Then
the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him. Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, to those who sat in the region and shadow of death, to them light has dawned.” From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:11-17
Matthew 4 [10.] Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
Matthew 4 [11.] Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him. Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
Matthew 4 [15.] “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
toward the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sat in darkness saw a great light,
to those who sat in the region and shadow of death,
to them light has dawned.”
Matthew 4 [17.] From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4 [18.] Walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers: Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
Meaning:
Jesus had resisted every temptation of the devil, answering the last one with the command, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only” (Matthew 4:10). These verses close the wilderness story and open Jesus’ public ministry. He moves to Galilee, Matthew shows that this fulfils Isaiah’s prophecy of light, and Jesus begins to preach. Mark and Luke tell of the same beginning (Mark 1:15; Luke 4:14).
- “Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him”
The devil had to leave when Jesus stood firm on God’s word. Luke adds that he departed only “until another time”, for the conflict would continue (Luke 4:13). Then angels came to serve Jesus, perhaps bringing food after his long fast, as an angel once fed Elijah in the wilderness (1 Kings 19:5-7). Mark also records that “the angels were serving him” (Mark 1:13). Jesus had refused to throw himself down to force angels to rescue him (Matthew 4:5-6); now, in the Father’s own time, angels came freely.
- “when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee”
John the Baptizer had been arrested by Herod Antipas for condemning his unlawful marriage (Mark 6:17-18). The forerunner’s work was ending, so the one he announced stepped forward. Jesus left Nazareth, where he had grown up (Matthew 2:23), and settled in Capernaum, a fishing town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum became the base of his ministry; there he taught in the synagogue and healed many (Mark 1:21).
- “Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness saw a great light”
Matthew quotes Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who lived in the land of the shadow of death, on them the light has shined” (Isaiah 9:1-2). Zebulun and Naphtali were the northern tribal lands around the Sea of Galilee. They were the first to fall to the Assyrian invaders in Isaiah’s time, and Galilee had become a mixed region with many Gentiles, despised by many in Judea. Yet Isaiah promised that this region of gloom would be the first to see God’s light. The same prophecy goes on to announce the child who would be called “Mighty God” and “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus would say, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
- “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
“From that time” marks a turning point in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus’ first message is the same as John’s (Matthew 3:2), but now the King himself is present. To repent is to turn from sin and toward God. The Kingdom is “at hand” because in Jesus God’s rule has drawn near. Mark adds his call to “believe in the Good News” (Mark 1:15).
The Significance of Matthew 4:11-17
- Light for the overlooked
God chose to begin Jesus’ ministry not in Jerusalem but in a region others looked down on. No place is too dark and no people too despised for the light of Christ. Simeon called Jesus “a light for revelation to the nations” (Luke 2:32).
- Victory, then ministry
Jesus began to preach only after overcoming temptation. Faithfulness in private testing prepares us for public service.
- The call still stands
Jesus’ first words of preaching are still his message today: turn to God, for his Kingdom is near. Repentance is not a single moment only but a daily turning toward him.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 9:2: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." The prophecy fulfilled in Galilee.
Mark 1:15: "The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News." Mark’s account of Jesus’ first preaching.
John 8:12: "I am the light of the world." Jesus as the light Isaiah foretold.
Luke 4:14: "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee," Luke’s account of the move to Galilee.
Conclusion: Matthew 4:11-17 tells how the devil left Jesus and angels served him, how Jesus withdrew to Galilee after John’s arrest and made Capernaum his home, and how this fulfilled Isaiah’s promise that the people in darkness in Zebulun and Naphtali would see a great light. From that time Jesus began to preach, “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible