Jesus Christ The Galilean - by Sheldon Emry

Jesus Christ
The Galilean

by Sheldon Emry

It is quite common, in religious circles ing, Arise, and take the young child
throughout the world today, to say that and his mother, and flee into Egypt,
Jesus Christ was a Jew. and be thou there until I bring thee
word: for Herod will seek the young
It is true that Jesus was born of Mary, child to destroy him.
who was of the tribe of Judah, and He was When he arose, he took the young
born in Bethlehem in the land of Judea. child and his mother by night, and
Further, He was crucified in Jerusalem, departed into Egypt:”
which was also in Judea. So, whenever we
speak of Jesus, in relation to some names (Matthew 2:13-14)
of geographical locations, Bethlehem, After the death of Herod, Joseph was
Jerusalem and Judea are the ones most told to take the child to Israel.
often associated with Jesus. This is the “But when Herod was dead, behold,
reason so many people say that: "Jesus an angel of the Lord appeareth in a
was a Jew." dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Saying, Arise, and take the young
However, there are two other places child and his mother, and go into the
that are closely associated with the life land of Israel: for they are dead which
and ministry of Jesus Christ. These places sought the young child's life.
are seldom mentioned in the pulpits And he arose, and took the young
today, but are mentioned many times in child and his mother, and came into
the Bible. They are: the city of Nazareth the land of Israel.
and the land of Galilee. But when he heard that Archelaus did
“Now when Jesus was born in reign in Judea in the room of his
Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of father Herod, he was afraid to go
Herod the king, behold, there came thither: notwithstanding, being
wise men from the east to Jerusalem.” warned of God in a dream, he turned
aside into the parts of Galilee:
(Matthew 2: 1) And he came and dwelt in a city
By this we know Bethlehem of Judea called Nazareth: that it might be ful-
was the city of Christ's birth. After the filled which was spoken by the
wise men departed, Joseph was told to prophets, He shall be called a
take Christ to Egypt: Nazarene.”
“And when they were departed,
behold, the angel of the Lord (Matthew 2:19-23)
appeareth to Joseph in a dream, say- So, after being protected from Herod in
Egypt, God directed the path of the Christ

1

child to the land of Israel, into a city It is easy to see that the following
calIed Nazareth. This was in fulfillment of prophecy of the Branch refers to the
the prophecy that Christ would be called a removal of Israel's sins and the establish-
Nazarene. My Bible's marginal reference ment of the Kingdom of God upon the
says that "Nazarene" means "a branch" or earth:
"separated one." “Hear now, O Joshua (the Hebrew
word translated "Joshua" is literally
The prophet, Jeremiah, was inspired "Jah saves") the high priest, thou, and
to write a prophecy about the coming of thy fellows that sit before thee: for
Jesus Christ: they are men wondered at: for, behold,
“Behold, the days come, saith the I will bring forth my servant the
Lord, that I will raise unto David a BRANCH.
righteous Branch, and a King shall For behold the stone that I have laid
reign and prosper, and shall execute before Joshua; upon one stone shall
judgment and justice in the earth. be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave
In his days Judah shall be saved, and the graving thereof, saith the Lord of
Israel shall dwell safely: and this is hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of
his name whereby he shall be called, that land in one day.
TUE LORD OUR KIGUTEOUSNESS.” In that day, saith the Lord of hosts,
shall ye call every man his neighbour
(Jeremiah 23:5-6) under the vine and under the fig tree.”
This prophecy was repeated in chapter
33 of Jeremiah: (Zechariah 3:8-10)
“Behold, the days come, saith the This prophecy is found again later on
Lord, that I will perform that good in Zechariah:
thing which I have promised unto the “And speak unto him, saying, Thus
house of Israel and to the house of speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying,
Judah. Behold the man whose name is The
In those days, and at that time, will I BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of
cause the Branch of righteousness to his place, and he shall build the tem-
grow up unto David; and he shall exe- ple of the Lord:
cute judgment and righteousness in Even he shall build the temple of the
the land. Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and
In those days shall Judah be saved, shall sit and rule upon his throne;
and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and and he shall be a priest upon his
this is the name wherewith she shall throne: and the counsel of peace shall
be called, The Lord our righteousness. be between them both.”
For thus saith the Lord; David shall
never want a man to sit upon the (Zechariah 6: 12-13)
throne of the house of Israel;” These verses speak of a throne and a
priest. We know from other prophecies
(Jeremiah 33:14-17) that Christ is both King and Priest. If this
This is the same prophecy given in prophecy is speaking of Christ, then
chapter 23 of Jeremiah, however, here it is Christ is the BRANCH. The fulfillment of
related to the fulfillment of the reign of Jesus being the Branch came about by His
Jesus on David's throne.

2

being an inhabitant of the city of prophetess, also prophesied over the
Nazareth, and thereby being called a eight-day-old Christ child, in the temple
Nazarene. at Jerusalem.
“And when they had performed all
In the second chapter of Luke, we find things according to the law of the
another account of the birth of Jesus, with Lord, they retumed into Galilee, to
additional information about his early their own city Nazareth.”
life.
“And it came to pass in those days, (Luke 2:39)
that there went out a decree from Nazareth was the home city of Jesus'
Cresar Augustus, that all the world parents, Mary and Joseph.
should be taxed.” “And the child grew, and waxed
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom:
(Luke 2:1) and the grace of God was upon him.”
Then we read the story of Joseph and
Mary coming to Bethlehem; the Christ (Luke 2:40)
child being born, and of the events follow- Christ's parents went to Jerusalem
ing Christ's birth: every year at the feast of the passover:
“And when eight days were accom- “And when he was twelve years old,
plished for the circumcising of the they went up to Jerusalem after the
child, his name was called JESUS, custom of the feast.”
which was so named of the angel
before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:40-42)
And when the days of her purification Then Mary and Joseph left, thinking
according to the law of Moses were Jesus was in another part of the caravan.
accomplished, they brought him to Missing Him, they returned and discov-
Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; ered Him teaching in the temple. Except
(As it is written in the law of the Lord, for once a year when they went to
Every male that openeth the womb Jerusalem, and for a short period of time
shall be called holy to the Lord);” when, at the age of twelve, Jesus taught
in the temple; apparently, all of His grow-
(Luke 2:21-23) ing up years were spent in the city of
Following the law of Moses they went Nazareth, in the land of Galilee.
through the ritual consecration of Jesus in We read earlier that Jesus was to live
the temple at Jerusalem, which, at that in the city of Nazareth to fulfill the
time, was the temple of Israel. prophecy that He was to be a Nazarene.
“And, behold, there was a man in Going on in chapter 3 we read:
Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; “In those days came John the Baptist,
and the same man was just and preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
devout, waiting for the consolation of And saying, Repent ye: for the king-
Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon dom of heaven is at hand.”
him.”
(Matthew 3:1-2)
(Luke 2:25)
Then follows the story of Simeon
prophesying over Jesus. Anna, the

