The Return to Galilee

The return form this second Passover during his ministry seems to mark the end of the preparation period. He had gone to Jerusalem as a rabbi increasingly known in Galilee and returned a national figure. He had stayed some time in Judea after the Passover, but we aren’t told how long. Little is recorded in the eighteen months up to this point compared to his last two years. That should not lead us to assume that it was less active, however. That preparatory period may have just been less significant for us to know. Jesus did much that was not recorded. John comments that books wouldn’t hold it all.

Jesus probably returned to Galilee as the summer began to unfold. With national recognition, the return to Galilee brought increased activity. By now, he would have been well known, having confronted the religious establishment two years in a row at Passover. He would have been somewhat of a regional hero to the people of Galilee in their struggle for recognition from the Judeans. Now, these backward cousins of the national elite had a rabbi that had to be taken seriously by Jerusalem. Thus, Jesus began to expand his ministry during that summer in Galilee.