Study of Matthew 4:12-15. Can you help with any relevant scriptures or comments ?

Question

Matthew 4:12-15....12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned 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 to the sea, along the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles—

See Matt 14:3 ,Mark 1:14 ,6:7 & Luke 3:20

Matt 14:3 ....Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife

Luke 4:14....Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

Luke 4:31 & John 2:12

John 2:12....After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Jos 19:32... The sixth lot came out for Naphtali, clan by clan:

Isa 9:1... Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan-

Comment

4:12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison. A long period lapses between the temptation and the next event recorded. Matthew does not try to follow the order of events, and he now passes over more than a year. This year had been actively employed. The intervening events are, (1) the return of Jesus from the wilderness to Bethabara, where the first disciples are called (Joh 1:15-37); (2) the return to Galilee and the miracle at Cana (Joh 2:1-11); (3) the first passover of the Lord's ministry in Jerusalem and the temple cleansed (Joh 2:14-25); (4) interview with Nicodemus (Joh 3:1-21); (5) ministry in Judea (Joh 4:3); (6) leaves for Galilee, passes through Samaria, conversation at Sychar (Joh 4:4-42); (7) heals nobleman's son (Joh 4:46-54); (8) a period of retirement in Galilee, John imprisoned (Mt 4:12); (9) attends feast in Jerusalem, miracle at pool of Bethesda (Joh 5:1-47). (10) returns to Galilee, April A.D. 28 We thus see that an interval of more than a year elapsed between the temptation and the imprisonment of John. John was thrown into prison because he rebuked Herod (Mt 14:4 Mr 6:17).

Personal note.

This has nothing to do with Matthew 4:12-15 but i seen an answer on R&S a few weeks ago that said Mary died a virgin. If so what does John 2:12 mean (quoted above).

It my research of Matt 4:12-15 ,I found Isa 9:1 the most interesting , what do you think about Isa 9:1 ?

Do you agree with the comment i quoted , is it right or wrong , why ?

I know it is off subject but do you have any thoughts about John 2:12 & how it is explained if Mary died a virgin ?

Most of Matt 4:12-15 sounds straight forward but have i missed anything important ?

Can you add any relevent scriptures or comments ?

Answer 1

If you look at the Gospel of Mark, the "brothers" of Jesus are named, later, these same individuals are named as the children of another Mary...not Jesus brother.  As has been pointed out, the language use could mean any close relative, not a blood brother.  Then there is, of course, the example of Jesus giving his mother to the care of an apostle...not necessary if she had other children.  Then we have Jude pointing out in his epistle that he's the brother of James who said he was Jesus "brother."  Now had James and Jesus been brothers in the English sense of the word, Jude would have made the same claim in introducing himself in his epistle.  Finally, the idea of Mary's perpetual virginity is one of the oldest traditions in Christianity.  In the end, though, it really doesn't matter all that much.

Answer 2

Interesting points.  Regarding Mary's ever-virgin state:

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/blessed...

The Greek language uses the same word for brother as it does for cousins.  Mary had to be an ever virgin or she would not have fulfilled OT prophecy.  

Answer 3

Jesus would not have recommended his mother go with John at the Crucifixion, had she had another son. (John 19:26.)

Answer 4

John 3.30 "He must increase, but I must decrease."  John the Baptist is talking here.  Remember there is another prophecy about John the Baptist in Malachi 3.1 "  ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚€ÂœBehold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts."

The will of God to John the Baptist is to prepare the way and get out of the way.  Jesus knew that is the will of God for John.  We need to understand all that will happened in the last days is all identical to a Jewish wedding ceremony.  The Bridegroom is Jesus and the Best man is John the Baptist and the bride is the church.  In the Jewish wedding or before then there is an engagement ceremony.  This ceremony includes the breaking of the bread and drinking of wines follows with signing the contracts of the engagement.  The best man will prepare the way for the bridegroom. The bridegroom and his bride will not going to sleep in the same house till they get married.  The bridegroom will prepare a place for his bride and the he will come back to get his wife and will celebrate their wedding ceremony.  Sound familiar?  Yes, that will happened when Jesus return to His bride soon.  

