Life of Christ
Part Six: The Ministry of Christ in Galilee –
Part 3
And
Part Seven: The Ministry of Christ around
Galilee – Part 1
Overview of Christ’s Public Ministry
POPULARITY
(DECLINING)
OBSCURITY
(VANISHING)
PUBLIC
PRESENTATION
EARLY
MINISTRIES
PRIVATE
PREPARATION
4 mos.
First Year
Galilee
Second Year
6 months
Tabernacles
Largely in Judea
To Tyre and Sidon
8 months
10 mos.
Jesus appoints the Twelve
4 months
Jesus returns to Galilee
Birth
John introduces Jesus
OPENING
EVENTS
OPPOSITION
(INCREASING)
Around Galilee
Third Year
6 months
. Chorazin
. Bethsaida (?)
14 months
Geography of
Life of Christ
Key Regions:
Judea
Galilee
Decapolis
Perea
12 months
Samaria
Jerusalem
Mysteries of the Kingdom
teaching takes place on this
side of Sea of Galilee.
Raising of Jairus’
daughter
Healing of Gerasene
Demoniacs
Fed multitude finds
Jesus at Capernaum.
Sends disciples ahead
to this
Bethsaida
Healings
at
Gennesaret
Jesus’ withdrawal from Galilee;
feeds 5000 here.
Continuing Opposition

Departure across the sea and calming the storm
(Matt 13:53; 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke
8:22-25)


Jesus slept soundly after a very difficult day. Here is
a double miracle, with both the wind and the water
becoming calm at once.
Healing the Gerasene demoniacs and resultant
opposition (Matt 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke
8:26-39)

Unlike earlier healings, Jesus commanded this man to
go and tell what the Lord had done for him. This was
a different situation in Decapolis, with no Jewish
opponents in the area and no other missionaries.
Continuing Opposition

Return to Galilee, healing of woman who touched Christ’s garment,
and raising of Jairus’ daughter (Matt 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke
8:40-56)


Three miracles of healing and another blasphemous accusation
(Matt 9:27-34)


Jairus, as a synagogue official in the area, no doubt knew about Jesus
earlier healings of both the royal official’s child and the centurion’s
servant.
Jesus heals two blind men and a dumb man who was demonpossessed, yet the Pharisees still maintain that He is an ally of Satan.
Final visit to unbelieving Nazareth (Matt 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-6a)

This visit to Nazareth is about a year after the citizens of this town had
tried to murder Jesus. Once again, they took offense at Him. Jesus
marveled at their unbelief and did not do many miracles there.
Final Galilean Campaign

Shortage of workers (Matt 9:35-38; Mark 6:6b)


Commissioning of the twelve (Matt 10:1-42; Mark 6:711; Luke 9:1-5)



Jesus felt compassion for the multitudes, who were like sheep
without a shepherd. In order to effectively evangelize them,
more workers were needed.
Jesus continued to restrict His outreach to those to whom the
kingdom had been originally promised, even though their
leadership had already rejected him. The broader responsibility
of going to the nations would only come after Jesus’ crucifixion.
The disciples were not to take many provisions, but to depend
upon God. Jesus evidently did not expect a favorable reception
to this mission, based on earlier treatment of Himself, and
warned the disciples ahead of time what they would face.
Workers sent out (Matt 11:1; Mark 6:12-13; Luke 9:6)

The disciples went out to the various villages of Galilee,
preaching the Gospel and performing authenticating works.
Final Galilean Campaign

Antipas’ mistaken identification of Jesus (Matt 14:1-2;
Mark 6:14-16; Luke 9:7-9)


Earlier imprisonment and beheading of John the Baptist
(Matt 14:3-12; Mark 6:17-29)


The extended outreach provided by the twelve brought Jesus
greater fame and thus attention from Herod Antipas, whose
domain included Galilee and Perea.
This section provides historical background on John’s execution.
John’s imprisonment began about a year and a half earlier, at
the same time that Jesus began His Galilean ministry.
Return of the workers (Mark 6:30; Luke 9:10a)

The twelve were reunited with Jesus and reported to Him all
that they had done and taught.
Part Seven: The Ministry of
Christ around Galilee – Part 1
Change in Relationship toward the
Multitudes

Prior to this time, Jesus made it a point (with a few
exceptions) to go to the multitudes. The months to
follow were especially characterized by His withdrawal
from the crowds (again, with exceptions). Thomas
(Harmony, p. 101) gives five contributing factors:





The jealousy of Herod Antipas. Jesus left Galilee to avoid any
further retaliatory steps by Herod because of the widespread
publicity resulting from the final Galilean campaign.
The misguided zeal of followers who sought to make Jesus
accept the throne of Israel prematurely.
The hostility of Jewish leaders, which increased as the Galilean
ministry progressed.
The disciples need to rest after the grueling tours.
The opportunity for more personalized instruction of the
disciples. Their ministries throughout Galilee had probably
created many questions. They now had a different kind of
opportunity to learn about and from Jesus.
Lesson on the Bread of Life

Withdrawal from Galilee (Matt 14:13-14;
Mark 6:31-34; Luke 9:10b-11; John 6:1-3)

This point marks a shift from a predominantly
public ministry to a predominantly private
one. Other shifts include:
Emphasis on the King replaced emphasis on the
kingdom
 More instruction preparing the disciples for a
period of Jesus’ absence
 Limitation to ministry outside of Galilee, with brief
visits back to that region

Lesson on the Bread of Life

Feeding the five thousand (Matt 14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke
9:12-17; John 6:4-13)


A premature attempt to make Jesus king blocked (Matt 14:22-23;
Mark 6:45-46; John 6:14-15)


This event took place at Bethsaida, just north of the Sea of Galilee. It
was an important lesson to the disciples concerning Jesus’ power.
Counting women and children, the crowd probably exceeded 12,000.
Once again, Jesus refused to accede to popular demand. He came
indeed to establish a kingdom, but the people thus far had clearly not
accepted its moral requirements. They simply wanted what Jesus’
power could provide.
Walking on the water during a storm at sea (Matt 14:24-33; Mark
6:47-52; John 6:16-21)


Jesus had left the disciples in the evening (about 6:00 PM), and
rejoined them at the fourth watch (between 3:00 and 6:00 AM). During
the intervening 9 to 12 hours, the disciples were battling the storm
while Jesus was praying on the mountain.
This experience was one more step in the disciples’ appreciation of
Jesus’ character.
Lesson on the Bread of Life

Healings at Gennesaret (Matt 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56)


Discourse on the true bread of life (John 6:22-59)



Gennesaret was a fertile plain just south of Capernaum, on the west
side of the Sea of Galilee. Despite their leaders’ rejection of Jesus as
Messiah, the people of Galilee were still more than willing to benefit
from His power.
Jesus rebukes the multitudes for seeking Him for the wrong reason, and
exhorts them to work for the food which endures to eternal life. He
contrasts Himself as the bread of life with the bread given to the
Israelites in the wilderness.
“I am the bread of Life” is the first of seven “I am” statements made by
Jesus in John’s gospel. These are probably traceable back to Exodus
3:14 and the name of God heard by Moses from the burning bush.
Defection among the disciples (John 6:60-71)


Jesus’ strong emphasis on the need for an inner response of faith
caused many to stop following. From this point forward in John’s
gospel, the term “disciple” takes on the more restricted meaning of
“genuine disciple.”
Despite the public rejection by Christ, Peter and the disciples are
coming to understand who He truly is.
Next Week: Part Seven: The
Ministry of Christ around Galilee
– Part 2