Jesus Begins his Teaching and Healing Ministry

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all present examples of this initial ministry. It seems to have started in the late fall and spread over the winter into 31 A.D. His message continued the message of John. Mark and Luke seem the most trustworthy as to the order of events. Matthew gives these examples in a different order for a different purpose. What are we to make of this?

In Matthew 7:29, he says Jesus taught "as one who had authority." To show Jesus had unlimited authority, Matthew selects five examples of areas where Jesus exercised that authority. They are: cleansing (the man with leprosy); physical healing (Peter's mother-in-law); command of the physical creation (quieting of the storm); deliverance (Gennesaret demoniac); and the ultimate authority, forgiveness of sin (paralytic.) His purpose is to show Jesus as the Divine King, not give a chronological order of events. Thus, we follow Mark’s order, which seems the chronological sequence.