LOC 027 Life of Christ:
Arrival in Galilee
Three weeks ago we looked at Jesus on the move from Judea to
Galilee through Samaria. In that message
we saw how all of the gospels converge at this point to show us the Life of the
Lord Jesus Christ from many perspectives.
To review, we looked at:
John, the writer of the Gospel said:
JOH 4:3 He [meaning
Jesus] left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
John doesn’t tell us why.
He tells us simply that Jesus left for Galilee. John is still showing us how Jesus is the one
who knows all men and that he knows there hearts. The first example of this was Nicodemus, the
ruler of the Jews and the next example will be the common Samaritan Harlot at
Jacob’s Well. But we have the entire
Jewish religious establishment squeezed in between them. John is showing the
ministry of Jesus and its effects. Yet
in verse one of John four, he tells us :
Turn look at Luke
3:19-20 specifically. But let’s start at verse 1 for the entire chronology and
context.
LUKE 3:1 Now in the
fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor
of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of
Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 while Annas and
Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias
in the wilderness.
3 And he went into
all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the
remission of sins, :4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the
prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the
way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled And
every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of
God.'"
7 Then he said to the
multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who
warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 "Therefore bear fruits worthy
of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our
father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from
these stones.
9 "And even now
the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
10 So the people
asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"
11 He answered and
said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none;
and he who has food, let him do likewise."
12 Then tax
collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall
we do?"
13 And he said to
them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."
14 Likewise the
soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to
them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with
your wages."
15 Now as the people
were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he
was the Christ or not,
16 John answered,
saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I
is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and
He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His
barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."
18 And with many
other exhortations he preached to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias,
his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 also
added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
New ¶ and retrospective idea 21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus
also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
22 And the Holy
Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from
heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well
pleased."
23 Now Jesus Himself
began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the
son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
Herod was upset with John the Baptist. John told us in 3:24 the
John had not yet been imprisoned. Yet it
appears that he was soon after his exchange with Jesus recorded at the end of
Chapter 3.
Luke does not record the events of Jesus early ministry. He only mentions that Jesus began his
ministry, John tells us some of the details of that early ministry. Concurrent with Jesus’ early ministry and
trip to Galilee, John was thrown into prison.
Let’s look further:
Matthew gives us the clearest statement as to why Jesus went to
Galilee. He wrote:
MAT 4:12 Now when Jesus
heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
In Matthew’s Gospel, this is where the public ministry of Jesus
begins as if it were right after the temptation. Matthew has Jesus going to Galilee because
John was imprisoned.
Mark connects the two also:
MAR 1:14 Now after John
was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is
at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
Mark also makes this the most significant event after the
temptation. Jesus went to Galilee after
John was imprisoned to preach the Gospel.
Luke tells us of Jesus on the move from yet another perspective.
LUK 4:14 Then Jesus
returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out
through all the surrounding region.
Jesus was led by the Spirit to return to Galilee. News of The Lord Jesus Christ went out to all
the surrounding regions. He was getting
known, here still at the beginning of his public ministry.
Jesus and John caused much agitation in Palestine. For it John was thrown into prison. Because of this (and since it was not his
time) Jesus moved back to Galilee. Jesus
was careful to honor his Father and to do his will.
Jesus went to Galilee by way of important ministry in Samaria. It
all fits together so nicely. The eternal
Son of God works within the details of life and his Fathers plans in order to
do all that was given to him to do. One
soul was not insignificant to him. A
despised race was not looked down to by this one who would be despised and
rejected of men himself. He is such a
wonderful savior. It is to this one who
was always about the work given to him by his father, that we as christians are
united to. What a glorious privilege is
ours. We must remember, when he did
these things, he was doing them for us.
His obedience to the Father’s will is what gave his self-sacrifice
super-abounding merit to pay the price of sin.
These works in his life made his death meritorious for us as he covered
our sins and turned away the Father’s wrath.
Even the break with social conventions in Samaria was effectual for all
who would believe.
When we study the life of the Lord Jesus Christ we need to
understand that he did these things for those to whom he ministered then AND
for all who would ever believe. He is an
amazing savior and Lord.
