The Three Works of Jesus (Matthew 4:12–25)

[Stephan Choe]

January 23, 2026

Key Verse 17: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

In the Bible, the number three often symbolizes perfection. During his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ proclaimed the gospel, called disciples, and healed the sick. These were his three works.

Today, we want to learn more about the three works of Christ. If we want to become good disciples of him, we must understand and do these three works.

May God help us to become good disciples of Jesus.

First: The Proclamation of the Gospel (12–17)

The first work of Jesus is the proclamation of the gospel. Jesus began preaching in Galilee after learning that John the Baptist was in prison (12).

He proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” (17)

That was his first sermon.

After the death of Herod the Great, who was responsible for the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem in 4 BC, his kingdom was divided among his sons.

Herod Archelaus, his eldest son from his fourth marriage, became sub-king (literally "rule of the four") of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. However, he was deposed by the Romans in 6 AD because of his brutal treatment of the Jews. His territory was then directly administered by a Roman governor. Thus, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and Samaria at the time of Jesus Christ.

Herod Antipas, the second son of Herod the Great from his fourth marriage, became sub-king of Galilee and Perea. He fell in love with Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Herod Boethus, who was married to his father's second wife. Therefore, Herod Antipas divorced his first wife to marry his sister-in-law. Herodias left her husband and married Herod Antipas. This double adultery aroused great resentment among the Jews.

John the Baptist began preaching in 28 AD. He called Herod Antipas to repent in order to save his soul. Herod Antipas faced a choice: either repent himself or let John speak. He chose the latter and had John imprisoned. It seemed as if sin had triumphed over the world, but this was only an illusion.

In the darkest hour of the night, one knows that morning will break in just a few hours. Although the world lay in deep darkness because of the sin of Herod Antipas, it did not have to wait long for the light of Christ.

When Jesus Christ learned of the Baptist's arrest, he knew that God's time had come. He left his hometown of Nazareth, moved to Capernaum, and began his ministry as the Messiah.

Nazareth and Capernaum (https://share.google/HbJVgpkx1GmastjDz)

There, the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the land by the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light; on those who sat in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned” (19–20; cf. Isaiah 8:23; 9:1).

According to this prophecy, Jesus is a great light and the light of life. There are different kinds of light in the world. There is technological light; technological development has given us a civilized world. There is also political light; the democratic system has made a just world possible. Economic growth has brought us a prosperous society. Medical advances have increased our life expectancy. Soon, it will be a reality that many people will live to be over 100 years old. All these developments have brought some light into the darkness. Unfortunately, they cannot give us eternal life or the true meaning of life. Despite improved living conditions, most people still experience a sense of meaninglessness. In Korea, the suicide rate has risen dramatically despite economic development because many Koreans cannot find meaning in life.

Where can we find eternal life and true meaning in life? We must ask God, who created us and gave us life. He can solve our problem of sin and give us eternal life and meaning in life. He sent Jesus Christ, the true light of humanity, to do this.

But first, we must recognize and solve our fundamental problem in order to find eternal and meaningful life. Sin and death are our fundamental problem: Faced with the reality of death, we fall into meaninglessness, and death is the wages of our sin.

Jesus offers us the solution to our fundamental problem by saying to us, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (17).

We were helpless in the face of the reality of death and felt our lives were meaningless. Our death is the consequence of our sin. But God loved us and sent Jesus Christ to forgive our sins, to redeem us from the power of death, and to give us a full, eternal life. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can receive forgiveness of sins and eternal life and rejoice in a full, eternal life. To do this, we must repent and believe in Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ took all our guilt upon himself, died on the cross, and rose from the dead.

When we confess our sins and believe in Jesus' sacrificial death for our sins, we receive eternal life, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the true meaning of life. We have then finally overcome the power of death and all darkness and can enjoy a full, eternal life.

