And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Luke 4:42-44
This little episode gives us insight into the core of Jesus’ mission: He was sent to preach good news of the kingdom of God to as many places as He could. That is why He was itinerate. He never settled into one permanent location (although He spent a vast part of His ministry in Galilee). It was vital to His mission to preach the gospel to many towns.
This all occurs in Luke’s gospel before the calling and training of the disciples commences. By the time they start following Jesus, this pattern of moving from village to village, preaching to crowds and teaching in the synagogues was already established by their Master. It would be a pattern they too would learn to follow as the gospel would spread around their world.
By means of gospel preaching, the good news reaches the world and fulfills the purposes of God. Jesus was committed to this practice. His disciples followed in gospel preaching. And today, it is what His church must continue to do in town to town around the world until He returns.
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