As Jesus Walked: Christ Revealed in the Synoptic Gospels, #6 - Jesus in Galilee

  (This post is part of a series. For previous posts in the series please see #1, #2, #3, #4, #5)

As we proceed on the timeline of Jesus' life, the period between Jesus' baptism and His public ministry included not only His temptation, but another significant event: The arrest of his cousin John the Baptist. John himself knew that Jesus' public presence would mean the end of his own ministry - "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30 NASB95). Our journey with Jesus through the Synoptic Gospels begins with Jesus' response, one many of us can relate to in times of family tragedy - He went home.

Jesus in Galilee and Nazareth

(12) Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; (13) and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. (14) [This was] to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: (15) "THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES-- (16) "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED." (17) From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:12-17 NASB95)

(14) Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, (15) and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 NASB95)

(19) But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, (20) Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison. (Luke 3:19-20 NASB95)

(14) And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. (15) And He [began] teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. (16) And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. (17) And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, (18) "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, (19) TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." (20) And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. (21) And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (22) And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" (23) And He said to them, "No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.'" (24) And He said, "Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. (25) "But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; (26) and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, [in the land] of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. (27) "And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." (28) And all [the people] in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; (29) and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. (30) But passing through their midst, He went His way. (Luke 4:14-30 NASB95) 

Jesus' public ministry began in the region of Galilee. Two cities are mentioned - Capernaum, a coastal town, and Nazareth, his hometown about 60 miles inland. Nazareth's reputation definitely preceded it - the apostle Nathanael captured the sentiment well when he asked, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:45-46). Nazareth was a small, poor town, not thought much of even within the Jewish community. Capernaum, by contrast, was a well-known and prosperous trading port - and the home of five of the men Jesus would ultimately call to be apostles. 

Piecing together the timeline from these passages and stories in John not covered in this Synoptic study, we see that Jesus initially traveled back and forth between these towns, and word spread about His message and ministry. While it is important to note this, our focus will be on the passages in the Synoptic gospels listed above. 

Jesus came first with a message - "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). Mark likes to boil things down to the basics, so it is possible that Jesus' message was more detailed, but Mark includes the most significant "need-to-knows": 

• "The time is fulfilled" - What "time"? The word here is kairos, a Greek word meaning season or period of time as opposed to an exact time. If I ask you "what time is it?", you might say, "10:30". But if I say, "It's time" you would rightly want to know, "Time for what?" Just as there is a "time" for each season of the year, or each season of life, there was also a "time" that had arrived, or been fulfilled. What time would that be? Jesus tells us Himself in the next phrase.
• "The kingdom of God is at hand" - God's kingdom - His rule and authority - is now "at hand". The phrase can also be translated, "has been brought near." The time that had arrived was the time for the kingdom of God to be brought near - for God to be present and in authority. 
• "Repent" - The next phrase seems surprising in light of an announcement of God's authority and presence. To Jews living under Roman rule, a logical command from someone claiming the kingdom of God was present might have been, "Take up your swords and let's go show those Romans there's a new sheriff in town." Instead, the first command to humans that we see recorded from Jesus' lips is simply, "Repent." What is repentance, and why is it so important that Jesus made this His first command to people? "Repentance" was a well-known concept in Judaism. Israel's historians, poets, and prophets had all referred to repentance in the Old Testament writings. At its core, repentance is a turning from sin combined with a turning toward God. Have you ever walked out of your house, felt the air too cold or the weather too dangerous, and then turned around and went back inside? Spiritually speaking, that is what repentance is. In asking them to respond to the news of the kingdom of God by repenting, Jesus is asking them to "turn around" and begin living in a way that is consistent with life in God's presence.
• "Believe in the Gospel" - Finally, Jesus' first message asked them to put their faith, their trust, their confidence in something called "the Gospel". While we do see this fleshed out more fully in the Epistles as believing in Jesus' atoning death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, at this point Jesus hasn't died. So, what is the "good news" (the meaning of Gospel) which He wants them to believe? In his powerful book, God is the Gospel, John Piper puts it this way:

Those last words define one foundational part of the good news that Isaiah foretells. “Your God reigns.” God’s sovereign rule is essential to the gospel. Isaiah foresaw the day when God’s sovereign rule over all things would break into this world in a more open way and bring great blessing to the people of God. So when the promised Messiah came into the world, this is the primary way he spoke the gospel. “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14). In other words, the reign of God has broken into this world to set things right for the sake of his people; therefore repent and believe this good news. In fact, if you do, you are part of his people. In a world so full of brokenness and sin, there simply can be no good news if God does not break in with kingly authority. If God does not come with sovereign rights as King of the universe, there will be only hopelessness in this world. (God is the Gospel, p. 27, emphasis mine).

