And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. The summary of Jesus' following anticipates what the gospel will develop: crowds from every direction, from every territory — Galilee, the ten Gentile cities of the Decapolis, Jerusalem and Judea, and Transjordan. The gathering from all these regions corresponds to the Isaiah 9 text Matthew cited: the light that dawned on Galilee of the Gentiles is drawing people from every corner of the Jewish world and beyond. What begins as a walk by the Sea of Galilee and the calling of four fishermen has already produced a following that spans the territory. The kingdom has arrived; the question posed by chapters 5–7 is what kind of community the kingdom creates.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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