3

This verse does not give the location of Now when Jesus had heard that John
John except to say that he was in Judea. was cast into prison, he departed into
We know from other Scripture that John Galilee.”
was at, or near, he Jordan River during
most of his ministry and preaching of (Matthew 4: 11-12)
repentance. So, it appears that immediately after
the temptation, if Jesus was in Judea
John's ministry was to baptize, his when this happened, He went back to
message was the Kingdom of Heaven. Galilee which was His home.
According to this and other accounts in “And leaving Nazareth, he came and
the Gospel, Jesus came to be baptized dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon
when He was about thirty years old. the sea coast, in the borders of
Where did He come from? Zabulon and Nephthalim:
“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to That it might be fulfilled which was
Jordan unto John, to be baptized of spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
him.” The land of Zabulon, and the land of
Nephthalim, by the way of the sea,
(Matthew 3:13) beyond Jordan, Galilee of the
Jesus was taken to Nazareth as a little Gentiles;
child, so that He would be called a The people which sat in darkness saw
Nazarene. Except for the once a year trip great light; and to them which-sat-in
to the temple in Jerusalem, He was still in the region and shadow of death light
Galilee when He was thirty years of age. is sprung up.”
He was, by common knowledge, a
Nazarene (or Galilean), from Nazareth of (Matthew 4:13-16)
Galilee. Zabulon and Nephthalim are cities in
“Then was Jesus led up of the spirit Galilee. The point I am making in this
into the wilderness to be tempted of study is that Jesus spent almost all of His
the devil.” ministry in Galilee, away from Judea and
Jerusalem. Jesus left Nazareth in order to
(Matthew 4:1) fulfill a prophecy, found in the ninth chap-
No specific location is given here, ter of Isaiah:
except that it was in the wilderness. Since “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be
the temptation happened immediately such as was in her vexation. when at
after Jesus' baptism in the river Jordan, it the first he lightly afflicted the land
possibly occurred in the hills of Judea or of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
Galilee. At least part of the temptation and afterward did more grievously
may have taken place in the temple at afflict her by the way of the sea,
Jerusalem, as Matthew 4:5 illustrates. beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the
Immediately after the temptation we nations.
read the following in verse 11: The people that walked in darkness
“Then the devil leaveth him, and, have seen a great light: they that
behold, angels came and ministered dwell in the land of the shadow of
unto him. death, upon them hath the light
shined.

4

Thou hast multiplied the nation, and spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the..
not increased the joy: they joy before prophet. saying,
thee according to the joy in harvest, The land of Zabulon, and the land of
and as men rejoice when they divide Nephthalim, by the way of the sea,
the spoil. beyond Jordan, Galilee of the
For thou hast broken the yoke of his Gentiles;
burden. and the staff of his shoulder, The people which sat in darkness saw
the rod of his oppressor, as in the day great light: and to them which sat in
of Midian. the region and shadow of death light
For every battle of the warrior is with is sprung up.”
confused noise, and garments rolled
in blood; but this shall be with burn- (Matthew 4:13-16)
ing and fuel of fire.” Where was Jesus Christ to become
revealed as the light of Israel? Was it in
(Isaiah 9:1-5) Jerusalem? Most people would say: yes.
In other words, there was something Reading on in chapter four, let's see what
that was to come upon the Israel people Matthew had to say:
that was different than regular battles. It “From that time Jesus began to
was to be something related to burning preach, and to say, Repent: for the
and fuel of fire. Here is what it was: kingdom of heaven is at hand.
“For unto us a child is born. unto us a And Jesus, walking by the sea of
son is given: and the government shall Galilee. . . .”
be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, (Matthew 4:17-18)
The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Where did Jesus begin
Of the increase of his government and preaching
peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his king- the Gospel of the Kingdom?
dom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from In Galilee, fulfilling the prophecy that
henceforth even for ever. The zeal of He was to become the Light of Israel
the Lord of hosts will perform this.” there.
“And he was there in the wilderness
(Isaiah 9:6-7) forty days, tempted of Satan: and was
Jesus, the Christ, was to come to this with the wild beasts: and the angels
specific land of Galilee, Zabulon and ministered unto him.
Nephthalim, as a burning fire or a great Now after that John was put in
light. This was prophesied over 500 years prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
before Christ's birth. preaching the gospel of the kingdom
“And leaving Nazareth, he came and of God,
dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon And saying, The time is fulfilled, and
the sea coast. in the borders of the kingdom of God is at hand: repent
Zabulon and Nephthalim: ye, and believe the gospel.”
That it might be fulfilled which was
(Mark 1:13-15)

Mark gives the same account of the
temptation and events followng it, as

5

recorded by Matthew. We have here, a forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip,
double witness, that the very beginning of and saith unto him, Follow me.
the preaching of the gospel of the king- Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city
dom, by the Light of Israel was in Galilee. of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Nathanael, and saith unto him, We
Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon have found him, of whom Moses in the
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, law, and the prophets, did write,
casting a net into the sea: for they Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
were fishers.
And he saith unto them, Follow me, (John 1:40-45)
and I will make you fishers of men. Here is the first time that Jesus was
And they straightway left their nets, given a title, which included the name of a
and followed him. city. That title is "Jesus of Nazareth." If
And going on from thence, he saw you look in your concordance, you will find
other two brethren, James the son of that Jesus is called "Jesus of Nazareth"
Zebedee, and John his brother, in a nineteen times in the New Testament. He
ship with Zebedee their father, mend- was never called "Jesus the Jew" or "Jesus
ing their nets: and he called them. of Jerusalem," yet that is what we hear
And they immediately left the ship Him called almost all of the time.
and their father, and followed him. As I was making this study, I was
And Jesus went about all Galilee, amazed at how seldom the word
teaching in their synagogues, and "Nazareth" is used in relation to Jesus.
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, Probably because if investigated we find it
and healing all manner of sickness, means "offshoot" or "The Branch." This is
and all manner of disease among the proof, of course, that Jesus was the fulfill-
people.” ment of the prophecies as given.
In John 2, after His baptism, it is
(Matthew 4:21-23) recorded:
Here we see that Christ's disciples “And the third day there was a mar-
were, also, from Galilee. The following riage in Cana of Galilee; and the
verses from the gospel of John tell of Jesus mother of Jesus was there:
Christ's title, "Jesus of Nazareth." And both Jesus was called, and his
“One of the two which heard John disciples, to the marriage.
speak, and followed him, was Andrew, And when they wanted wine, the
Simon Peter's brother. mother of Jesus saith unto him, They
He first findeth his own brother have no wine.”
Simon, and saith unto him, We have
found the Messias, which is, being (John 2:1-3)
interpreted, the Christ. And he Then follows the account, of Jesus
brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus turning the water into wine. Continuing
beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon on we read:
the son of Jona: thou shalt be called “This beginning of miracles did Jesus
Cephas, which is by interpretation, A in Cana of Galilee, and manifested
stone.
The day following Jesus would go

