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A Chronological Framework for the Public Ministry of Jesus Christ

Part 4: Year Two of Jesus’ Ministry


Introduction
As we have already seen, Jesus traveled north into Galilee after His
temptation in the wilderness, visiting Cana and Capernaum before
traveling south to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. After his
confrontation with the money-changers and His secret meeting with
Nicodemus, Jesus spent time in the countryside of Judea with his first
disciples. The Gospel of John then offers us John the Baptist’s beautiful
description of the Messiah as he reflects on his encounter with Him.
Having completed His early Judean ministry, Jesus then turned His eyes
to the north again – to Galilee – where He entered into what we now
know as his Early Galilean and Middle Galilean Ministries.

© 2015 by The Jackson Institute


Proponents of the 3½ Year View
• Melito of Sardis (A.D. 160-170-177): Bishop of Sardis who flourished
during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. He probably knew Polycarp and
Irenaeus, and perhaps met Tatian. He was called “the philosopher,”
was single, and became a martyr, probably under Marcus Aurelius
(A.D. 161-180) around A.D. 177. He “lived entirely in the Holy Spirit
and lies in Sardis, awaiting the call from heaven when he will rise
from the dead.”
• Eusebius (c. A.D. 260-340): Bishop of Caesarea (Caesarea Maritima,
or Caesarea-by-the-Sea). Played a prominent part in the Counsel of
Nicaea in A.D. 325. Wrote Life of Constantine (died on May 22, 337
A.D.), whom he admired. Eusebius died in A.D. 340 at the age of 80.
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
Proponents of the 3½ Year View
• George Ogg (1887-unknown): His PhD thesis
presented to the University of St. Andrews in
1936. Published by Cambridge Press in 1940.
• A.T. Robertson (1863-1934): New Testament
Greek scholar and author of A Harmony of the
Gospels.
• William Hendriksen (1900-1982): Scholar,
theologian, linguist, and author of the New
Testament Commentary (completed by Dr.
Simon Kistemaker).
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
Proponents of the 3½ Year View
• Donald Guthrie (1916-1992): British New
Testament scholar and author of New
Testament Theology and New Testament
Introduction. From 1949 to 1982, Guthrie was
lecturer in New Testament studies at London
Bible College (now London School of Theology).
• Harold W. Hoehner (1935-2009): Distinguished
professor of New Testament studies, Dallas
Theological Seminary. ThD, Dallas Seminary;
PhD, Cambridge University. Died after a
morning run on February 12, 2009, at 74.
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
A CHRONOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST

PREPARATION JESUS’ PUBLIC MINISTRY SACRIFICE

John the Baptist

John’s Preaching
OBSCURITY POPULARITY OPPOSITION

John Replies to
Questioners
Extended Ministries


John’s Messianic
Preaching Early Specialized
Ministries Ministry
John’s Opening Concluding Ministries
Imprisonment Events

Baptism of Jesus
4 months 8 months 4 months 10 months
Genealogy of Early Judean Early Galilean Middle Galilean Later Galilean Later Judean Perean
Jesus
First Year Second Year Third Year

Annual
 John 2:13  John 5:1  John 6:4  John 11:55
Passovers

© 2015 by The Jackson Institute


Jesus’ Transition from Judea to Galilee
• Matthew: “Now when He heard that John had been taken into
custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came
and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of
Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through
Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the
Gentiles. The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light,
and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon
them a light dawned’” (Mt. 4:12-13; cf. Is. 9:1-3).
• Mark: “And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into
Galilee , preaching the gospel of God” (Mark 1:14).
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
Zebulun Naphtali
10th son of Jacob 5th son of Jacob
6th son of Leah 2nd born to Bilhah
Zebulun received a small (Rachel’s handmaid)
allotment located in the Naphtali settled most of
southwest hills of Lower the mountainous,
Galilee that extended forested terrain of Galilee
into the Jezreel Valley adjoining Asher on the
Impossible to define the west & the Sea of Galilee
boundaries exactly and the Jordan River on
(Joshua 19:10-16) the east.
(Joshua 19:32-39)
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
Jesus’ Transition from Judea to Galilee
• Luke: “And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and
news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He
began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all” (Lk. 4:14).
• John: “He left Judea, and departed into Galilee. And He had to pass
through Samaria” (Jn. 4:3).
• All four Gospel writers report that after Jesus had completed his early
Judean ministry in Jerusalem and in the surrounding area, He turned
His eyes northward and began His journey toward the district that
would be the center of His ministry activities for the next 16 months –
Galilee.
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
William Hendriksen

“Between Christ’s baptism and temptation,


on the one hand (Mark 1:9-13), and his
arrival in Galilee, recorded here in verse 14,
on the other, there may well have been a
time interval of about a year.”

