"Jesus the Messiah Returns"
ISBN 1-59196-730-9 at Barnes and Noble .com

 The Great Galilean Crisis

Many of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said to them, Does this offend you? What and if you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore I said to you, that no man can come to me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him..... Then said Jesus to the twelve, Will you also go away ? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? you have the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. ...John 6:60-71.

 Jesus becomes a fugitive and a wanderer

After this Jesus went about in Galilee; He would not go about in Judea because the Jews sought to kill him. ...John 7:1 ... ( This great crisis closes Jesus' public work in Galilee.)

  Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were ( spies ) from Jerusalem, saying, Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But you say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever you might be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people draw close to me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.... Matthew 15:1-9

  Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour your father and thy mother; and, Whoever curses father or mother, let him die the death: But you say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, (dedicated to God) that is to say, a gift, by whatever you might be profited by me; he shall be free. And you permit him no more to do anything for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of no effect through your tradition, which you have delivered: and many such like things do you. .. Mark 7:9-13

.Jesus calls the people and explains to them

And he called the multitude, and said to them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then came his disciples, and said to him, Did you know that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up...Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch Then answered Peter and said to him, Declare unto us this parable And Jesus said, Are you also yet without understanding? Do not you yet understand, that whatever enters in at the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashed hands defiles not a man.... Matthew 15:1-20

 Syrophoenician woman's daughter healed

Then Jesus went away, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she cries after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not fair to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said to her, O woman, great is your faith: be it unto you even as you will. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.... And he said unto her, For this saying go your way; the devil is gone out of your daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.... Mark 7:29-30

 
The Journey through Decapolis with many healing miracles

  And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring to him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; And the man departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him and all men did marvel. ... Mark 5:14-20 ... Jesus also cured a man of deafness along the coastal region of Decapolis: (Mark 7:31-35 )

 At the start of His ministry, The Lord was very popular in the region of Decapolis: (Matthew 4:24-25 )  Decapolis is derived from the Greek word meaning Ten Cities (deka meaning ten, and polis meaning a city). and consisted of ten Greco - Roman cities in the land of northern Jordan, Syria and Palestine. It was the region created under Pompey the Great, about 64-63 BC

The 10 cities were Scythopolis, "city of the Scythians" - ancient Bethshean, the only one of the Decapolis located to the west of the Jordan River, Hippus, Gadara (Umm Qais) is near Irbid, about 90 minutes north of Amman by car, on a wind-swept hilltop overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan Valley.  Gadara commands magnificent views over the northern Jordan Valley, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias), the Yarmouk River gorge and the Golan Heights. On a clear day the snow peak of Mount Hermon is visible. A few kilometers down the hill are the thermal hot springs of Himmeh.. North of Irbid is the ancient but unexcavated Roman city of Abila. Substantial remains of the city are scattered on two adjacent hills. Pella (to which the Christians fled just before the destruction of Jerusalem), on the banks of the Wadi Jirm in the northern Jordan Valley, is still being excavated and restored to its former glory  and is among the largest and most important archaeological sites in the region. Philadelphia  or modern Amman (ancient Rabbath-ammon),  Dion (Adun), Canatha (Kanawat), Damascus, and Raphana (Abila). Jerash, called Gerasa in Roman times, is the most spectacular of these cities important for its strict and well preserved town plan.

  And Jesus departed from there, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up unto a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed made whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel....

 Four Thousand Fed

Then Jesus called his disciples to him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples said unto him, Where should we get so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus said unto them, How many loaves have you? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and broke them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken food that was left seven baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.... Matthew 15:29-38

 
The Coast of Magdala

And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala. The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, When it is evening, you say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O you hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them, and departed...... And when his disciples came to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said to them, O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves, because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? How is it that you do not understand that I spoke it not to you concerning bread, but that you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then they understood how that he told them not to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. .Matt15:39-16:1-12

 
A Blind man of Bethsaida Healed

And he came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town. ... Mark 8:22-26

 Peter's great confession that Jesus is the Messiah

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that you are John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets. He said to them, But whom do you say that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto you, That you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Then he charged his disciples that they should tell no man that he was the Messiah .

 

 

NEXT