6

forth his glory; and his disciples Then follows the well-known sermon
believed on him.” on the mount. Where was this sermon
given? On the mountains of Galilee! The
(John 2:11) sermon takes up the next three chapters,
Jesus began His miracles in Galilee. It, and then, in chapter 8, we read this:
also, says, in these verses, that He "mani- “When he was come down from the
fested forth his glory." In other words, He mountain, great multitudes followed
made known that He was the Light of him...
Israel. This was to be made known where? And when Jesus was entered into
In Galilee! It was because of this that the Capernaum, there came unto him a
disciples believed on Him. He was fulfill- centurion, beseeching him. . . . “
ing the exact prophecies of the Messiah to
come. (Matthew 8:1& 5)

Let's read more of chapter 4 of Capernaum was in Galilee, on the
Matthew, where Jesus went about all of north end of the Sea of Galilee.
Galilee, teaching and preaching the “And when Jesus was come into
gospel of the Kingdom, and healing those Peter's house, he saw his wife's moth-
who were sick: er laid, and sick of a fever.
“And his fame went throughout all And he touched her hand, and the
Syria: and they brought unto him all fever left her: and she arose, and min-
sick people that were taken with istered unto them.”
divers diseases and torments, and
those which were possessed with dev- (Matthew 8:14-15)
ils, and those which were lunatic, and Where was Peter's house? In Galilee.
those that had the palsy; and he Following this occurance, we read of the
healed them. miracle of the calming of the storm on the
And there followed him great multi- Sea of Galilee.
tudes of people from Galilee, and from .
Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and “And he entered into a ship, and passed
from Judaea, and from beyond over, and came into his own city.
Jordan.” And behold, they brought to him a man
sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. . .“
(Matthew 4:24-25)
Where did the people of Jerusalem, (Matthew 9:1-2)
Judea, and beyond Jordan have to go to We are then given more miracles of
hear and see Jesus? They had to go to healing that took place in His own city of
Galilee because that was where Jesus Nazareth in Galilee.
was. “But the Pharisees said, De casteth
“And seeing the multitudes, he went out devils through the prince of the
up into a mountain: and when he was devils.
set, his disciples came unto him: And Jesus went about all the cities
And he opened his mouth, and taught and villages, teaching in their syna-
them. . . . “ gogues, and preaching the gospel of
the kingdom, and. healing every sick-
(Matthew 5:12)

7

ness and every disease among the peo- thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty
ple.” works, which were done in you, had
been done in Tyre and Sidon, they
(Matthew 9:34-35) would have repented long ago in sack-
The Pharisees are mentioned a num- cloth and ashes.
ber of times in the Bible. We have already But I say unto you, It shall be more
seen that there were synagogues in the tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the
area of Galilee, including Nazareth. There day of judgment, than for you.
were Pharisees all over this land — they And thou, Capernaum, which art
were not necessarily only in Jerusalem. exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought
“And when he had called unto him his down to hell: for if the mighty works,
twelve disciples, he gave them power which have been done in thee, had
against unclean spirits, to cast them been done in Sodom, it would have
out, and to heal all manner of sick- remained until this day.”
ness and all manner of disease.”
(Matthew 11:20-23)
(Matthew 10:1) If you look at a map, you will find these
Christ was still in Galilee when He three cities (Chorazin, Bethsaida and
gave these instructions to His apostles, Capernaum) at the north end of the sea of
which we read in part: Galilee. Therefore, Jesus was still about
“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and 75 miles from the city of Jerusalem — still
commanded them, saying, Go not into doing all of His ministry outside of this
the way of the Gentiles, and into any city.
city of the Samaritans enter ye not: “At that time Jesus went on the sab-
But go rather to the lost sheep of the bath day through the corn; and his
house of Israel.” disciples were an hungred, and began
to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
(Matthew 10:5-6) But when the Pharisees saw it, they
The command to the disciples to go to said unto him, Behold, thy disciples
the lost sheep of the house of Israel was do that which is not lawful to do upon
given in Galilee. the sabbath day.”

(Matthew 12:1-2)

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had In verse 9, after Christ rebuked the
made an end of commanding his Pharisees, we read:
twelve disciples, he departed thence to “And when he was departed thence, he
teach and to preach in their cities.” went into their synagogue:”

(Matthew 11:1) (Matthew 12:9)
The disciples were chosen from
Galilee, so, their cities were in Galilee. We hear hardly any preaching
“Then began he to upbraid the cities that explains that Jesus' min-
wherein most of his mighty works istry was in Galilee, not in
were done, because they repented not: Jerusalem.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto

8

Because of this, whenever we see the “Is not this the carpenter's son? is not
word "Pharisee," we think of Jerusalem. It his mother called Mary? and his
was true that Jesus was in Jerusalem, brethren, James, and Joses. and
once every year, and He was taken captive Simon, and Judas?
and killed in Jerusalem. But, so far, when- And his sisters, are they not all with
ever He has done any preaching it has us? Whence then hath this man all
taken place in Galilee. Christ was about these things?
75 miles from the city of Jerusalem most And they were offended in him. But
of the time. Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not
“The same day went Jesus out of the without honour, save in his own coun-
house, and sat by the sea side. try, and in his own house.
And great multitudes were gathered And he did not many mighty works
together unto him, so that he went there because of their unbelief.”
into a ship, and sat; and the whole
multitude stood on the shore. (Matthew 13:55-58)
And he spake many things unto them If you do not read the rest of this, you
in parables. . . . “ might think that Jesus did not do any mir-
acles in tlis own country of Galilee. What
(Matthew 13:1-3) it really means is, that He was unable to
Again, the parables were preached do miracles in his own city of Nazareth.
where? On the shore of the Sea of Galilee! But, He did minister in all the rest of
Now, some may be a little confused by Galilee. In chapter 14, Herod had John
some parts of this chapter; for example, killed, and Jesus heard about it while He
the following verses: was still in Galilee. Then, we read in verse
“And it came to pass, that when Jesus 13:
had finisbed these parables. he “When Jesus heard of it. he departed
departed thence. thence by ship into a desert place
And when he was come into his own apart: and when the people had heard
country, he taught them in their syna- thereof, they followed him on foot out
gogue, insomuch that they were aston- of the cities.
ished, and said, Whence hath this And in the fourth watch of the night
man this wisdom, and these mighty Jesus went unto them, walking on the
works?” sea.”

