JESUS MOVES TO CAPERNAUM

MATTHEW 4:12–17

Jesus left Nazareth and made Capernaum “his own town” (Matt. 9:1). This move to Capernaum was not random but in direct fulfillment of a prophecy given by Isaiah (Matt. 4:13–16). Further investigation reveals two additional benefits of moving to Capernaum: providing a symbol of hope to a region long under Gentile oppression and exposing the Kingdom of God to an international audience.

Seven centuries earlier Isaiah spoke to the Israelites about the current state of their affairs in the Promised Land as well as what they might expect in the future. He announced that while the tribal territories of Zebulun and Naphtali felt the deep pain of the Assyrian invasion, those same territories would personally experience the coming of the Kingdom of God—when Messiah himself, Jesus, would come to Galilee (Isa. 9:1–7). A light would shine into this region so darkened by gloom and distress of Assyrian invasion and Gentile occupation (Luke 2:32; John 8:12).5

Jesus’s move to Capernaum brought hope to a portion of the Promised Land that desperately needed it. The dark soils and darker stones6 of Naphtali pale when compared to the darkness that hung over this region like a thick blanket, for it regularly had felt the pain of invasion and oppression. That dark oppression began when the Assyrians devastated the land during the life of Isaiah (2 Kings 15:29). The darkness continued during the days of Hasmonean rule when, according to 1 Maccabees 5:15, the Jews of this region faced annihilation. Later, when Jewish loyalists were holding out against Herod the Great in the caves near Arbela (above the Valley of the Pigeons, also known as the Arbel Cliffs), west of Capernaum, this region witnessed a daring raid by Herod the Great’s soldiers, who violently wiped out entire families.7

Capernaum (view looking southwest).

Jesus’s home at Capernaum also exposed his message to an international audience. The International Highway that connected the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe passed just outside the city limits of Capernaum. Merchants from throughout the world used this highway to transport their goods from one end of the known world to the other. Along with the olive oil, aromatic spices, and wool, they also delivered the news of the day. Although less speedy than the bytes cascading through the wire and space of today, these merchants constantly broadcasted the salient news of their day. Jesus’s earthly activities were very localized and his teaching and miracles were often witnessed by smaller groups of people. Yet what he did and said was desperately needed for all. His move from Nazareth to Capernaum is nothing less than a move from the shadows into the spotlight. Nazareth was isolated from the world, a place where one’s words were likely destined for anonymity. Capernaum was engaged with the world via the International Highway.8 By living there, Jesus could be assured that what he did and said would be carried far and wide to the larger audience for whom those deeds and words were intended.

Limestone synagogue built over the foundation of the first-century basalt synagogue at Capernaum.

Jesus left Nazareth in the tribal territory of Zebulun and moved to Capernaum for a reason. The distance between these locations is small, but the implications of that move are nothing less than phenomenal. Capernaum is located in the tribal territory of Naphtali, in the Galilee of the Gentiles, and by the way of the sea.9 Matthew directly links this move to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Matt. 4:13–16). Thus Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum in order to fulfill Isaiah 9:1–7. The Promised Land had witnessed many dark and violent days, and out of this darkness the Morning Star (Rev. 22:16) was bringing a new day (2 Pet. 1:16–21). As Isaiah had promised, “The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned” (Matt. 4:16). Jesus’s move to Capernaum was a fulfillment that, as Messiah, he would “reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom . . . with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isa. 9:7).

Jesus moves from Nazareth (in Zebulun) to Capernaum (in Naphtali)

Capernaum “Via Maris” mile marker of Hadrianus (second century AD).