The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
JESUS’ MINISTRY IN GALILEE
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
JESUS’ MINISTRY IN GALILEE
The shortest road between Judea and Galilee goes through the province of Samaria. Few people ever took that way. There had been a fuss between the Children of Israel and the Samaritans hundreds of years before Jesus was born and they had never become friends since that happened. They did not like each other. So, most of the Children of Israel would not travel through the country belonging to the Samaritans. The Samaritans did not treat the Children of Israel very well either.
Jesus and His five disciples left Judea early in the morning. They wanted to travel as far as they could before the sun made the day so hot. They took the shortest way through Samaria. At noontime they rested by a well of water. The disciples went into a city to buy food. The well of water was built by Jacob. He had lived there hundreds of years before. The well was still being used when Jesus rested there. Being deep and wide, the well held enough water for both people and animals.
Jesus sat there by the well resting alone. Then a woman of Samaria came to the well to get some water. Jesus spoke to her. He asked her, “Will you give me a drink?”
It was a little favor to ask, wasn’t it? Yet, the woman was very surprised that Jesus, a Child of Israel, would speak to her. She replied, “How does it happen that you, who are a Jew, are asking a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”
This gave Jesus the chance He wanted. He told her about the Living Water. The Living Water is the spirit of love and kindness. Jesus was the Living Water. He has promised to give the Living Water to every person who would simply ask Him for it. The woman asked Jesus to give her some of this Living Water. She did not know what Jesus meant when He spoke of Living Water. She thought that if she could have some of this Living Water, she would never need to go to the well for water again. Jesus did not explain to her what He meant. He began to talk to her about the kind of life she was living. Jesus had never met this woman. That is why she was surprised that Jesus knew so much about her. He knew, for instance, that she was not living the right kind of life. She was sure that Jesus was a prophet. She asked Him a question about the argument between the Children of Israel and the Samaritans. She asked Jesus if people should worship in Jerusalem or in a temple built in Samaria. Jesus told her that neither place was necessary. He told her that if people prayed to God in their hearts, God would hear them, no matter where they were. The Samaritan woman was not satisfied. She pointed out to Him that when the Christ came, He would tell them what was right. Jesus then said, “I, who am speaking to you, am he.”
The woman then became very eager to tell her friends that the Christ had come at last. She was so excited that she forgot to get her water. Instead, she went right into the city. On the way she met some of her friends. She said to them, “Come and see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?”
The disciples had come back to the water well while Jesus was talking to the woman. They were very surprised, but said nothing about it to Jesus. They had learned by now that their Master had a good reason for everything He did. But they still could not understand why He was speaking to a Samaritan woman. After she left, they begged Jesus to eat the food they had bought. Jesus was no longer hungry. The chance to help somebody meant more to Him than food. In fact, nothing was more important to Jesus than helping people. This is what made Him so lovable.
Soon other Samaritans came to see Jesus. They were so pleased with Him that they asked Him to stay and not go to Galilee. Jesus was always glad to stay where He could do good. So, He went with them and stayed there two days. In that time, many of the people believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Savior of the world.
At the end of these two days, Jesus and His disciples started again on their journey. They were together, however, only a short time. The disciples went back to their homes, and Jesus traveled alone through the towns of Galilee.
While Jesus had been doing these things, John the Baptist had been getting into trouble. John was a preacher. He spoke to any one doing wrong, no matter who he was or where he lived. One day John told King Herod that he was doing wrong. He told Herod that what he and his wife were doing was wicked. What John said was true, but Herod and his wife did not like to hear John say it. They were so angry that they wanted to kill John. But John the Baptist had so many friends that Herod was afraid to hurt him. So, instead of killing him, Herod put John into prison.
Do you remember where Jesus was traveling at this time? – In Galilee. The people there were glad to have Jesus with them once more. Many of the people in Galilee had seen what Jesus had done at the feast in Jerusalem; while others had heard about this great preacher, named Jesus, who did so many miracles. Many people wanted to know more about Jesus.
On His journey Jesus came to Cana. Cana is where He had turned the water into wine. While in Cana, one day at noon, a nobleman came to Jesus in great haste.
He had come from Capernaum, which was twenty miles away. He came to see Jesus and ask Him a great favor. He had a son at home who was very, very ill. In fact, he thought his son was going to die. The father had heard of the miracles of Jesus. He believed Jesus could make his son well.
So when he heard that Jesus was in Cana, he went to Him as quickly as he could. He begged Jesus to go to Capernaum and heal his son. Jesus said to him, “Unless you see wonders you will not believe.”
But the father only thought of his sick boy, and said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
The Savior looked at the father who trusted Him so much, and said, “Go home, your son will live.”
Did the nobleman believe that Jesus had the power to cure his sick son, twenty miles away – without any medicine? Yes, he believed, and going home he was sure that he would find his son well.
When the father was almost home he met his servants coming to tell him that his boy was well. He asked them when he began to get better. They told him it was at one o’clock. That was just the time when Jesus had said, “Your son will live.”
So the nobleman and all his family believed that Jesus was the Christ. They became His new friends.
The Children of Israel had one main temple where they offered sacrifices. But they had a special place in every town where they could meet to worship God where sacrifices were not offered. These places were called ‘synagogues.’ They had only one room. In these synagogues men sat on one side of the room and the women sat on the other side behind a screen. There was a raised seat for the preacher. There were ten “chief seats” where leaders sat.