(Matthew 13:53-54) (Matthew 14:13 & 25)
It seems as if Jesus left Galilee and Jesus apparently-went into a deserted
went to His own country. However, all it area near the Sea of Galilee. Following
really means is, He physically left the Sea the miracle of Jesus walking on the sea is
of Galilee. These parables were all taught another miracle (here Peter, also, tried to
while Christ sat in a ship on the sea. He walk on the Sea of Galilee.
then went into His own country, which “Then they that were in the ship came
was Nazareth, about 50 miles away. and worshipped him, saying, Of a
Looking at a map, Nazareth is about half truth thou art the Son of God.
way between the Sea of Galilee and the And when they were gone over, they
Mediterranean Sea. So, He was still in came into tbe land of Oennesaret.
Galilee. He ran into problems there:

9

And when tbe men of that place had after us. But he answered and said, I
knowledge of him, tbey sent out into am not sent but unto the lost sheep of
all that country round about, and the house of Israel.
brought unto him all that were dis- Then came she and worshipped him,
eased; saying, Lord, help me. But he
And besought him that they might answered and said, It is not meet to
only touch the hem of his garment: take tbe children's bread, and to cast
and as many as touched were made it to dogs.”
perfectly whole.”
(Matthew 15:22-26)
(Matthew 14:33-36) As you might know, non-Israelites are
We see here that additional preaching often referred to as dogs in the Bible. He
was done in Gennesaret, on the other side is saying; I am Israel's bread and it is not
of the Sea of Galilee. meet to take the children's bread and cast
“Then came to Jesus scribes and it to non-Israelites.
Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, “And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the
saying, dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from
Why do thy disciples transgress the their masters' table.
tradition of tbe elders? for they wash Then Jesus answered and said unto
not their hands when they eat bread.” her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it
unto thee even as thou wilt. And her
(Matthew 15:1-2) daughter was made whole from that
The Pharisees came from Jerusalem to very hour.”
try and rebuke Jesus. This, also, hap-
pened in Galilee. (Matthew 15:27-28)
“Then Jesus went thence, and depart- The above passage demonstrates the
ed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.” principle which is in the Old Testament
prophecies: non-Israelites who believe in
(Matthew 15:21) Jesus Christ can also partake of the bread
This is the first time, since the begin- Jesus Christ at the table of Israel. They
ning of His ministry, that we find Jesus can become Christians and have the
left what was called Galilee and went to advantage that Israel was promised to
Tyre and Sidon. These cities are about 50 have.
miles north and west of Galilee which is “And Jesus departed from thence, and
even further away from Jerusalem. came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and
“And, behold, a woman of Canaan (a went up into a mountain, and sat
non-Israelite) came out of the same down there.
coasts, and cried unto him, saying, And great multitudes came unto
Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of him....”
David; my daughter is grievously
vexed with a devil. (Matthew 15:29-30)
But be answered her not a word. And We are told here that Jesus left
his disciples came and besought him, Galilee. Keep in mind that Jesus' ministry
saying, Send her away; for she crieth was in Galilee. He had become so well
known by His preaching and miracles

10

that even the Pharisees from Jerusalem And Jesus answered and said unto
came to Galilee to try to trap and rebuke him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bagona:
Him. After this, Jesus left Galilee and for flesh and blood hath not revealed
went in among some non-Israelitish peo- it unto thee, but my Father which is in
ple, where He then demonstrated that heaven.
non-Israelites can come under the bond of And I say also unto thee, That thou
the covenant by belief in Jesus Christ. art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church; and the gates of hell
Christ still has not gone to Jerusalem. shall not prevail against it.”
It almost appears that the non-Israelites
were more important to Him than the peo- (Matthew 16:14-18)
ple in the city of Jerusalem. I should mention in passing that this is
not the rock upon which the Catholic
After performing more miracles in Church is founded. This Rock is the Rock
Galilee, Jesus moved on: of truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
“And he sent away the multitude, and of God. His church will be built upon that
took ship, and came into the coasts of Rock.
Magdala.” “And I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoev-
(Matthew 15:39) er thou shalt bind on earth shall be
“The Pharisees also with the bound in heaven: and whatsoever
Sadducees came, and tempting thou shalt loose on earth shall be
desired him that he would shew them loosed in heaven.
a sign from heaven.” Then charged he his disciples that
they should tell no man that he was
(Matthew 16:1) Jesus the Christ.”
“When Jesus came into the coasts of
Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disci- (Matthew 16:19-20)
ples, saying, Whom do men say that I All of this revelation goes into great
the Son of man am?” detail that Jesus is the Christ, the
Messiah of Israel who was to come. This
(Matthew 16:13) was all done through Jesus' ministry in
If you look at a map you will see that Galilee, and prior to His going to
Caesarea was on the Mediterranean, Jerusalem.
across from Galilee, over 50 miles north- “From that time forth began Jesus to
west of Jerusalem. Jesus had come closer shew unto his disciples, how that he
to Jerusalem, but was still some distance must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer
from it. many things of the elders and chief
“And they said, Some say that thou art priests and scribes, and be killed, and
John the Baptist: some, Elias; and be raised again the third day.”
others, Jeremias, or one of the
prophets. He saith unto them, But (Matthew 16:21)
whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the liv-
ing God.

