23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24Then 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. 25Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
It sounds like Jesus dove right in to His ministry. It seems like He just got baptized, fasted for 40 days, matched wits against the devil, and just arrived in Galilee. He was already teaching, preaching and healing throughout all Galilee. I sometimes wonder how Jesus got around. He taught in their synagogues. Did he go from community to community? If so, how did he travel? On foot? It would take a lot of time to travel from place to place. Today we almost take for granted how much area can be covered in a short while. I got the impression that Galilee was a pretty big place. Still, Jesus went about all Galilee.
I sometimes feel sad for Jesus when I read about all those that were brought to Him to be healed. I thought the biggest part of what He wanted to bring to everyone is the good news He was preaching. Were people taking advantage of His healing abilities? But I have to remember that Jesus is more compassionate than I could ever be. He loves everyone and hates to see anyone afflicted. To have people brought to Him so He can heal them is something He probably appreciated.
Also, even if they were only coming to Jesus to be healed, Jesus still took the opportunity to preach to them in the process. By so many wanting Him to heal them, Jesus was probably able to reach many more people in His teachings than He would have otherwise.
In Matthew 4:12-17 it talks about how Jesus would be a great light to the people of Galilee. But in His work here, His light was shining even farther than Galilee as He ministered to people from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. His light was attracting everyone. A great multitude followed Him. May His light shine on us so we know where to follow too.