent it was “Simon.” His surname was “Cephas” (also spelled “Kefa” and “Caiphas”) which means “rock,” and in Greek is “Petros.” In this case, since the Gospels come to us in Greek, but Jesus spoke in Aramaic, He never really called him “Petros” in Greek, but “Caiphas” in Hebrew. Therefore, his last name – “Peter” came to us in English, but that is not the language Jesus used. So to be authentic, we should always refer to him as Simon, as Jesus did.¹⁸

So this is a matter here in the text of the writer saying that there were two brothers, one called Simon (in Hebrew), who is called Peter (in Greek). As such, Simon Cephas became better known in Christendom by his last name in Greek, Petros, and Peter in English. We see this combination of Hebrew and Greek names among the disciples in many places.¹⁹ Even in Jewish writings we encounter such combinations, such as this: “Rabbi Yosé bar Petros, father-in-law of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi by reason of Joshua’s first wife, had a bereavement.”²⁰ John tells us that Simon and Andrew were from Bethsaida, which is near Capernaum, and interestingly enough means in Hebrew, “House of Fishing.” It should be noted that Jesus found these man at work. They were not standing around in the market place or wandering along the shoreline looking for seashells. And even though they came from a class of people who were not educated, beyond learning their craft, yet He knew that with His touch he could turn them into apostles that would turn the world upside down.²¹

This should give hope and faith to anyone who is called into the ministry. Regardless of your status at the time, God sees your potential. He will not force it on you, nor will He transform you from a backward person into a bright outgoing personality on His own. But He will open the doors for you to study, learn, train and grow in the Word and in the Spirit. But you must show the energy, will and dedication to follow the path He lays out for you. I speak to this from personal experience, and praise my Lord for calling a small town boy with marsh mud between his toes into the ministry, where I was given the privilege to preach and teach His Word in Europe, USA and Asia, to thousands of people. Glory to His matchless name!