11

The first mention of Jesus going the Son of man be three days and
to Jerusalem was when He told three nights in the heart of the earth.
His disciples that He must go The men of Nineveh shall rise in judg-
there so that He could be killed ment with this generation, and shall
by the Pharisees. condemn it: because they repented at
the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a
Apparently, Jesus' ministry had greater than Jonas is here.”
become so well known that the Pharisees
from Jerusalem went to Galilee to try and (Matthew 12:38-41)
trap Him. The word "generation" used here is
“The Pharisees also with the from the Greek word "genea" which
Sadducees came, and tempting means "origin," it could, also, be translat-
desired him that he would shew them ed "race." So, what Jesus was saying was
a sign from heaven. He answered and that an evil and adulterous RACE seeketh
said unto them, When it is evening, ye after a sign; and there shall no sign be
say, It will be fair weather: for the sky given it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.
is red. In saying this to them, Christ is saying
And in the morning, It will be foul that they are a race different from Israel.
weather to day: for the sky is red and They were not Israelites to whom Christ
lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can dis- was speaking. In fact, many of us believe
cern the face of the sky; but can ye not that those Pharasees were Edomites.
discern the signs of the times? Therefore they were not the covenant peo-
A wicked and adulterous generation ple, but instead the enemies of Israel, just
seeketh after a sign; and there shall as their descendants are today.
no sign be given unto it, but the sign of The Israelites in Galilee believed the
the prophet Jonas. And he left them, teachings and miracles of Jesus. The
and departed.” Pharisees would believe none of it. That is
why Jesus told them they would receive
(Matthew 16:1-4) one sign which they would have to believe.
This was the second time Jesus had That sign would be His death and resur-
spoken these words to the Jewish rection.
Pharisees, as recorded in Matthew. The Jesus spent His life and ministry wit-
first instance is in the twelfth chapter of nessing to Israel in Galilee. Only His
Matthew: death and resurrection was accomplished
“Then certain of the scribes and of the in Jerusalem, as a sign which the Jews
Pharisees answered, saying, Master, had to believe.
we would see a sign from thee. “And after six days Jesus taketh
But he answered and said unto them, Peter, James, and John his brother,
An evil and adulterous generation and bringeth them up into an high
seeketh after a sign; and there shall mountain apart, And was transfig-
no sign be given to it, but the sign of ured before them: and his face did
the prophet Jonas: . shine as the sun, and his raiment was
For as Jonas was three days and three white as the light.”
nights in the whale's belly; so shall
(Matthew 17:1-2)

12

Then, in verse 5, they heard the voice The tax gatherers, of whom is spoken
of God which said: in these verses, came to Jesus in
“...This is my beloved Son, in whom I Capernaum, which is in Galilee. Jesus
am well pleased; hear ye him. was a resident of Galilee, and, therefore
And when the disciples heard it, they not subject to the tax of the stranger. This
fell on their face, and were sore is another proof that Jesus was a citizen.
afraid.” The tax gatherer apparently did not know
Jesus, and assumed he was a stranger.
(Matthew 17:5-6)
As we can see in the following verse, Here is another explanation that
the transfiguration took place in Galilee. makes sense: Jesus spent at least part of
“And while they abode in Galilee, His early years, possibly most of the time,
Jesus said unto them, The Son of man from twelve years of age until his early
shall be betrayed into the hands of twenties, in England.
men:
And they shall kill him, and the third There is a legend, substantiated with
day he shail be raised again. And they writings, that Jesus went to England with
were exceeding sorry.” Joseph of Arimathea, who was His uncle
(Mary's brother). We know from historical
(Matthew 17:22-23) evidence that Joseph of Arimathea was an
Following the transfiguration, the official in the Roman government, in
teaching regarding this event took place charge of mining operations. This same
in GaIilee. evidence tells us Joseph had tin mines in
England, and traveled back and forth
between England and Galilee quite often.

“And when they were come to It would be logical to assume, there-
Capernaum, they that received tribute fore, that Joseph would take his nephew,
money came to Peter, and said, Doth Jesus, with him; especially since it
not your master pay tribute? appears that Jesus' earthly father,
He saith, Yes. And when he was come Joseph, died sometime when Jesus was a
into the house, Jesus prevented him, young boy. This is probable, because we do
saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of not read of Christ's father after the
whom do the kings of the earth take gospels.
custom or tribute? of their own chil-
dren, or of strangers? Perhaps another clue can be found in
Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. the following poem by William Blake,
Jesus saith unto him, Then are the 1757-1827
children free.
Notwithstanding, lest we should The Glastonbury Hymn
offend them, go thou to the sea, and
cast an hook, and take up the fish And did those feet in ancient time
that first cometh up; and when: thou Walk upon England's mountains green?
hast opened his mouth, thou shalt
find a piece of money: that take, and And was the Holy Lamb of God
give unto them for me and thee.” On England's pleasant pastures seen?

(Matthew 17:24-27) And did the Countenance Divine

13

Shine forth upon our clouded hills? only other times that Jesus went to
And was Jerusalem builded here Jerusalem.
“This beginning of miracles did Jesus
Among those dark Satanic mills? in Cana of Galilee, and manifested
Bring me my bow of burning gold! forth his glory; and his disciples
believed on him. After this he went
Bring me my arrows of desire! down to Capernaum, he, and his
Bring me my spear! O clouds unfold! mother, and his brethren, and his dis-
ciples: and they continued there not
Bring me my Charlot of Fire! many days.
I will not cease from mental fight, And the Jews' (Judeans') passover
was at hand. and Jesus went up to
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, Jerusalem,
Till I have built Jerusalem And found in the temple those that
sold oxen and sheep and doves, and
In England's green and pleasant land. the changers of money sitting:
And when he had made a scourge of
So, if Jesus did spend His early years small cords, he drove them all out of
in England, that would explain why the the temple, and the sheep, and the
tax gatherers came to Him to collect the oxen; and poured out the changers'
head tax on aliens. However, Jesus told money, and overthrew the tables; And
Peter that He was not an alien, that He said unto them that sold doves, Take
was free because He was a citizen. This is these things hence; make not my
another indication in the gospel of Father's house an house of merchan-
Matthew that Jesus was from Galilee. dise.”
“And it came to pass, that when Jesus
had finished these sayings, he depart- (John 2:11-16)
ed from Galilee, and came into the It is possible, from reading these
coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; accounts, that Jesus overthrew the tables
And great multitudes followed him; of the money changers everytime He went
and he healed them there.” to Jerusalem. It is possible because this
occurance is told of several times, in
(Matthew 19:1-2) slightly different ways, in the four
Jesus was now healing people in gospels.
Judea, although still not in Jerusalem. Most Bible scholars insist that Christ
“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem did this only once, just before His captivi-
took the twelve disciples apart in the ty and death. But, here it appears He did
way, and said unto them, this shortly after performing His first mir-
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem: and acle in Cana of Galilee. This would have
the Son of man shall be betrayed unto occurred during the first year of His min-
the chief priests and unto the scribes, istry, instead of during the third.
and they shall condemn him to death. In any case, one thing that He did,
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles when He went to Jerusalem for the
to mock. and to scourge. and to cruci- passover, was to throw the money chang-
fy him: and the third day he shall rise
again.”