Arrival in Galilee:
He had to go. Humanly
because of the agitation surrounding the imprisonment of John the Baptist and
divinely, because he was compelled by the Spirit to go. These two perspectives always work hand in
hand. What God decrees men find
themselves wanting to do to bring about God’s providential will. Nothing can happen that God has not first
purposed. God uses the wills and nature
of man to accomplish his will at every turn.
It is true, not just in the Life of Christ, but in our lives as well.
Turn to the next three verses in John 4. Verses 43-45 give us John’s summary of Jesus
arrival and perspective upon coming back to his own country.
JOHN 4:43 Now after the
two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself
testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to
Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in
Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.
JOHN 4:43 Now after the
two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.
The two days in verse 43 are the two extra days he spent in
Samaria at the request of those who met him after the profession of the woman
Jesus met at the well. He left Samaria
after those two days in order to go to Galilee.
The text goes on...
44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his
own country.
Why would Jesus go to a place that gave no honor to its prophets,
if indeed his was a prophetic ministry?
This question has perplexed many commentators throughout the years.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. So
there ought not be a question as to whether this is his “COUNTRY” or not. It
certainly is. It is his by birthplace
and ancestry--being a descendant of David, the King. What does this mean?
Jesus is quoting a proverb, a common saying packed with
meaning. What this proverb means is
this: people do not naturally take as special those who are common to them. It
is difficult to teach or to shepherd those who have known you best.
Proverbs like these are generalizations that are true most of the
time. In this case, the ordinary expectation of a Rabbi from Galilee upon
returning to Galilee is that he would not be considered as an important rabbi,
but as a common acquaintance. A prophet
would not receive honor in or among his own country. But, if we read onto verse 45, we see that
what was to be expected naturally, was not necessarily true
supernaturally. It reads....
45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having
seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to
the feast.
Because Jesus quoted the proverb, we need not believe he intended
it to be found true in this particular instance. We find it was anything but true at the
start. He was received or taken in by
those of his homeland. Jesus was an
exception to the rule--the pithy sayings of men, their carnal outlooks, were
not enough to explain the character, ministry, grace and power of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He was so different than
any other.
The Galileans saw what he did at the feast, they were there. Perhaps Jesus was the talk of the trip
home. That would have been quite a trip
if the Galileans took the shore route to avoid Samaria. They took great pleasure in seeing one of
their own rise to a place of prominence and prestige. What they looked at with carnal eyes made
Jesus to be accepted by them. This
period of Jesus’ ministry is usually considered to have lasted 18 months. The longest single section of ministry
located to a specific region (excepting the feasts of course). Jesus was received with honor among the
Galileans. But that does not mean his
ministry was without trouble or confrontation.
There is a mixture of ministry unto restoration and reconciliation as he
healed and taught and a ministry of confrontation with others as they took
offense. Generally speaking, the
Galileans listened and treated the Messiah of God with respect due to him. Respect given to Jesus as one of their own,
when it should have been given to him for what he was.
Turn back to Mark 1:14-15.
Here Mark gives us a summary of Jesus activity in Galilee:
MAR 1:14 Now after John
{The Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of
the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom
of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
A prophet is one who tells forth the words of another, especially
the words of God. Jesus went to Galilee
with one message expressed in a number of ways.
His method was to preach. His
content called the gospel or good news. His message was simply, the time is
here, it is fulfilled, the kingdom of God can be reached out and touched. Because of this REPENT and believe the
Gospel.
Matthew tells us the same thing in 4:17. Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to
preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
It is Luke who gives a little more perspective on the reception
the Lord Jesus Christ received from the hands of his countrymen. Turn to chapter 4: 14-15, He wrote:
LUK 4:14 Then Jesus
returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out
through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being
glorified by all.
In Mark we saw that news of him was well-known because the
Galileans had been in Jerusalem at the feast to see all that Jesus had
done. From Luke we see this news spread
to all the surrounding area. And Luke
gives us more details about the methodology of Jesus--he taught in their
synagogues and was glorified by all.
