Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River. Matthew 4:25
Meditate on following.
Today is George Washington’s
birthday, commemorating his birth in 1732, almost 300 years ago. Did he follow
Jesus’ teachings? According to an AI overview, George Washington was a devout Anglican/Episcopalian
church member who attended regularly. A plaque at his gravesite states a verse from
the Gospel of John.
Jesus
said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live…. John 11:25 KJV
In speeches and writing, Washington
frequently referred to the Bible and “Providence,” which was a common term at
that time for God’s guiding hand.
Matthew wrote that large crowds
followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem,
from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River. People are like
sheep—they just follow the leader, and here we see that Jesus is the leader—the Shepherd. The people are eager to learn more about Jesus, His teaching, and of
course, they want Him to heal them, their family, or friends. Large crowds
followed Him. Were they jostling for a position to be close to Jesus as they
walked from one town to another? Did someone run ahead to tell the next village
that the teacher and healer was coming? Imagine the dust on those roads. Imagine
the elated people freed from their illnesses and diseases. It must have been an
exciting time!
Sheep in Israel.
People are like sheep.
Follow the Shepherd.
Galilee and Judea are regions in
Israel at the time of Jesus, and of course, Jerusalem is the great city of the
Lord, of David, and the spiritual and cultural center of Israel. Jerusalem was
the location of the Temple, making it the home of God on earth. Where are those
Ten Towns? Known as the Decapolis, these Hellenistic or Greek cities are Damascus,
Opoton, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippondion, Pella, Galasa,
and Canatha. They are generally east of the Jordan River. People from these
towns would likely have been Gentiles—not Jews—but they were following Jesus—believing
in the power of His teaching, mercy, and healing. Jesus came to the Jews, but
here already the Gentiles were following Him.
Are you following Jesus?
Prayer – Lord Jesus, I will follow
You…wherever You lead me. Show me the way—for You are the Way, the Truth, and
the Life.
Verse of Salvation ~ Finally,
believers, we ask and admonish you in the Lord Jesus, that you follow the
instruction that you received from us about how you ought to walk and please
God (just as you are actually doing) and that you excel even more and more
[pursuing a life of purpose and living in a way that expresses gratitude to God
for your salvation]. 1
Thessalonians 4:1 AMP
© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture
quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),
Copyright ©2015 by
The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org
The Authorized
Version or King James Version (KJV), 1611, 1769.
Outside of the United Kingdom, the KJV is in the public domain.
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search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
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