What does Matthew 4:25 mean?

Jesus' teaching about the coming kingdom of heaven and His miraculous healings of every kind of disease and affliction quickly made Him famous. He remained in Galilee, but large crowds came to Him from all over the map. Matthew mentioned Syria to the north in the previous verse. Now he adds other regions. The Decapolis, or "ten cities," was a Roman and Gentile region south and east of the Sea of Galilee. Crowds came from Jerusalem and the region of Judea, but also from "beyond the Jordan." This phrase usually referred to the territory east of the Jordan River.

Matthew's statement that the crowds followed Him does not mean that all those people became committed disciples of Jesus. It simply means they literally followed Him from place to place. Their intent was to see the miracles He performed and to hear His teaching. Those who did so had the opportunity to hear the greatest sermon ever given, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–2).