3.) It was passed principally in Judea, though with visits to Galilee, and on the way a visit to Samaria.
4.) It is justly called a "year of obscurity," for we know but little concerning either its aims, its events, or its results. It was accompanied with miracles (John 3. 2; 4. 45). It attracted attention (John 3. 26; 4. 1). Yet at its close we find that the followers of Jesus were few, and he went to Galilee to begin his ministry anew.
3. The Year of Popularity, in marked contrast with the preceding period.
1.) It begins with the Rejection at Nazareth (Luke 4. 14-30), and ends with the Discourse on the Bread of Life (John 6. 25-71), a day or two after the miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand.
2.) It is related by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with some additional incidents by John.
3.) The scene of the Saviour's ministry was in Galilee, which he traversed extensively during this year. One visit to Jerusalem is related by John (John 5. 1, 2).
4.) It was a year of great activity, spent in incessant journeys, preaching, and works of mercy, and the most popular period of the Saviour's life, when the crowds were greatest and the people seemed ready to accept Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. Yet at its close, as before, he was left alone with his twelve disciples (John 6. 66-68).
4. Another period we find in The Year of Opposition, again contrasted with the year before it.
1.) It begins with the Retirement to Phœnicia (Mark 7. 24) and ends with the Anointing by Mary (John 12. 1-3).