§ 36. THE ARRIVAL OF JESUS IN GALILEE
John 4:43-45
43 And after the two days he went forth from thence into Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country [see [Luke 4:24]; [Mark 6:4]; [Matt. 13:57]]. 45 So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
PART VII
THE GREAT GALILEAN MINISTRY
Probablya Autumn of A.D. 27 to Spring of 29
(Apparently about a year and a half)
§§ 37-71. Great fulness of detail in Mark for this period and condensed report in Luke while Matthew is chiefly topical in this portion. Mark's Gospel plunges at once into the Great Galilean Ministry (cf. Peter's summary of Christ's life in Acts 10:36-43 to the household of Cornelius). The mass of material makes clear grouping difficult, but there is progressb in the development of events.
| 1. | The Rejection at Nazareth and the New Home in Capernaum, §§ 37-43. |
| 2. | The First Tour of Galilee with the Four Fishermen and the Call of Matthew (Levi) on the Return with the Growing Fame of Jesus, §§ 44-48. |
| 3. | The Sabbath Controversy in Jerusalem and in Galilee, §§ 49-51. |
| 4. | The Choice of the Twelve and the Sermon on the Mount, §§ 52-54. |
| 5. | The Spread of Christ's Influence and the Inquiry from John in Prison, §§ 55-59. |
| 6. | The Second Tour of Galilee (now with the Twelve) and the Intense Hostility of the Pharisees, §§ 60-63. |
| 7. | The First Great Group of Parables with the Visit to Gerasa (Khersa) and to Nazareth (final one), §§ 64-69. |
| 8. | The Third Tour of Galilee (Following the Twelve) and the Effect on Herod Antipas, §§ 70-71. |
a We cannot confidently determine the length of the ministry in Galilee. We are not sure whether it began in summer or late autumn (see [footnote 7] in Explanatory Notes at end of Harmony). If the feast of [John 5:1] was a passover or there is an unknown passover, the Galilean ministry lasted at least sixteen months, for it ended when another passover was near ([John 6:4]). Otherwise we should not certainly know that it lasted more than some six or eight months. About the two subsequent periods of our Lord's ministry we shall find no room to question that each lasted six months; but here we have to admit much uncertainty as to the time. After all, a determination of the time employed would be a matter of very little importance to our study of this period. But the immense amount of material in this period argues for a length of over a year.
b Throughout this great ministry in Galilee, and the periods that will follow after, the reader ought to trace carefully the progress of the history along several lines: (1) the Saviour's progressive self-manifestation; (2) the gradual training of the Twelve who are to carry on his teaching and work after his death; (3) the deepening and spreading hostility of the Jewish influential classes and official rulers. By constantly observing these parallel lines of progress, it will be seen that the history and teachings of our Lord exhibit a vital growth, moving on to an end by him foreseen ([Luke 12:50]), when the hostility of the rulers will culminate as he before the Sanhedrin avows himself to be the Messiah, and the Twelve will be almost prepared to succeed him.