#28 Jesus
Preaches in Galilee
Please
first read: Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:14-15; John 4:45
JST Luke. 4:15 “who believe on his name” – an
important communication change
Jesus has
been now been teaching and proclaiming his divine Sonship for some nine months throughout
Judea, and after the short stop in Samaria goes into Galilee where he will
continue his work.
He is
returning to his “homeland,” (Nazareth and Galilee) the land of his childhood
and youth, but he now returns “in the power of the Spirit” to a people who
“received him, having seen all the things he did at Jerusalem at the feast.” “A
fame of him” has spread “through all the regions round about.” The Galileans
seem to receive him favorably as many of them went to Jerusalem at Passover
time, saw him there at the feasts, and witnessed his healings, miracles, and
the things he taught. Jesus is welcomed into their synagogues to teach and
is “glorified by all.” His teaching would include principles, doctrines,
laws, and ordinances necessary to achieve exaltation; the same
requirements as for us today, the Plan of Salvation.
There are
eager listeners in the synagogues to hear him. Jesus himself becomes now,
and for the remainder of his earthly ministry, the greatest source of testimony
of Who He Is! What did Jesus now teach? “Jesus taught the gospel of the
kingdom of God; that is, he taught that the kingdom of God, which is the
Church of Jesus Christ, had again been set up on the earth, and that it was the
only true and living Church upon the whole
earth.”
Apostle Bruce
R. McConkie:
“Parables,
healings, teachings, sermons – all that our Lord said and did – can only be
understood when considered in their relationship to … the fullness of the
everlasting gospel which Jesus came to teach.”
We know
that Jesus restored the true Church during his ministry on earth, but we have
no time line on the events involved. President Joseph Fielding Smith said
of this time: “During his mortal ministry Christ himself organized the
Church. He spoke frequently of the kingdom of heaven, and that is the
Church.”
With the
imprisoning of John the Baptist, the Savior is the sole carrier of the gospel
message.
“Repent”
seems to be the first recorded subject of his teaching, as it was for his
cousin John … “Repent … “for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” In the Greek
manuscripts the word for “repent” means to change one’s mind. When Jesus
calls on his listeners to repent he is calling them to become completely new
creatures, hence we see words like “rebirth, reborn, born again.”
Jesus is
initially well received as he enters this area of Galilee, but that will not
last very long and he will soon move his headquarters to Capernaum.
It seems
certain/probable? That many of both the believers and nonbelievers of the
Savior would make some comparisons between Jesus and Moses. All four
gospel writers portray in different ways that Jesus is at least the equal of
Moses: Jesus fasting forty days before starting his ministry – Moses
spending forty days with the Lord on Mt. Sinai; Moses leading the
Israelites out of Egyptian bondage and being the mediator and bringer of the
law of Moses between God and the people – Jesus being the mediator to bring
the people out of spiritual (and they hoped physical) bondage, to
fulfill the law of Moses, and install the higher law of the Gospel (the new
Covenant). There are various similarities of the two leaders in behavior,
actions, chastising, warnings and promises, miracles, teachings. Moses
seemingly came to the Israelites from out of the desert and Jesus seems to now
appear also from nowhere out of the desert. To this time Moses is their
greatest prophet … to those who believe in Jesus, he will be at least an equal,
and then greater.
At least
one gospel writer (Matthew) refers to some of the events in Jesus’ life as the
fulfilling of Old Testament prophecies.
Galilee: LDS
Bible Dictionary:
For a
number of reasons this was a good area for the Savior to go to at this
time. It is in the northern – most end of Palestine and a goodly distance
from Jerusalem (100+miles). It is about sixty by thirty miles in area and
has some of the best fertile land, an excellent climate, and produces large
crops of olives, wheat, barley, and grapes. By the Sea of Galilee the
fisheries were a great source of wealth and produced a large export
trade. It had some of the busiest towns of all Palestine and was crossed
by important highways leading to Damascus, Egypt, and the East. Many
caravans and much commerce passed through the area and it was heavily populated
with an active people.
Glenn R.
McGettigan
September
2014
References:
“Mortal
Messiah.” Book 2. McConkie
“Doctrinal
New Testament Commentary.” Volume 1. McConkie
“Life and
Teachings of Jesus Christ.” Volume 1. Holzapfel
“Our Lord
of the Gospels.” Clark
“Life and
Times of Jesus the Messiah.” Volume 1. Edersheim
“Days of
the Living Christ.” Volume 1. Skousen
“Study of
the Four Gospel.” Ludlow
“Doctrines
of Salvation.” Volume 1. Smith
