Matthew 4:12-25 Scripture Study
By Pastor Chris Simmons – Trinity Lutheran Church, Paso Robles CA
A reinforcement/supplement study to our Sunday service meant for “Building up the body of Christ… the manifold Wisdom of God made known” (Ephesians 4+3)
For Sunday, January 25, 2026
You may be familiar with the phrase "sharing is caring". We use it often with children… that it is important to share our toys, to be generous and give to others. If we Share it shows that we Care. It builds community and makes people feel good. It seems, however, that when we “grow up” sharing is about “splitting”... You take care of your share, and I’ll take care of mine… it’s all for the sake of efficiency, manners of dividing the labor or fairness – splitting the bill. But in the Kingdom, Sharing is Caring means intentionally inviting others into your work and life… sharing because you value them more than valuing your schedule.
Jesus begins his public ministry first by sharing it. Although completely capable of carrying it all on His own, in a cleaner and more efficient way than involving us… He shares the mission to show His care for us, and how we can care for others.
Blessings on your study!
~ Pastor Chris Simmons
Discuss: When in your life has someone included you, even though it slowed them down? (maybe you were a child helping your parents… a young employee on the job training…) Who were/are they? How did it feel to be included?
Matthew 4:12-2
12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
We heard two weeks ago from Isaiah 40:3-5:
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
That Sunday we also shared this Gospel reading from Matthew 3:1-3:
1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’
All of that to establish the context of a “runway” for Jesus’s ministry to take off from. John the Baptizer is now in prison, but his work is also completed as he famously states in John chapter 3 verse 30 "He must increase, but I must decrease". The voice calling out in the wilderness has lowered mountains and raised valleys… It has made the rough places plain so that all may see the glory of the Lord arriving in Christ Jesus. Now that John has finished preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Jesus now takes over… yet continuing with the exact same words….
16 the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Discuss: Why do you think Jesus and John are using the same exact words of prophecy here? In the spirit of “Sharing is Caring” how does sharing these words communicate a common mission of caring for those who were living in darkness?
Matthew 4:18-22
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
God has a great sense of humor… and when I meet Him face to face, I am looking forward to His smile and watching Him laugh… I tell you this because I have two kids and two kittens. The kittens we’ve had since December 2nd, so it’s been a month and half now… (if you must know… I wanted a dog… for the sake of my family, cats were the best option as a first pet for many reasons). What is funny is somehow each kitten has adopted the personality of one of the children. My nine-year-old daughter Lily and the larger kitten Broadway (they came named after fonts) are very similar. They both want me to hold them at all times; they get jealous if I pay too much attention to their sibling. Both have intelligence beyond mine at their age (or at my current age for that matter…), they are empathetic, and affectionate.
My six-year-old son Caleb and the smaller kitten Gothic (again after the font Gothic) have, in some ways, almost identical personalities. Caleb and Gothic are fun, full of energy, incredibly physical, and love to play outside (yes we are the people who walk the cats on leashes… what happened to me…) they follow me everywhere at home and are always eager to be a part of whatever I’m doing. Notice I didn’t say “help”. Neither my cat nor my son wants to be a helper… they want to be a partner in what I’m doing. No matter the job, as long as I’m there and they are with me, they want to be a part of it. In fact, research in social-emotional learning and child development shows children want to help more when they are seen (or see themselves) as a partner, not a helper nor working for a reward, in the family. Children learn and feel that what they do matters and when they’re partnering/helping someone else, which creates a solid foundation for them in how to be in relationship with others.[1]
This is something to treasure, I know it is. It is not, however, something that makes me more efficient… between a six-year-old and/or a four-month-old kitten both wanting to be a part of everything I am doing or working on, it certainly makes everything messier and slows me down…
[1] Peter Grey, “Toddlers Want to Help and We Should Let Them,” Psychology Today, September 25, 2018, accessed January 19, 2026, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-to-learn/201809/toddlers-want-to-help-and-we-should-let-them.
Discuss: Is it good to include my son and/or cat in what I am doing even though it slows me down and makes it messier? Why? What do I gain instead? What do they gain from it besides “more work”?
