Scott Allen leads today's lesson from Matthew 4:12-25. John the Baptist is arrested, and his ministry nears its intended end as Jesus' forerunner. Now Jesus begins His own ministry. Jesus brings light into predominantly Jewish regions (Roman provinces) far north and east of Jerusalem. His message of repentance is the same as John's, but Jesus can provide more than just ritual water cleansing. Jesus calls His first disciples, whose response demonstrates the cost of discipleship. Jesus uses miracles to show the unprecedented authority and agency of His ministry. Soon all of Galilee is talking about Jesus of Nazareth. We too can see that helping people is a great way to open people's hearts towards our greatest problem: the guilt of our sin and our need for forgiveness.