Jesus was received as a rabbi in his hometown. He went to their
meetings and freely taught them from the Scriptures no doubt. He taught them the true meaning of the Word
of God. What a pleasure it must have
been to hear the Messiah preach about the Father with whom he was intimately
joined in eternal bonds of love and to talk about himself as the
savior/deliverer sent from God.
Here early in his ministry, perhaps only two or three months from
the pronouncement of John the Baptist, Jesus is accepted into mainstream Jewish
life as a prophet with a vital teaching ministry. Luke uses a strong word when he says they
glorified Jesus. John had used the
word time´, tee-may'; Meaning something or someone one of value, or esteem, like money or valuables; something with dignity, honor, or precious, when Jesus
said a prophet is without honor in his own country. Here in Luke 4:15 the word is much
stronger. It is doxazo, dox-ad'-zo; meaning to render
(or esteem) glorious (in a wide application):-(make) glorify (-ious), full of
(have) glory, honor, magnify.
This word is where we get the word doxology--to praise, esteem, or
render glorious in word or song, some aspect of God or his work. The Doxology is well-known: Praise God from
whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below, Praise him above
ye heavenly host, Praise Father Son and
Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Lord Jesus’s ministry in Galilee, at least at the start,
brought about this type of adoration and worship from the people. All preaching ought to point men to praise
some aspect of the work and ways of God. Good theology is doxological
theology. It causes men to stand in awe
of what God has done and who he is. Here
among his own people, Jesus found a greater glory among men that one would
commonly expect to not be rendered. It
points once again to the special character of the Lord Jesus Christ--even among
his own. However, this would soon change.
All who heard him gave praise and glory for what they heard. All of us who hear of him ought to do the
same. These are not the cold hard facts
of the life of God’s Son, these are the things that become effectual for our
life and godliness now and forever. The
character of Jesus is not special to the galileans only, it is for the whole
world allied against God, that they may hear of his grace and believe.
Jesus gave himself to doing what men needed most--to hear the
gospel of the Kingdom, that was near to them.
This is and remains good news.
But, this kingdom, although at hand, is only seen by faith. Jesus said this in chapter 3 when he told
Nicodemus one must be born again to see the kingdom of heaven. It is right hear, but to see where and how
God rules and reigns over men in Christ, one must be born again by the will of
God. God was at work in the region of
Galilee. We will find many who are made
whole and many who believe. But, as the Gospel is preached, we will also find
some who are offended and reject the Gospel and the one whom the gospel
presents.
God grants life and repentance to those who are allowed to see the
Kingdom of God. Do you know of the rule
of God through the Lord Jesus Christ in your own life? Do you find his sustaining power at work that
you might know his rule as king? Are you his subject that yearns to follow his
ways and live in accord with his commands?
Have you had your eyes opened from the natural blindness of this world
to behold him as the who is worthy to be worshipped and followed? Are you a committed soldier in his army? Are you preparing to be his bride?
Or do you join yourself to his cause simply or what you will get
from him. Jesus is special, he is not
like any other. He gave his life and himself that men might live--truly live
with a view to the kingdom of God. Are
you in that Kingdom? Do you desire others
to be?
Does the Lord Jesus Christ bring doxology and praise out of you
when you think of him? Or are you dull
to the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth? These are matters of life and death. They were to the Galileans and the remain so
today.
Christians: is your heart aflame with love for the Lord Jesus
Christ? Do you further the cause of his
kingdom more than your own? What do you
really love first and best?
Repent and follow the commands of the glorious living and loving
savior.
And others who do not have this sight to see where God’s reign
is. I ask you to consider anew the
special character of this messiah sent from God to bring the good news to
men. The message is simple: turn from
your sin and come unto the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you come, he will subdue your heart and work to make you a faithful
subject in his kingdom of light. Don't
reject him, come to the fountain of living water that you might never thirst
again. Ask him to give you that which
sustained himself, a desire to do the Father’s will. Come to this one of grace who brings out of
his own praise and worship. Oh come let
us adore him, Christ the Lord.
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