Matthew 4:23-25 Jesus Heals the Sick
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
What was the Decapolis in Jesus’ time? The name means “ten cities,” but where was this area located? The Decapolis was a group of ten cities in the eastern Roman Empire, primarily located in the southeastern Levant, which includes parts of modern-day Jordan, Israel, and Syria. The Decapolis was situated east of the Sea of Galilee, with one city, Scythopolis, located west of the Jordan River. It was characterized by a shared Greco-Roman cultural influence amidst predominantly Semitic surroundings. The cities served as a backdrop for the spread of Jesus’ teachings and the early Christian message, highlighting the interaction between Jewish and Gentile populations. The Decapolis was a center of Hellenistic culture in a region which was otherwise populated by Jews, Arab Nabataeans and Arameans. The cities formed a group because of their language, culture, religion, location, and political status, with each functioning as an autonomous city-state dependent on Rome… The Decapolis region is located in modern-day Jordan (Philadelphia, Gerasa, Pella and Gadara), Israel (Scythopolis and Hippos) and Syria (Raphana, Dion, Canatha and Damascus). (Information primarily from Wikipedia)
Why does Matthew mention Jesus’ appeal to the citizens of the ten cities of the Decapolis? Prior to Jesus’ coming, there were some Jews in these ten cities; however, the religions of this area included Greek worship, Roman worship, worship in traditional deities, and any other beliefs that might have come in along with merchants and others. Whichever religions people were practicing there, obviously, they remained spiritually starved. When word spread of a new preacher doing miracles, people flocked to hear Jesus because they had practiced the rituals of their own religions for years without witnessing any improvements, any changes, or any healings or deliverances. People wanted to witness the power of God, and they flocked from their homes to the Galilee to see Jesus.
While many Jewish religious leaders assumed that the Messiah would only come for the Jews and scorned those coming to Jesus, God had different plans. As people gathered wherever Jesus was preaching, they learned about the true Kingdom of God rather than the dry teachings of the scribes and pharisees. Revival was breaking out, whether or not the Jewish religious authorities approved.
Currently, revival is gripping France. According to the website pilgrimdispatch.com, France is undergoing a religious shift that few in its secular establishment saw coming. After decades of marginalizing public expressions of faith through rigid secularism, known as laïcité, a grassroots revival is underway. Evangelical Christianity, especially among African immigrant communities, is surging in both numbers and public visibility. According to the Conseil national des évangéliques de France, a new evangelical church is opening approximately every ten days. The number of self-identified evangelicals now approaches one million. (https://www.pilgrimdispatch.com/new-church-every-ten-days-frances-evangelical-boom-breaks-secular-narrative/)
Sweden is also experiencing revival, particularly among its young people. After decades of constant prayer for revival, Swedish Christians are seeing God move. Church attendance among young people has doubled in four years. In a post on the CBN website dated 9/10/2026, Dale Hurd mentions revivals breaking out in other parts of Europe as well.
SIGNS OF REVIVAL ACROSS EUROPE:
- 60,000 Christians Rally for Jesus in One of the World’s Most Secular Countries
- Thousands ‘Give Their Lives to Jesus’ in Stuttgart as Revival Reaches Germany
- ‘Fire of Revival’ Spreads in Europe as Thousands Pack Stadiums in Hungary and Italy
- 25,000 Flood Streets of Paris to March for Jesus, Many ‘Saved, Healed, Baptized in the Holy Spirit’
Online searches into other countries show a similar pattern in many places, including U.K., where many churches have become mosques. The move in U.K. has been dubbed a “quiet awakening,” for it is happening in diverse places under diverse conditions.
What do all those repenting in these various countries have in common with the citizens of the ancient Decapolis? Those coming into the Kingdom are ethnically diverse, coming from a variety of religious backgrounds, including no religious practices at all. Ethnicity, finances, education, none of these things appears to be a common denominator. The main thing is that these people are starving for real experiences of the Lord God of the Universe, who has power to heal, to drive out demons, and to change lives forever.
Later, Jesus would teach that the new truths of the Kingdom of God required new containers, just as new wine had to be stored in new wine skins that could still stretch. As these new converts come to Jesus, new churches are forming with healings and baptisms in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is still doing new things, and people are coming, just as did the citizens of the Decapolis.
Nobody is beyond the reach of God, and we must remember that we are God’s messengers of love to all those around us. May God help us, so that we will live and pray in such a way that revival will break out around us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we praise You for the revivals that are breaking out throughout the world. Help us to be instruments of Your grace, Your love, and Your peace. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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