When we learn about Jesus, we are learning about God. That is a core premise of our current series, "Revealing the Real Jesus." We aren’t trying to force Jesus into a theological box; we are simply observing Him. We are watching where He goes, who He talks to, and how He acts. And when we watch Jesus in Matthew 4, we find that God is often quite different from what we imagine.

We tend to think of God as distant, polished, or only interested in our "Sunday best." But if we look closely at how Jesus launches his public ministry, we see a God who prefers the gritty reality of a working wharf to the polished marble of a palace.

The Strategic Move to a Place of Darkness

It starts with a move. When John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus leaves his hometown of Nazareth. But he doesn't go where you would expect.

If you were launching a world-changing movement in first-century Galilee, you had two logical options. You could go to Sepphoris, the Roman "Jewel of Galilee," just four miles from Nazareth. It was beautiful, wealthy, and sophisticated. Or you could go to Tiberias (10 miles North of Capernaum), the new capital city of the region built by Herod Antipas. That was the seat of political power.

Jesus ignores them both.

Instead, he moves to Capernaum. To understand what this reveals about Jesus, you have to understand Capernaum. It wasn't a capital city; it was a border town. It was gritty, loud, and industrial. It sat right on the "Via Maris"—the international highway connecting Egypt to Damascus. It had a customs house for taxing trade and a Roman garrison. The air smelled of fish and basalt dust from the local millstone quarries. It was a melting pot where you would hear a dozen languages spoken in the marketplace.

Matthew tells us this fulfilled an ancient prophecy from Isaiah: "The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light." The region was known as "Galilee of the Gentiles." It was looked down upon by the religious elite in Jerusalem as a place of spiritual darkness.

And that is exactly where Jesus set up his headquarters.

This tells us something profound about God: He isn't afraid of the dark. We often feel like we need to clean ourselves up before we can approach God. We think we need to hide the dark, gritty, or profanity-laden parts of our lives. But Jesus moves directly into the darkness to bring the light. He wants access to those hidden parts of our soul, not to shame us, but to bring the dawn of healing and peace.

The Reversal of the System

Once Jesus settles in Capernaum, he needs a team.

In the first century, the Jewish education system was rigorous. It started with Bet Sefer (House of the Book), where every boy aged 6 to 10 learned to read and memorized the Torah (the first five books of the Bible).

At age 10, the first cut happened. Only the gifted students moved on to Bet Talmud (House of Learning) to memorize the rest of the Scriptures and the Oral Law. The rest were sent home to learn the family trade.

At age 14, the final cut happened. The absolute elite moved on to Bet Midrash (House of Study). But here was the catch: you had to find a Rabbi and beg him to accept you. If you were brilliant enough, you might be allowed to follow him.

So, where does Jesus find his disciples? He doesn't go to the religious schools. He goes to the wharf. 

He finds Peter and Andrew casting nets. He finds James and John mending nets. These were men "at work." They likely hadn't gone through advanced religious training because lacked either interest or ability or both.

Jesus completely flips the script. Instead of students begging a Rabbi to accept them, the Rabbi goes to the workers and chooses them. He ignores the resume and looks for availability. He says, "Follow me," and he builds his Kingdom on the backs of fishermen, not scholars.

The Proof of the Kingdom

Then Jesus begins to preach a simple message: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

He uses a specific word for "Good News" — euangelion. In that day, this wasn't a religious word; it was a political one. When Rome won a battle, heralds would stand in the market and shout, "Euangelion! (Good News!) Caesar has brought peace! Caesar is Lord!"

Jesus steals Caesar's language. He announces a regime change. He declares that the true Government of God has landed.

But anyone can claim to be a king. Jesus brings the fulfilled prophecy and the power. Matthew tells us he went throughout Galilee healing "every disease and every affliction" — pain, seizures, paralysis.

This wasn't just compassion; it was evidence. Hundreds of years earlier, the prophet Isaiah wrote that when God’s King arrived, "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer."

Later in the story, when John the Baptist is sitting in prison, he begins to doubt. He sends his friends to ask Jesus, "Are you really the one?" Jesus doesn't get angry at the doubt. He doesn't offer a philosophical argument. He simply points to the evidence: "Go and tell John what you hear and see... the blind receive their sight and the lame walk."

The miracles were the validation that the King had arrived.

A God Without Borders

As news of this Jesus spread, crowds began to arrive from everywhere. Matthew lists the locations: Syria (the enemy to the North), the Decapolis (the pagan cities to the East), and Jerusalem (the religious center to the South).

Jesus obliterated the boundaries. He drew the Roman sympathizer and the strict Pharisee into the same space. He didn't check their passports or their religious credentials. If they came to Him, they were welcomed.

So, who is this God we are observing?

He is a God who moves into the dark places rather than waiting for them to get light. He is a God who chooses the willing worker over the qualified elite. And He is a God who welcomes anyone—from any nation or background—who wants to be part of His Kingdom.

That is the Real Jesus. And that is the God who calls you today.