He left Judea for Galilee when the Pharisees heard that He was making and baptizing more disciples than John, though He Himself did not baptize but His disciples did. The departure came after He had spent several months giving Israel's rulers opportunity to recognize Him as the Saviour. He quietly stopped baptizing and withdrew for a time to keep the authorities from stirring jealousy, misunderstanding and division between His disciples and John's, an unselfish retirement from the field when conflict arose. He made the journey in His human nature, growing weary, hungry and thirsty, and His road led through Samaria where He rested at Jacob's well while His disciples went for food and He asked a Samaritan woman for drink despite the enmity between Jews and Samaritans. There He set aside Jewish prejudice and custom to accept Samaritan hospitality, share their food and homes, and bring salvation and light through human sympathy and divine grace, and they listened eagerly and welcomed Him in contrast to the suspicion and rejection He met from the Jews.
Context and Journey
Jesus left Judea and departed again into Galilee when He knew the Pharisees had heard that He was making and baptizing more disciples than John, though Jesus Himself did not baptize but His disciples did. The departure took place amid dispute over baptism, for John baptized unto repentance, while the disciples of Jesus baptized on profession of faith in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The teachings of John were in perfect harmony with those of Jesus, yet John's disciples became jealous for fear his influence was diminishing. Prejudice was aroused because the disciples of Jesus did not use the exact words of John in baptism, and dispute arose over the form of words proper to use at baptism, and finally over the right of the disciples of Jesus to baptize at all.
The departure came after He had spent several months giving Israel's rulers an opportunity to recognize Him as the Saviour. He made the journey in His human nature, becoming weary like other people, and also hungry and thirsty. His route to Galilee took Him through Samaria, where He stopped to rest at Jacob's well because He was weary. While He rested there His disciples went away to find food, and He asked a Samaritan woman for water to drink despite the hostility between Jews and Samaritans.
Purpose and Ministry
He quietly stopped baptizing in Judea and left for Galilee because He knew the hostility of the Pharisees and authorities could be used to stir jealousy, misunderstanding and division between His disciples and John's. His withdrawal was temporary, intended to give them no opportunity for such dissension and to calm needless excitement over the rival baptizing work. By retiring in this way He quieted the gathering conflict and protected their shared work from harm.
That departure when strife arose between His disciples and John's stands as an example of unselfish retirement from the field. On the journey that followed He did not allow Jewish prejudice or custom to separate Him from the Samaritans. He accepted their hospitality, ate their food, entered their homes, taught among them with kindness, and continued in His weary human nature to seek to bring light to those who did not know Him. Through human sympathy joined with divine grace He thus brought salvation to people whom many Jews rejected.
Those Samaritans listened eagerly and welcomed Him, in contrast to the suspicion and rejection He had met after spending months giving Israel's rulers opportunity to recognize Him as Saviour.
He left Judea for Galilee when the Pharisees heard that He was making and baptizing more disciples than John, though He Himself did not baptize but His disciples did. The departure came after He had spent several months giving Israel's rulers opportunity to recognize Him as the Saviour. He quietly stopped baptizing and withdrew for a time to keep the authorities from stirring jealousy, misunderstanding and division between His disciples and John's, an unselfish retirement from the field when conflict arose. He made the journey in His human nature, growing weary, hungry and thirsty, and His road led through Samaria where He rested at Jacob's well while His disciples went for food and He asked a Samaritan woman for drink despite the enmity between Jews and Samaritans. There He set aside Jewish prejudice and custom to accept Samaritan hospitality, share their food and homes, and bring salvation and light through human sympathy and divine grace, and they listened eagerly and welcomed Him in contrast to the suspicion and rejection He met from the Jews.
Context and Journey
Jesus left Judea and departed again into Galilee when He knew the Pharisees had heard that He was making and baptizing more disciples than John, though Jesus Himself did not baptize but His disciples did. The departure took place amid dispute over baptism, for John baptized unto repentance, while the disciples of Jesus baptized on profession of faith in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The teachings of John were in perfect harmony with those of Jesus, yet John's disciples became jealous for fear his influence was diminishing. Prejudice was aroused because the disciples of Jesus did not use the exact words of John in baptism, and dispute arose over the form of words proper to use at baptism, and finally over the right of the disciples of Jesus to baptize at all.
The departure came after He had spent several months giving Israel's rulers an opportunity to recognize Him as the Saviour. He made the journey in His human nature, becoming weary like other people, and also hungry and thirsty. His route to Galilee took Him through Samaria, where He stopped to rest at Jacob's well because He was weary. While He rested there His disciples went away to find food, and He asked a Samaritan woman for water to drink despite the hostility between Jews and Samaritans.
Purpose and Ministry
He quietly stopped baptizing in Judea and left for Galilee because He knew the hostility of the Pharisees and authorities could be used to stir jealousy, misunderstanding and division between His disciples and John's. His withdrawal was temporary, intended to give them no opportunity for such dissension and to calm needless excitement over the rival baptizing work. By retiring in this way He quieted the gathering conflict and protected their shared work from harm.
That departure when strife arose between His disciples and John's stands as an example of unselfish retirement from the field. On the journey that followed He did not allow Jewish prejudice or custom to separate Him from the Samaritans. He accepted their hospitality, ate their food, entered their homes, taught among them with kindness, and continued in His weary human nature to seek to bring light to those who did not know Him. Through human sympathy joined with divine grace He thus brought salvation to people whom many Jews rejected.
Those Samaritans listened eagerly and welcomed Him, in contrast to the suspicion and rejection He had met after spending months giving Israel's rulers opportunity to recognize Him as Saviour.