The Life of Christ, Period of Inauguration

This embraces 15 months, from the Baptism of Jesus to the Rejection at Nazareth, and contains the record of five journeys. Its places are as follows: 1. Nazareth, already located. 2. Bethabara was formerly supposed to be the ancient Beth-Nimrah, now Nimrin, on a small stream east of the Jordan, not far from the Dead Sea. But Conder locates it at Abarah, a ford of the Jordan above Beth-shean, and near the Sea of Galilee. 3. "The Wilderness" is probably the uninhabited region of Judæa near the Dead Sea, though it may have been the desert far to the south. 4. Cana is located at Kefr Kenna, northeast of Nazareth, though Dr. Robinson places it at Kana el Jelil, 9 miles north of Nazareth. 5. Capernaum was probably at Khan Minyeh, on the west of the Sea of Galilee, though long located at Tell Hum, on the north. 6. Jerusalem. 7. Sychar, the ancient Shechem, now Nablus, beside Mount Gerizim. The journeys of this period are named, each from its leading event.

1. The Baptism. (From Nazareth to Bethabara.) Near the close of John the Baptist's ministry, Jesus left his carpenter shop at Nazareth, and journeyed down the Jordan Valley to Bethabara. There he was baptized by John, and received from heaven the testimony of his sonship. (Matt. 3:13-17.)

2. The Temptation. (From Bethabara to the Wilderness and return.) (1.) Immediately after his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the Wilderness, where he fasted 40 days, and overcame the temptations of Satan. (Matt. 4:1-11.) (2.) Returning to Bethabara, he received the testimony of John the Baptist, and met his earliest followers, Andrew and Peter, John, Philip, and Nathanael. (John 1:37-50.)
3. The Marriage at Cana. (Bethabara to Cana and Capernaum.) (1.) Jesus left Bethabara, journeyed up the Jordan Valley to Galilee, and over the mountains to Cana, near Nazareth. Here he was present at a wedding, and wrought his first miracle, turning the water into wine. (2.) Thence, with his mother and brothers,[105] he went down to Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee, and remained a few days. (John 2:1-12.)

4. The First Passover. (Capernaum to Jerusalem.) (1.) Soon after the wedding feast Jesus went up to Jerusalem, probably by way of the Jordan Valley, to attend the first Passover of his ministry. (John 2:13.) (2.) At Jerusalem he asserted his authority by cleansing the Temple from the traders. (John 2:14-22.) (3.) He held the conversation with Nicodemus concerning the new birth, and remained for a time in Judæa, gathering a few disciples, yet not making his ministry prominent, while his forerunner was still preaching. (John 3:1-36.)

5. The Return to Galilee. (Jerusalem to Sychar and Cana.) (1.) As soon as the teaching of John the Baptist was ended by his imprisonment, Jesus left Judæa to open his own public ministry. (2.) He went through Samaria, and paused at Jacob's well for the conversation with the Samaritan woman, and then remained at Sychar, the ancient Shechem, two days. (3.) At Cana, the place of his earlier miracle, he spoke the word of healing for a nobleman's son, who was sick at Capernaum. (John 4:1-54.)

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