Jesus next speaks in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30 above). He had healed a centurion's son who was in Capernaum with just a word while in Cana (John 4:43-54) and this became part of the curiosity that people had around Him. "What do you think He will do next? Will that happen here?" they may very well have asked. With Nazareth being His hometown, there may have even been a sense of expecting special favor - after all, He's the "hometown boy" everyone is talking about. We might expect Jesus to walk into Nazareth with words of encouragement, telling them that something very good had indeed come out of Nazareth, and they should hold their heads up high as the hometown of the Messiah. As you can imagine, we would be quite wrong. 

Jesus instead directly challenges them with a reading from Isaiah (which would have been selected for Him) and a direct claim to be the fulfillment of the passage. Their unbelief is palpable; every small town-raised man or woman can hear the derision in the question, "Is this not Joseph's son"? (And there was probably sarcasm as well, as some present would have remembered Mary's scandalous pregnancy while engaged to righteous Joseph.) Rather than believe, they mocked. Jesus doesn't back down. He goes deeper into the text by way of two examples: The widow to whom God sent Elijah, and a leper named Naaman who was healed. In both cases, He pointedly calls out their status as non-Israelites; the widow was "of Sidon" and Naaman was "the Syrian." The reaction of the people was swift and shockingly threatening: They wanted to throw Him off the cliff!

Why did Jesus start His ministry with such a confrontational message? There are many theories, but to me the simplest is to connect this story with His overall message simplified by Mark: The message of Good News that God has reached into our world with His presence and His authority is not restricted to one group of people. This truth is made more explicit by Matthew's inclusion of Jesus settling in Capernaum after this episode as a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-7 - a promise that goes on to include the prophecy Jesus had already fulfilled, as a "child born to us". The Servant who brings the Gospel and sets people free also brings Light to the Gentiles - to all nations, not just Israel, and for all people, not just Nazarenes. Jesus' kingdom is for all who will repent and believe.

Lessons Learned

As noted in the previous posts,  I am seeking to frame my lessons learned, the "what does it mean for me" around four questions to help my theology meet my reality: 

• What does this story teach me about Jesus and the life He gives? (1 John 1:1-2)
• How does this story about Jesus reveal God to me? (Hebrews 1:1-3)
• What does this story teach me about walking as Jesus walked, being conformed to His image? (2 Cor 3:18; 1 John 2:6)
• How does this story increase my fellowship with God and others? (1 John 1:3-4) 

What does this story teach me about Jesus and the life He gives? 

First, let's not lose sight of the fact that Jesus withdrew when John was arrested. He didn't take it lightly, with platitudes about suffering. He cared enough to be concerned and to "go home", as we noted above. 

Second, Jesus wasn't focused on gaining a following before speaking uncomfortable truths. While we can be sure His message was full of love (because God is love) He didn't shrink back from proclaiming what Scripture makes abundantly clear. 

How does this story about Jesus reveal God to me? 

God has always had a heart for the Gentiles (the non-Jewish nations), as His promise to Isaiah makes clear. Jesus' message wasn't a new one; it simply revealed what the Jewish Scriptures had been saying all along.

What does this story teach me about walking as Jesus walked, being conformed to His image? 

If I truly want to be conformed to His image, I have to be focused on His priority: the Gospel, specifically the Gospel for all nations. This amazing message of His kingdom and authority is not just for Jews or Nazarenes or Americans - it is for everyone. 

Secondly, I have to be bold where truth is clear, not focusing on pleasing people but on pleasing God. Now, I'm not talking about opinions or areas of genuine differences that are still within the limits of Scripture. And I'm certainly not talking about using the Bible as a club to beat people with. Jesus didn't do any of that. He didn't weigh in on the political issues of the day except when He used them to turn people toward eternal truths. And He always spoke truth in love, because He is love.

How does this story increase my fellowship with God and others? 

Relationships matter. Invest in them and let God build them. Again I am drawn to Jesus going home when John was arrested. While some see this solely as an incident that indicated the time had arrived to begin His public ministry, I see it as more. Jesus cared about His cousin and family at a difficult time. He went home. 

At the same time, His experience in His hometown teaches me that fellowship requires unity and takes two sides, not just one. Those who were angry at Him didn't desire fellowship. Sometimes we fight for unity and fellowship and still have to acknowledge that the other person doesn't have the same desire. That's ok. Keep loving, and follow Paul's admonition to be at peace "at much as it depends on you" (Romans 12:18).