(Matthew 20:17-19)
Jesus repeated that the final thing to
happen to Him (His death and resurrec-
tion) was to take place in Jerusalem. John
recorded what were apparently annual
visits to the city of Jerusalem, during
passover. These annual visits were the

14

ers out of the temple. This was the only After this we read of His miracles, and
act of wrath or physical violence recorded then in the fifth chapter we read:
of Jesus in all of the gospels. “After this there was a feast of the
Jews; and Jesus went up to
Speaking of Nicodemus we read in Jerusalem.”
chapter three of John:
“There was a man of the Pharisees. (John 5:1)
named Nicodemus. a ruler of the Then follows the recording of more
Jews: miracles in Jerusalem. Again, it seems
The same came to Jesus by night, and that this trip to Jerusalem would have
said unto him, Rabbi, we know that occurred each year, only during the feast
thou art a teacher come from God: for days. The temple in Jerusalem was still
no man can do these miracles that the legal temple for Israel. Jesus was ful-
thou doest, except God be with him.” filling the law by going to the temple.
However, it appears that during the rest
(John 3:1-2) of the year, Jesus was in Galilee. I do not
Nicodemus is admitting that Jesus want you to think that Jesus never went
must be from God. Then follows Christ's to Jerusalem. He went there in order to
well-known conversation with Nicodemus fulfill the law.
concerning the kingdom of heaven. Jesus came to Jerusalem with his dis-
Moving ahead to verse 22, we read: ciples at the time that He would be put to
“After these things came Jesus and death. This is what happened:
his disciples into the land of Judaea; “Then they sought to take him: but no
and there he tarried with them, and man laid hands on him, because his
baptized.” hour was not yet come.
And many of the people believed on
(John 3:22) him, and said, When Christ cometh,
At this point Jesus was in the land of will he do more miracles than these
Judea with his diciples. Other times, dur- which this man hath done?
ing the passover, He apparently went The Pharisees heard that the people
there alone. murmured such things concerning
“He left Judaea, and departed again him; and the Pharisees and the chief
into Galilee. And he must needs go priests sent officers to take him.”
through Samarla.”
(John 7:30-32)
(John 4:3-4) The Pharisees attempted to capture
We see here that Jesus went back to Jesus in Jerusalem, but each time they
Galilee, this time from Jerusalem. failed.
Following the story of the Samaritan “Then came the officers to the chief
woman, we read: priests and Pharisees; and they said
“Now after two days he departed unto them, Why have ye not brought
thence, and went into Galilee.” him? The officers answered, Never
man spake like this man. Then
(John 4:43) answered them the Pharisees, Are ye

15

also deceived? Have any of the rulers then sent Jesus two disciples,
or of the Pharisees believed on him?” Saying unto them, Go into the village
over against you, and straightway ye
(John 7:45-48) shall find an ass tied, and a colt with
The Pharisees were afraid that their her: loose them, and bring them unto
own soldiers had believed Jesus. This is me.”
evidence, apparently, that none among
the high rulers in Jerusalem believed on (Matthew 21:1-2)
Jesus. This, again, verifies that Christ's Christ rode on the ass to fulfill the
followers were all Galileans. prophecy that He would come into
“But this people wbo knoweth not the Jerusalem lowly and riding on an ass.
law are cursed. Nicodemus saith unto Continuing in Matthew, we read:
them, (he that came to Jesus by night, “And the multitude said, This is Jesus
being one of them,) the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”
Doth our law judge any man, before it
hear him, and know what he doeth?” (Matthew 21:11)
We see here that the people of
(John 7:49-51) Jerusalem, when they saw Jesus, recog-
Nicodemus was, in effect, standing up nized Him and called Him "the prophet of
for Jesus, saying: You cannot condemn Nazareth of Galilee."
Him until you hear Him. Now read what “And Jesus went into the temple of
they answered: God, and cast out all them that sold
“They answered and said unto him, and bought in the temple, and over-
Art thou also of Galilee? Search and threw the tables of the moneychang-
look: for out of Galilee ariseth no ers, and the seats of them that sold
prophet. And every man went unto his doves,
own house.” And said unto them, It is written, My
house shall be called the house of
(John 7:52-53) prayer; but ye have made it a den of
In other words, as soon as anyone thieves. And the blind and the lame
(even someone of Jerusalem) implied they came to him in the temple; and he
might in some way believe in Jesus, the healed them.”
Pharisees immediately looked at him and
asked; are you a Galilean? Again, proof (Matthew 21:12-14)
that practically-everyone who believed in So, here again, Jesus overthrew the
Jesus was a Galilean. The Pharisees tables of the moneychangers, this time
rebuked Nicodemus by accusing him of riding in on an ass. Earlier we read, that
being a Galilean. They would even accuse He apparently went in just before the
one of their own people of being a passover and overthrew the tables of the
Galilean, if he showed any sign of being moneychangers.
friendly to Jesus. Jesus performed miracles in the tem-
“And when they drew nigh unto ple just before His captivity and death.
Jerusalem, and were come to Passing through the chapters that con-
Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, cern Jesus' teachings, we come to

