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12 (A)When he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,(B) 14 that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,(C)
    the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles,
16 the people who sit in darkness
    have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
    light has arisen.”(D)

17 [a]From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,(E) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The Call of the First Disciples.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 4:17 At the beginning of his preaching Jesus takes up the words of John the Baptist (Mt 3:2) although with a different meaning; in his ministry the kingdom of heaven has already begun to be present (Mt 12:28).
  2. 4:18–22 The call of the first disciples promises them a share in Jesus’ work and entails abandonment of family and former way of life. Three of the four, Simon, James, and John, are distinguished among the disciples by a closer relation with Jesus (Mt 17:1; 26:37).

IV. The Ministry in Galilee

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry. 14 (A)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread[a] throughout the whole region.(B) 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

The Rejection at Nazareth.[b](C)

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Footnotes

  1. 4:14 News of him spread: a Lucan theme; see Lk 4:37; 5:15; 7:17.
  2. 4:16–30 Luke has transposed to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry an incident from his Marcan source, which situated it near the end of the Galilean ministry (Mk 6:1–6a). In doing so, Luke turns the initial admiration (Lk 4:22) and subsequent rejection of Jesus (Lk 4:28–29) into a foreshadowing of the whole future ministry of Jesus. Moreover, the rejection of Jesus in his own hometown hints at the greater rejection of him by Israel (Acts 13:46).