Jesus first calls two sets of brothers… two by two even, into His mission to help do His work. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Jesus, part of the Godhead, could certainly do the work better and faster without these disciples. The disciples He gathers will question everything He does, won’t listen to some of His teachings, won’t understand them, they will fall asleep on Him, deny Him, even betray Him leading to His crucifixion… I think I’d take the six-year-old and the kitten…
Yet, after facing down the devil, He first goes out and starts to assemble a team of disciples to make His work less efficient and messier. In our contemporary society today, that does not compute. There must be a reason beyond efficiency that God would choose to do something like that… Why?
Philippians 2:1-4 (ESV)
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Discuss: Paul calls for "being in full accord." True unity is rarely "clean" or "efficient." Why is the "mess" of working together more pleasing to God than the "perfection" of working alone?
Continued Discussion: Who is someone you admire/have admired who put “the interests of others” ahead of their own interests? What impact did that have on you or on how you treat others?
In the mission of Jesus Christ we have salvation… yet what is “salvation”? Yes, we are saved from death, granted the gift of eternal life… but it was never with the intent to be alone. We are united with Christ. We are in “full accord” meaning “complete unity in purpose". That mission of salvation was to connect us to God through Christ Jesus and to connect us to one another. That mission of connection wasn’t “clean” nor “efficient”. There were tears, there was blood, there was death. It didn’t just take place over the three years of Jesus ministry, but over thousands since the Fall from the Garden.
We have a tendency to work towards efficiency over connection… and I will confess to you, I feel like that is me more than anyone else at times… Thanks be to God that Jesus isn’t annoyed by kittens and little boys that seemingly get in His way, He instead takes them on as partners in the most important mission of all. To connect the family of God together in His name.
The more I allow my kids to help—even if it’s messy or takes more time—means that we are working together as a team (and yes… I give the cat things to do as well… they’re not so bad after all). There is a newfound sense that we are in this together. Working side by side to clean our home, prepare food and take care of ourselves and each other creates a special bond that further deepens our connection as a family.
Discuss: Verse 3: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.” Is the desire for efficiency and doing it “faster by myself” sometimes a form of “selfish ambition”? How does slowing down to include someone else “count them more significant than yourself”?
Continued Discussion: Verse 4 says to look to the interests of others. How is “sharing your work” with someone by including them as a partner a way to care for their interests?
Here is an idea to “Put the Word into Practice” this week:
Pick a task you usually do alone and invite someone to partner in it this week—even if their involvement might slow you down or make the result less "perfect.". The Goal is to focus on connection over efficiency.
Step 1: Invite: Call, text, yell over to the next room, whatever it may be, find a way to work “shoulder to shoulder”.
Step 2: Partner: Don’t just “boss them around,” work on it together, even if you could do it all by yourself.
Step 3: Count: Remember, “count others more important than yourself”. When you get impatient and feel the urge to take over or "fix" their work… pray… and remember it’s about connection over efficiency.
Matthew 4:23-25
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Look at what the disciples got to be partners in because Jesus shared His mission and work with them… look at all you get to be part of because Jesus cared enough for you to share His life with you. We no longer walk in darkness, but in His great Light of Life. Connect to God and one another through Him…
Now that you’ve got all of eternity ahead of you… what’s so vital about being efficient now? Don’t lose focus on the connection, part of that great mission of Jesus.
Prayer
Are you severe to those around you who are “slow and get in the way”? Pray to value connections to others over efficiency.
Last week, we noticed Jesus prepared first THEN shared His mission. Do you need help in your preparation? Preparing your heart with the love of God? Preparing your schedule to allow yourself to react patiently with others? Pray for that perspective and those resources.
Sharing is Caring as Christ shared His Life with us, who do you need to share your life with? Is there someone on your mind that God wants you to share with? Is there work that you want to be a part of in the lives of others? Pray to value others above yourself, as Jesus does us.
Lord God, we feel like the world is a bullet train going 100 mph and we’re trying to hang on by our fingertips. We get impatient far too easily with others, valuing only efficiency and not connection. Forgive us Lord, please soften our hearts to value others above ourselves. Give us the calm we need to invite others into our work and lives, partnering with them to encourage and build them up. Please give us the humility to partner with others, as you so graciously invited us to partner with you as a member of God’s Family. We pray this all in Your name Jesus. Amen.