16

Matthew 26 which describes the Last Pharisees admitted to Pilate that Jesus'
Supper. ministry began in GaIilee and then came
“And when they had sung an hymn, to Jerusalem.
they went out into the mount of Olives. “When Pilate heard of Galilee, he
Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye asked whether the man were a
shall be offended because of me this Galilaean.
night: for it is written, I will smite the And as soon as he knew that he
shepherd, and the sheep of the flock belonged unto lIerod's jurisdiction, he
shall be scattered abroad. sent him to Herod, who himself also
But after I am risen again, I will go was at Jerusalem at that time.”
before you into Galilee.”
(Luke 23:6-7)
(Matthew 26:30-32) Many often wonder why Pilate sent
Jesus was in Jerusalem about to be Jesus to Herod. It was because Herod was
put to death. What was He telling His dis- the ruler of GaIilee:
ciples? He told them that as soon as His “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign
execution was accomplished, He would go of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate
back to Galilee. being governor of Judaea, and Herod
Jesus was taken captive by the being tetrarch of Galilee. . . .”
Pharisees at night, then tried the next
morning. (Luke 3:1)
“And the whole multitude of them Jesus was a citizen of Galilee and,
arose, and led him unto Pilate. therefore, under the jurisdiction of Herod.
And they began to accuse him, saying, Herod, of course, found no fault in Christ
We found this fellow perverting the and sent Him back to Pilate. The final
nation, and forbidding to give tribute trial had to be in Jerusalem because it
to Caesar, saying that he himself is was in Jerusalem that He was accused of
Christ a King. committing the crime of saying, He was
And Pilate asked him, saying, Art the Son of God. We do the same thing
thou the King of the Jews? today, of course; the trial is always held
And he answered him and said, Thou where the crime is committed.
sayest it. Then said Pilate to the chief So, the apparent crime, that Jesus was
priests and to the people, I find no accused of committing, occurred in
fault in this man. Jerusalem. However, He was, as evi-
And they were the more fierce, saying, denced here, a citizen of Galilee.
He stirreth up the people, teaching “Now Peter sat without in the palace:
throughout all Jewry, beginning from and a damsel came unto him, saying,
Galilee to this place.” Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
But he denied before them all, saying,
(Luke 23:1-5) I know not what thou sayest. . .
Notice, in verse three, that Jesus did And when he was gone out into the
not say He was "king of the Jews." He porch, another maid saw him, and
merely agreed that Pilate had called Him said unto them that were there, This
by that title. Note, also, that even the

17

fellow was also with Jesus of Jesus was then taken before Pilate,
Nazareth. condemned, turned back over to the
And again he denied with an oath, I Pharisees, and crucified.
do not know the man. And after a
while came unto him they that stood In Luke 23, we find Jesus on the cross:
by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also “And all his acquaintance, and the
art one of them; for thy speech women that followed him from
bewrayeth (or betrayeth) thee.” Galilee, stood afar off, beholding
these things.”
(Matthew 26:69-73)
Here we find that the speech of the (Luke 23:49)
Galileans was, apparently, different from After Christ's death, Joseph came and
that of the people of Jerusalem. Peter was claimed the body and buried Him. Then
recognized as a Galilean by his speech. we read:
This incident is again related in the twen- “And the women also, which came
ty second chapter of Luke: with him from Galilee, followed after,
“And about the space of one hour after and beheld the sepulchre, and how
another confidently affirmed, saying, his body was laid.
Of a truth this fellow also was with And they returned, and prepared
him: for he is a Galilaean.” spices and ointments; and rested the
sabbath day according to the com-
(Luke 22:59) mandment.”

Consider this if you will: (Luke 23:55-56)
His body was cared for by the women
The people who were holding Jesus from Galilee, according to the custom. In
captive were saying: this man is a the twenty-eighth chapter of Matthew, is
Galilean, we can tell by his speech and, a description of the events following the
therefore, since he is a Galilean, he must resurrection and the discovery, of the
be a follower of Jesus. I believe it is plain empty tomb:
what this means, that ONLY Galileans “And the angel answered and said
followed Jesus Christ and that ALL unto the women, Fear not ye: for I
Galileans followed Jesus Christ. Have you know that ye seek Jesus, which was
ever thought of the implications of this — crucified.
that none in Jerusalem were His follow- He is not here: for he is risen, as he
ers? Even His captors said: here is a said. Come, see the place where the
Galilean — we can tell by His speech. I Lord lay.
wonder how many descendants of those And go quickly, and tell his disciples
Galilean Israelites, today, can be recog- that he is risen from the dead; and,
nized by their speech as being different behold, he goeth before you into
from the New York Jews, who are descen- Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I
dants of the Pharisees. I think a lot of have told you.
them can. The same racial difference stilI And they departed quickly from the
prevails. One can still tell the Israelites sepulchre with fear and great joy; and
from the descendants of the Pharisees.

18

did run to bring his disciples word. chapter 1, after Jesus told them of the
And as they went to tell his disciples, things pertaining to the kingdom, we read
behold, Jesus met them, saying, All of the ascension:
hail. And they came and held him by “And while they looked stedfastly
the feet, and worshipped him. toward heaven as he went up. behold.
Then said Jesus unto them, Be not two men stood by them in white
afraid: go tell my brethren that they apparel;
go into Galilee, and there shall they Which also said. Ye men of Galilee.
see me.” why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
this same Jesus. which is taken up
(Matthew 28:5-10) from you into heaven. shall so come in
Where would Jesus first appear to His like manner as ye have seen him go
Galilean disciples after His resurrection? into heaven.”
Not in Jerusalem or Judea, but in Galilee.
In concluding the book of Matthew, we (Acts 1:10-11)
read: The messengers who stood beside the
“Then the eleven disciples went away disciples, as Jesus ascended into heaven,
into Galilee, into a mountain where called those believers "ye men of Galilee."
Jesus had appointed them. . “Then returned they unto Jerusalem
And when they saw him, they wor- from the mount called Olivet. which is
shipped him: but some doubted. from Jerusalem a sabbath day's jour-
And Jesus came and spake unto them, ney.”
saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. (Acts 1:12)
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, The disciples went back to Jerusalem
baptizing them in the name of the as instructed by Jesus in verse 8, where
Father, and of the Son, and of the He told them:
Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe “But ye shall receive power, after that
all things whatsoever I have com- the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and
manded you: and, lo, I am with you ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
alway, even unto the end of the world. Jerusalem. and in all Judrea, and in
Amen.” Samaria, and unto the uttermost part
of the earth.”
(Matthew 28:16-20)
Isn't that something! Jesus, the (Acts 1:8)
Galilean gave the great commission to His Their ministry, after Jesus' death and
Galilean disciples in Galilee. Isn't it resurrection was to begin in Jerusalem. In
strange that today, when we think of the second chapter of Acts, the disciples
Jesus and His ministry we, almost invari- were in the city of Jerusalem, beginning
ably, think of the city of Jerusalem? Yet what we call the church age.
very little took place in Jerusalem, except “And they were all filled with the Holy
Jesus' death and resurrection, and a cer- Ghost. and began to speak with other
tain amount of healing in the temple. tongues, as the Spirit gave them utter-
Following the resurrection, the book of ance. . .
Acts begins the story of the church. In

