Mk. 1:35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed.
Lk, 4:42a Now when it was day, He departed into a deserted place.
Mk. 1:36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.
Lk, 4:42b And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them;
Mk. 1:37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
Mk. 1:38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
Lk. 4:43 But He said to them, “I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
The preaching of Yeshua fulfilled the function of an Old Testament prophet. Keep in mind that He holds three offices eternally: Prophet, Priest, and King. But, He does not function in all three offices simultaneously. During the three and one half years of His earthly ministry He functioned in His office as Prophet. In the course of the last week there was a transition from the office of Prophet to the office of High Priest. He continues to function in that office today in Heaven. At His second coming, He will function as King of Kings.
Mt. 4:23 Now Yeshua went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of disease among the people.
Mk. 1:39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.
Lk. 4:44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
What was the “Kingdom” that Yochanan haMatbil and Yeshua were talking about? The Gospel of the Kingdom was that “God rules and reigns in the hearts of men. But further, God empowers men to be His instruments to do His will here in this world.” In the preaching of the Gospel there was a dynamic force in which one proclaimed the Kingdom and laid their hands on the sick so they would recover. They would then see the Kingdom had come upon them. God had penetrated this space/time continuum in which we live and met man at the point of his need and something happened – he was made whole. In other words, he had received God’s salvation.
Mt. 4:24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
Man didn’t learn how to get to go to Heaven. Yeshua wasn’t really interested in that. That may seem strange, but Yeshua’s teaching focused on our relationship with our fellow man here on this earth. Believing on Him and becoming a member of His Kingdom Movement was an automatic ticket to the “world to come” (Olam haBah). What the people needed right now was for their needs to be met. When the Gospel of the kingdom was preached, that was exactly what happened.
Mt. 4:25 And great multitudes followed Him from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
As a result of this preaching tour He attracts great attention. These verses are also evidence of the common people’s acceptance of His Messiahship. Never before, nor ever again, would any rabbi have this type of effect upon the common people of Israel. The Am haEretz (people of the land) overwhelmingly accepted Him time and time again. The term “am haEEretz” denotes a person ignorant of Jewish Law and custom. Originally, it was used as a collective noun signifying “the people of the land” or masses of people. In Talmudic literature, the name am haEretz is descriptive of Jews who, in Temple times, were ignorant of the traditional Law and failed to observe the rules of cleanness, and did not adhere to the strict regulations in regards to tithes - separations.
These were mainly of the peasantry, insufficiently acquainted with Jewish lore, or unwilling to recognize the authority of the rabbinic sages. They could not be trusted in matters of ritual purity and tithing; hence, groups were formed by religious leaders of men who were scrupulous in observing the Laws about which there was much laxity. The members of such groups were referred to as Haverim, in contrast to “Am haEretz.”
Sources: Genesis 23:13; 42:6; Exodus 5:5; II Kings 23:35; 24:14; 25:19
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