Matthew has finished relaying Jesus’s instructions to His twelve disciples on their mission to preach to the towns and villages of Israel that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Jesus also goes out to preach and teach among the lost sheep of Israel in the same way His disciples are doing.
The parallel gospel account of this event is found in Mark 6:6.
Matthew resumes his narrative. First, he indicates that Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples to go throughout the cities of Israel and spread the gospel and news of the approaching Kingdom of Heaven. Next Matthew tells us that when Jesus had finished this, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. Matthew is not entirely clear where exactly the there from which he departed is located. The most likely place was somewhere near the northern shore of Galilee. The towns of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin functioned as a sort of headquarters for Jesus’s ministry. This was where Jesus found and called most of His first disciples and where He performed most of the miracles Matthew had recorded up to this point of his gospel. This was also the last region that Matthew described in his narration of Christ before he focused on Jesus’s instructions to the twelve.
“Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.”
(Matthew 9:35)
This was apparently in the Galilee region. The word depart seems to indicate that this is a new teaching circuit for Jesus. It likely is a part of the same circuit that He just commissioned and instructed the twelve disciples to conduct among the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:4-42). Matthew does not specify how long this preaching tour lasted. It could have lasted a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months.
The phrase their cities would refer to the cities of the “lost sheep of the house of Israel,” as Jesus described in Matthew 10:6. This would be the cities occupied by Jewish people within Israel. Just at the disciples left to travel to these cities to share the gospel of the kingdom, so also Jesus departed to share the gospel of the kingdom.
Biblical Text
11:1 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
Check out our other commentaries:
-
Genesis 13:8-11 meaning
Abram did not want any strife, so he gave Lot the choice of land. Lot chose the land to the east in the valley of...... -
Psalm 139:5-6 meaning
God surrounds David, protecting him. The idea of how this is possible, or why God would do it, is beyond David’s comprehension, but he marvels...... -
Matthew 21:1-7 meaning
Jesus and the disciples pause as they approach the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. Jesus sends two disciples to go retrieve a donkey...... -
Philippians 3:17-21 meaning
Paul tells the Philippians to imitate him, not other believers who are living contrary to Christ by serving their own immediate desires. They live lives...... -
Deuteronomy 14:21 meaning
The Israelites are to refrain from eating anything which dies naturally because they are a holy people to the Suzerain (Ruler) God.......