19

Behold. are not all these which speak So, Galilee is remembered for the
Galileans?” teaching and the healing, and Jerusalem
is remembered for the crucifixion, the
(Acts 2:4 & 7) death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Who spoke in other tongues (or lan-
guages)? The first Holy Ghost Christians Jesus is called "Jesus of Nazareth"
were Galileans. The next time that some- seven times in the book of Acts, including
one tells you that Jesus' disciples were all Acts 22:8, where Jesus speaks to Paul in
Jews, tell him to read Acts 2:7; that he the first person and says of himself, "I am
might see for himself that the disciples Jesus of Nazareth."
who were given the baptism of the Holy
Ghost, were all Galileans. Isn't it strange that all we hear from
The early church began in Jerusalem, the churches today is that Jesus is a Jew?
and then in Judea and Samaria, and later Yet He is called a Galilean, a Nazarene
spread to the ends of the earth. It was car- and Jesus of Nazareth scores of times in
ried by Galileans. In Acts, chapter ten, we the New Testament. The thirteenth chap-
read about Peter and Cornelius in ter of Acts contains the last mention of the
Caesarea: word "Galilean" in the New Testament. In
“Then Peter opened his mouth. and this case Paul has been converted and is
said. Of a truth I perceive that God is preaching:
no respecter of persons: “Then Paul stood up, and beckoning
But in every nation he that feareth with his hand said, Men of Israel, and
him. and worketh righteousness. is ye that fear God, give audience. . . .”
accepted with him.
The word which God sent unto the (Acts 13:16)
children of Israel. preaching peace by “And when they had fulfilled all that
Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) was written of him, they took him
That word, I say, ye know, which was down from the tree, and laid him in a
published throughout all Judrea, and supulchre.
began from Galilee, after the baptism But God raised him from the dead:
which John preached;” And he was seen many days of them
which came up with him from Galilee
(Acts 10:34-37) to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses
The above is verification by Peter that unto the people.”
the ministry began in Galilee.
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 13:29-31)
with the Holy Ghost and with power: From that phrase, in verse twenty-
who went about doing good, and heal- nine, we would almost-assume that only
ing all that were oppressed of the Galileans saw Jesus after His resurrec-
devil; for God was with him. tion; during the forty days that He taught
And we are witnesses of all things them. The manner in which the word
which he did both in the land of the "Galilee" is used here would imply that
Jews. and in Jerusalem; whom they Jesus showed Himself only to Galileans
slew and hanged on a tree:” after His resurrection.
Today, of course, there are not any
(Acts 10:38-39) Galileans in the world. Doyou know any-

20

one who is of the Galileans? Perhaps the (2) Until He was a young man of thir-
reason you do not is because there was a ty, He, apparently, spent most of his life in
change of name. Galilee. He was baptized in Jordan of
“Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, Judea; He was tempted in the wilderness
for to seek Saul: of Judea, but He began preaching in
And when he had found him, he Galilee. His first miracle was in Galilee.
brought him unto Antioch. And it
came to pass, that a whole year they (3) He was prophesied by Isaiah to be
assembled themselves with the made manifest to Israel in Galilee, which
church, and taught much people. And He was. Israel believed on Him in Galilee.
the disciples were called Christians He chose His disciples in Galilee. When
first in Antioch.” He went to Jerusalem once a year, He did
perform some miracles and healings and
(Acts 11:25-26) some teaching, but He, also, performed
Here we see they lost their name of the only act of rage recorded in the Bible
Galileans (by which they were known by in Jerusalem when He cast out the mon-
all during Jesus' lifetime and ministry), eychangers out of the temple.
and, instead, they were called CHRIS-
TIANS. (4) The Pharisees, in derision, called
Today, where would these Israelite one of their own by the name "Galilean,"
descendants of Galileans be found? They when he spoke favorably of Jesus. Jesus
would have to be among the people called spoke of Jerusalem only as the place of
by their new name, CHRISTIANS! His death and resurrection. When He told
Galileans, not Jews, became Christians! His disciples of that death and resurrec-
tion, He told them afterwards that He
would see them in Galilee.

It is important we realize the (5) While He was held captive, His
teaching that Jesus was a Jew, enemies suspected Peter of being a follow-
and that the disciples were er simply because Peter was a Galilean.
Jews is spurious. The others of His followers who watched
H~m die are identified as Galileans. After
Perhaps the enemies of Christ have His resurrection He told the women that
been able to fool us by not ...pointing out He would meet His disciples in Galilee,
the true meaning or identity of the word which He did.
Galilean.
(6) At His ascension into heaven the
(1) First of all, Jesus' home was angels called His disciples, "Ye men of
Nazareth of Galilee, so He was called a Galilee." At Pentecost, all of the disciples
Nazarene. His childhood was spent in who spoke in tongues were identified as
Galilee for the most part. The exceptions Galileans and as Jesus' witnesses.
would be His annual passover visits to
Jerusalem, the time when he was twelve Yes, the witnessing did begin in
and was left behind in the temple, and, Jerusalem, but the witnesses were identi-
possibly, the time he spent in England fied as Galileans. Some may ask: why did
(according to tradition, not Scripture). the witnessing begin in Jerusalem? Why
did Jesus testify, witness and perform

21

some miracles in Jerusalem? Also, why However, other than these events in
did the Galilean disciples begin their min- Jerusalem and, of course, the casting out
istry in Jerusalem? The answer is found of the moneychangers from the temple,
in the fifteenth chapter of John. This Jesus spent His time in Galilee, as a
chapter is part of a long teaching dis- Galilean. He testified to Galileans, His
course by Jesus Christ to the disciples, followers were Galileans, and He was
before His captivity and death. Speaking referred to as a Galilean.
of why He had come to Jerusalem, Jesus
says, among other things: I do hope and pray that this informa-
“If I had not come and spoken unto tion can be used by you to help you under-
them, they had not had sin: but now stand, that when you are told that Jesus
they have no cloak for their sin.” was a Jew, and that His disciples were
Jews, there is no basis in Scripture for
(John 15:22) this claim.
It was necessary (in God's mercy and
righteousness), that Christ testify, wit- Study the origin of these people--who
ness, perform miracles, and carry out His they were and where they carne from--and
death and resurrection in the presence of what Jesus did during His earthly min-
the enemies of Israel (the Jewish istry and where He did it. May God use
Pharisees), so that they would have "no this study to give us a better understand-
cloak (or excuse) for their sins." They had ing as we worship Jesus Christ, the
to witness the sign that Jesus Christ said Galilean.
the Pharisees would be given; that is, His
death, three days in the tomb, and His Pastor Emry
resurrection. _______________

22