At the beginning of
his public ministry, Jesus established a base of operations near the Sea of
Galilee at Capernaum, about 40 miles from Nazareth where he had grown up. Matthew
tells us he made this move right after the arrest of John the Baptist, in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
It was near Capernaum
that he called his first disciples, preached the Sermon on the Mount and calmed
the storm. It was from the same region that he sent out the Twelve into the
rest of Israel to proclaim the kingdom of heaven.