© 2015 by The Jackson Institute


“And He had to pass through Samaria. So
He came to a city of Samaria, called
Sychar, near the parcel of ground that
Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s
well was there” (Jn. 4:4-6a).

© 2015 by The Jackson Institute


From Samaria to Galilee

“And after the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus
Himself testified, that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So
when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all
the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves
also went to the feast” (Jn. 4:43-45).

© 2015 by The Jackson Institute


Early Galilean Ministry: c. 4 months
1. Samaritan Woman at the Well (Jn. 4:4-42) [Jan/Feb AD 31]
2. Ministry in Galilee (John 4:43-46)
3. Jesus’ Preaching at Nazareth (Lk. 4:16-30)
4. The Call of the Disciples (Mt. 4:18-22; Mk. 1:16-20)
5. Healing Demoniac and Peter’s Mother-in-law (Lk. 4:31-37)
6. Jesus Leaves Capernaum to Preach in Other Cities (Mk. 1:35-38; Lk.
4:42-44)
7. The Miraculous Draught of Fish (Lk. 5:1-11)
8. The Cleansing of the Leper (Mk. 1:40-45)
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
Early Galilean Ministry
9. Healing of the Paralytic (Mk. 2:1-12; Lk. 5:17-26)
10. Call of Levi (Matthew) (Mk. 2:13-17; Lk. 5:27-32)
11. Question about Fasting (Mk. 2:2:18-22; Lk. 5:33-39)
12. Plucking Grain on the Sabbath (Mk. 2:23-28; Lk. 6:1-5) [Second
Passover: between Passovers mentioned in John 2:13 and 6:4]. “In
the Synoptic Gospels there is recorded the incident of the disciples
plucking grain (Mt. 12:1; Mk. 2:23; Lk. 6:1) which would point to the
harvest a year earlier. On the other hand the Passover of John 2:13
is too early for the incident of the disciples plucking grain for John
2:13 occurred shortly after He had been baptized…” (Hoehner).
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
Middle Galilean Ministry
1. Man with the Withered Hand (Mk. 3:1-6; Lk. 6:6-11)
2. Jesus Heals Multitudes by the Sea (Mk. 3:7-12)
3. The Choosing of the Twelve (Mk. 3:13-19; Lk. 6:12-16)
4. The Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:1-7:29)
5. The Spread of Christ’s Influence and the Inquiry from John in Prison
6. The Second Tour of Galilee with the Twelve and the Intense
Hostility of the Pharisees
7. First Parables
8. The Third Tour of Galilee Following the Twelve

© 2015 by The Jackson Institute


Middle Galilean Ministry
9. Death of John the Baptist (Mt. 14:3-12)
10. Feeding of the 5,000 (Mt. 14:13-21)
11. Walking on the Water (Mt. 14:22—33)
12. Healings at Gennesaret (Mt. 14:34-36)
13. The Bread of Life (John 6:26-59)
14. Defilement – Traditional and Real (Mt. 15:1-20)
15. Jesus retreats for Tyre and Sidon. “And Jesus went away from there,
and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon” (Mt. 15:21). This is
the beginning of the Later Galilean Ministry.
© 2015 by The Jackson Institute
Three Stages
There are three distinguishable stages in the history of the disciples’
fellowship with Jesus:
1. They were simply believers in Him as the Christ and occasionally
accompanied Him when it was convenient and during times of
celebration.
2. They were present with Him most of the time, abandoning their
secular occupations when necessary.
3. They were chosen by their Master from the masses of followers to
be Apostles.

© 2015 by The Jackson Institute


James Engel’s Spiritual-Decision Process
God’s Role Communicator’s Role Man’s Response
General Revelation -8 Awareness of Supreme Being but no Effective Knowledge of Gospel
Conviction Proclamation -7 Initial Awareness of Gospel

-6 Awareness of Fundamentals of Gospel


-5 Grasp of Implications of Gospel
-4 Positive Attitude Toward Gospel
-3 Personal Problem Recognition
-2 DECISION TO ACT
Persuasion -1 Repentance and Faith in Christ

REGENERATION NEW CREATURE


Sanctification Follow-up +1 Post-Decision Evaluation
Cultivation +2 Incorporation into Body
+3 Conceptual and Behavioral Growth
+4 Communion with God
+5 Stewardship

 Reproduction

Internally (gifts, etc.)


 Externally (witness, social action, etc.)
ETERNITY

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