How can Mary kept her virginity when Jesus has a half brothers. Mark 3.32.  Keep in mind that Joseph and Mary slept together after Jesus was born.  Joseph have nothing to do about the pregnancy of Mary.  Only the Catholics teaches that Mary died virgin.  They do not have a concrete evidence for that.  How can a woman gave birth to a child and kept her virginity on that time?  There is no "C" section on that time and all normal birth.  In John 2.12 said that Jesus has brothers too.  The verse did not mention anything about She died virgin.  Out of context.

You need to remember there is a Bible gap or not every single details of the story of the Bible is in sequence.  John said "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen."  John 21.25.  

You did a very good job studying the Word of God.  Just remember every time you study the Word of God DONOT forget to ask God to gives you His wisdom on the one you want to study and He will gives you a revelation for that particular verses.  James 1.5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."  Always ask God first before man.  This is His Word not ours but written to us.  

Answer 5

You alluded to Isa 9:1... In Isaiah’s day, the region is called “Galilee of the nations,” likely because many of its cities are inhabited by non-Israelites. How is this land “treated with contempt”? The pagan Assyrians conquer it, take the Israelites into exile, and resettle the whole region with pagans, who are not descendants of Abraham. Thus the ten-tribe northern kingdom disappears from history as a distinct nation!—2 Kings 17:5, 6, 18, 23, 24.

Judah too is under pressure from the Assyrians. Will it sink into a permanent “obscureness” as did the ten-tribe kingdom represented by Zebulun and Naphtali? No. At a “later time,” God will bring blessings to the region of the southern kingdom of Judah and even to the land formerly ruled by the northern kingdom. How?

The apostle Matthew answers this question in his inspired record of the earthly ministry of Jesus. Describing the early days of that ministry, Matthew says: “After leaving Nazareth, [Jesus] came and took up residence in Capernaum beside the sea in the districts of Zebulun and Naphtali, that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘O land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the nations! the people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and as for those sitting in a region of deathly shadow, light rose upon them.’”—Matthew 4:13-16.

“The later time” foretold by Isaiah is the time of Christ’s earthly ministry. Most of Jesus’ earthly life was spent in Galilee. It was in the district of Galilee that he began his ministry and started to announce: “The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” (Matthew 4:17) In Galilee, he delivered his famous Sermon on the Mount, chose his apostles, performed his first miracle, and appeared to some 500 followers after his resurrection. In this way Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy by honoring “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.” Of course, Jesus did not restrict his ministry to the people of Galilee. By preaching the good news throughout the land, Jesus ‘caused to be honored’ the entire nation of Israel, including Judah.

On the subject of Mary:

Matt. 13:53-56, JB: “When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district; and, coming to his home town, he taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers [Greek, a·del·phoi′] James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? His sisters [Greek, a·del·phai′], too, are they not all here with us?’” (On the basis of this text, would you conclude that Jesus was Mary’s only child or that she had other sons as well as daughters?)

The New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967, Vol. IX, p. 337) admits regarding the Greek words a·del·phoi′ and a·del·phai′, used at Matthew 13:55, 56, that these “have the meaning of full blood brother and sister in the Greek-speaking world of the Evangelist’s time and would naturally be taken by his Greek reader in this sense. Toward the end of the 4th century (c. 380) Helvidius in a work now lost pressed this fact in order to attribute to Mary other children besides Jesus so as to make her a model for mothers of larger families. St. Jerome, motivated by the Church’s traditional faith in Mary’s perpetual virginity, wrote a tract against Helvidius (A.D. 383) in which he developed an explanation . . . that is still in vogue among Catholic scholars.”

Answer 6

Mary couldn't have died a virgin. How then was James born?

Answer 7

Matthew included what he thought was most important as did Mark, Luke And John To answer your question about John2:12 Mary was not a virgin when she died but she was when she gave birth to Jesus