Day 4 – September 10, 2026 – Matthew 4

This chapter is divided into two fairly consequential events in Jesus’ life. Right after he was announced to the world in his baptism he is taken away into the desert where he goes for 40 days and 40 nights. That sequence of 40 should ring familiar especially for the Old Testament where Moses and the Israelites wandered for 40 years. Noah and his family were on the boat as it rained for 40 days. Elijah, in a very similar fashion to Jesus, fasts for 40 days and then the angels come and give him food. This fasting and removing himself from people was all done in preparation for the beginning of his ministry. Going away and fasting and preparing yourself for what comes next is never a bad idea.

It is important to see that it is also in this chapter where we find out what Jesus’ home town was as an adult. It isn’t Nazareth, from where he grew up, it isn’t Bethlehem, where he was born, but rather you can see in verse 13 that he made Capernaum his home town. It is right along the Sea of Galilee.

Then Jesus calls some of his disciples, not all of them. We find this as the call of the fishermen where Peter and Andrew and James and John are called to follow Jesus so that they would one day become fishers of people. They dropped their nets and followed him. This is before we read about any miracles or anything that happens that would make one think that Jesus was a followable person. The miracles happen at the end of the chapter and he fills out his disciple cadre later on.