Therefore, we should gratefully accept eternal life in Jesus Christ and truly enjoy this full, eternal life. Because Jesus now reigns over us as King, sin, death, and the devil no longer have power over us. The wonderful light shines upon us so that we may live in eternal joy. We now know what we are meant to live for and what our purpose is. We live for God and for His glory. He loved us so much that He gave His Son for us. Gratitude to God truly makes us happy and gives meaning to our lives. We are also called to live for the good of others. Just as the moon reflects sunlight, so we are to reflect the light of Christ and spread the good news of Jesus Christ so that others, too, may believe in Jesus Christ and live happily. We are to proclaim, as Jesus did: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

For in Revelation 3:20, Jesus says to all people:

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Second: Discipleship (18–22)

Jesus' second ministry consisted of discipleship training. Jesus wanted to redeem as many people as possible from the power of sin and lead them into the Kingdom of Heaven. To this end, he wanted to train disciples.

He traveled from Nazareth to Capernaum (13), walked along the Sea of ​​Galilee, and saw two brothers named Simon Peter and Andrew casting their nets. The two were simple fishermen. Because of their poverty, they had not attended school. They had no grand dreams for the future. Perhaps their greatest dream was to catch many fish so they could buy a bigger boat.

Jesus said to the two, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (19)

With these words, Jesus gave them a living dream. Until then, the two had only had a “dead” dream, namely, to catch many fish and sell them to earn money. From now on, however, they would have a “living” dream. They were to become fishers of men, saving people from death and leading them to eternal, blessed life. To do this, they were to follow Jesus to get to know him and his work. Through him, they were to discover God, his love, and his power. In this way, they could experience God's kingdom and his plan and become credible witnesses of Jesus. This process is called discipleship. Jesus invited the two to become his disciples.

Shortly after calling Peter and Andrew, Jesus met two other men, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were mending their nets with their father. Jesus also called the two brothers. Immediately, they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Christ intended to proclaim the gospel to all people in the world. He had a plan for this. He called some people and trained them to be his disciples. They were to get to know him and his work of salvation well and continue his work of redemption. But he didn't call prominent or wealthy people, but ordinary people like Simon Peter. This teaches us that human abilities are not the deciding factor in becoming a disciple of Jesus. For a disciple of Jesus is not meant to testify to their own strength, but to Jesus Christ and his power. In this way, ordinary people can become good disciples of Christ. These few disciples, in turn, trained other disciples of Jesus. These other disciples spread the gospel throughout the world.

Many people follow someone like an idol. Sooner or later, they are disappointed by their idol, for their idol is merely a flawed human being. But those who follow Jesus Christ are never disappointed, for he is the Son of God and the Christ. He even died for us on the cross and rose from the dead. We are to come to know Jesus Christ well and grow as his disciples. And we are also to train the disciples of Jesus and continue the work of Christ. This is the will of God in Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19a).

Third: The Healing (23–25)

The third work of Jesus Christ is the healing of the sick.

Let's look at verses 23–25: “And Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God and healing every disease and infirmity among the people. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan followed him.”

Jesus Christ has great compassion for the sick, for he understands their pain and sorrow. He healed them.

We can come to Jesus with all our problems and worries and ask him for help. He has a heart for our problems and is happy to help us.

We should praise Jesus Christ, who knows our pain and sickness and is happy to help us.

We should also do something to help the sick and needy. That is the heart of Jesus.

Jesus Christ has great compassion for the sick, for he understands their pain and sorrow and is happy to help us. Jesus Christ – The Threefold Ministry of Christ

Jesus proclaims the Gospel, instructs his disciples, and heals the sick. These are the three ministries of Christ. His goal is to lead people to faith in the Gospel and make them his disciples. Through this, as many people as possible are invited into the Kingdom of Heaven.

We should hear the Good News with joy: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!”

We should repent and believe the Gospel.

We should become good disciples of Jesus so that we can credibly share the Good News.

We should also heal people of their illnesses whenever we can.

May God work through us.