Setting the Stage The months after Cana carried Yeshua back to Galilee, under the watchful rule of Herod Antipas. The Sea of Galilee bustled with fishermen mending their nets, Roman toll booths lined the trade routes, and synagogues filled each Sabbath with Scripture readings. The Gospels condense these days quickly, but step by step, the Teacher was gathering followers, healing the sick, and revealing the Kingdom foretold by the prophets. ⸻ By the lakeshore, He called ordinary men into extraordinary lives. To James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and to Levi the tax collector, His summons was the same: “Follow Me” (Mark 1:17; 2:14 NKJV). They left boats, nets, even coin tables behind. Isaiah had once promised that those who sat in darkness would see a great light (Isaiah 9:2). That light now walked among them. Crowds pressed in from every village. Mothers carried fevered children. Friends lowered the paralyzed through rooftops. To the outcast leper, Yeshua stretched out His hand: “I am willing; be cleansed” (Mark 1:41 NKJV). To a man whose sins weighed heavier than his sickness: “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5 NKJV). The religious leaders gasped at such authority, but the people glorified God. Then Yeshua climbed a hillside overlooking the sea. They gathered around Him, fishermen and farmers, women and children, Roman soldiers listening at the edges. He sat, as teachers did, and opened His mouth: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:3–4 NKJV). Every word carried the weight of promise and prophecy. Isaiah had spoken of the One anointed to bring good news to the poor and bind up the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1). On that mountain, under the wide Galilean sky, the Servant of the LORD was doing exactly that. ✝️ CONTINUED IN COMMENTS ⬇️⬇️⬇️ #Bible #God #Jesus #BibleStudy #Help #Christian #Christ #BooksoftheBible