May 31, 2020
After travelling and teaching around Galilee, Jesus returned to his home in Capernaum where earlier he had moved the family (Matt. 4:12, 13). Hearing Jesus was at home, people came from all over the region to hear him and packed his house so full, there wasn’t even room outside (Mark 2:1, 2)! People will...
May 24, 2020
As Jesus travelled through Galilee, a man came to him with a skin disease called leprosy (Gr. lepra, ‘scaliness, to peel, flake’). Leprosy was a bacterial infection producing skin lesions and nerve damage which, over time, created disfigurement. Leprosy was the most feared condition in the ancient world as it had no...
May 17, 2020
As a rabbi, Jesus often taught in the synagogue in Capernaum where he lived. Synagogues were Jewish places of prayer and teaching that developed during the exile while Jews lived outside Israel. Being prohibited from work on the Sabbath (Saturday), Jews came to the synagogue to be taught and connect with God and others...
May 10, 2020
The village of Nain was an unimportant stop near a major trade route going north to south through Israel. Jesus was travelling south from Capernaum and decided to stop at Nain and preach there (Luke 4:43). Jesus was from Nazareth—a town not much larger than Nain a couple miles across the valley—and knew that...
May 3, 2020
After his baptism, Jesus began his ministry teaching people about the Kingdom of God (Matt. 4:17). While he travelled through Israel, Jesus preached about the truth of God and healed to show the power of God. Though some followed him because of his power as a miracle-worker, most packed around him because of his power...