The service was a lot like ours. There were prayers and hymns. And a passage was read from the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. While Jesus was living on earth, the New Testament had not been written. In the synagogues anyone could read from the Scriptures, and could even explain it afterward. That is, anyone with permission of the leaders or the leader in charge of services. It was the custom for the reader to stand while reading the Holy Scriptures, then to sit down in front of the people when he began to speak about what he had read. The hymns they sang were not like ours. They had no hymn books. What they usually sang were the Psalms. We can read the Psalms in our own Bibles. One man, standing in front of the others, led the singing. Sometimes he sang alone and the people joined in the chorus.
Soon after healing the nobleman’s son, Jesus spent a Sabbath day at His old home town, Nazareth. As was the Lord’s custom, He went to the synagogue to read the Scriptures and talk to the people. They handed Him the book from which the Scripture was to be read. He found one of the places where the prophet Isaiah tells about the Christ that was to come, and what He was to do to help the people. You can find just what Jesus read to them that day if you look in your Bible at the first two verses of the sixty-first story of Isaiah.
After reading a few words He handed the book to the man who took care of it. Then Jesus began to talk to the people. He told them that these words He had just read were even then coming true. He told them that He was doing the things that Isaiah said the Christ would do.
For a little while they were glad to listen to Him, because He spoke very gently and lovingly. But soon they began to ask one another, “Is this not the son of Joseph the carpenter? We know his father and mother, and we know him. He is no better than we are. What does he mean by saying that he is the Christ? How can he do all these things?”
They wanted Him to do some miracle to prove that He was the Christ.
When they saw He would do no miracle, but only wanted to talk to them, they grew more and more angry. At last they were too angry to listen any longer. They rose up, took hold of Him, and led Jesus out of the room to a high hill. They meant to throw Him down and kill Him. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away, very sad.
Jesus went from Nazareth to Capernaum. There the people made Him very welcome. As soon as they heard that He was in the city they crowded around Him to hear Him talk. One morning as the people were pressing close about Him, Jesus stood by the Sea of Galilee. There were two fishing boats on the shore. They belonged to the Lord’s four disciples. The fishermen were not in their boats. They were nearby washing their nets. Jesus then stepped into one of the boats belonging to Peter and Andrew. The Lord asked Peter to push the boat out a little from the land. Jesus could talk to the people better and easier if they were not so close about Him. Peter did as Jesus asked. Then the Lord sat down and taught the people.
When He had finished talking He said to Peter, “Now push out into deep water and let down your net for a haul of fishes.”
Peter had seen enough of his Master to trust Him. So he obeyed at once. But when they came to the deep water Peter said, “Master, we have been out all night, and have caught nothing. Yet, because you have asked me to do so I will let down the net.”
And he let the net down. When he began to pull it back in it seemed heavy. He looked and saw that the net was so full of fishes that it had broken. He and Andrew could not pull it in. So they called to their friends in the other boat to come and help them. John and James came at once. Together the four men pulled in so many fishes that both boats were full, and they began to sink. How surprised they were.
Peter obeyed his Master because he loved Him, not because he believed they would catch any fish. Now, with all the fish in the net, Peter fell down at Jesus’ knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Peter did not say this because he wanted Jesus to leave him. He said it because he did not feel good enough to be the friend of this wonderful Christ.
Jesus knew what Peter meant. After Peter and the disciples had taken their boats back to land Jesus asked a very important question. He asked if they would like to go with Him and become fishers of men.
How could they become fishers of men? By helping to save people as their Master was doing; by throwing a net of love around people – a net of love that would draw people away from wicked and evil places; a net of love that would draw people away from wicked and evil companions, by teaching people to love God and keep His commandments.
What did they do when Jesus asked if they would do this? They gladly left their boats and nets and followed Him. They stayed with Jesus all the time He was on earth. They traveled with Him through the cities and villages. They heard Him teach the people. They learned many things from the Lord during long, quiet, private, and personal talks together. Later, after the Lord left them and returned to heaven, they continued trying to teach people what they had learned at the feet of their Master, Jesus Christ.
On Saturday, the Sabbath day, they went together to the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus read the Scriptures and taught the lesson. Most of the people of this city loved to listen to Jesus, because He knew how to explain the Holy Scriptures and He made the service very interesting.
This day an insane man was in the synagogue. The people listening to Jesus believed that a wicked spirit had entered this man, making him insane. They believed the wicked spirit was stronger than the man and was making him do strange things. They thought that if the evil spirit could be driven out then the man would be like other people.
The people were quietly listening to Jesus talking when all at once the insane man called out, “Let us alone. What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are; the Holy one of God.”
Everyone was very frightened. Jesus looked at the man and said to the evil spirit, “Be quiet, and come out of him.”
The man fell to the floor where he tossed about for a few minutes. When he stood again he was like other people. The evil spirit had gone forever. He was insane no more.
Every person in that synagogue was filled with wonder. They began to ask each other, “What does this mean? Where does this man get his power? For he commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
And in all the country around Galilee people talked about what happened here.
After the service was over Jesus and His four friends went to Peter’s house. They all ate dinner there. Peter’s wife’s mother lived with him. When Jesus reached the house He found her very sick with a fever. He went right into the room where she was laying. Her skin was dry and hot. She was in great pain. The Savior stood over her. He took her hand in His and lifted her up. At once the fever left her and she was well. She was so well that she got up and served everyone.
