Paper 137 Overview: Tarrying Time in Galilee

Paper 137 chronicles the critical transition period between Jesus' baptism and the formal inauguration of his public ministry, a period characterized by deliberate preparation and methodical foundation-building. Following his baptism and wilderness experience, Jesus commenced the systematic selection of his apostolic corps, beginning with Andrew and proceeding through careful choices to assemble his first six apostles—Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip, and Nathaniel—each of whom represented different temperaments and capacities yet demonstrated readiness to embrace this radical new spiritual undertaking. These selections were not impulsive but represented Jesus' strategic discernment of those individuals who could both comprehend and eventually propagate his revolutionary concept of the kingdom of heaven.

The paper further details Jesus' methodical approach to training these chosen representatives through a balanced program of practical service, personal instruction, and periods of normal livelihood. For approximately five months, Jesus established a pattern of alternating fishing for sustenance with periods of ministry, creating an environment where his apostles could gradually assimilate his transformative teachings while maintaining their connection to ordinary life. Throughout this period, Jesus skillfully navigated tensions between his apostles' messianic expectations and his own mission parameters, particularly evident during the wedding at Cana where the transformation of water into wine occurred contrary to his planned approach. The paper culminates with Jesus' seminal sermon on the kingdom, establishing the theological framework for his ministry by presenting the kingdom as a spiritual rather than political reality, thus setting the stage for the more active phase of his public work.

On Saturday, February 23, A.D. 26, Jesus descended from the highlands to rejoin John the Baptist's followers at their encampment near Pella. This day marked a significant transition point, as Jesus began interacting more extensively with the multitudes who had gathered around John's message of repentance and preparation. Jesus demonstrated his compassionate nature through a notable act of service—ministering to an injured boy and personally escorting him back to his parents in the nearby village, foreshadowing the practical benevolence that would characterize his approach to ministry.

This initial day of public engagement established Jesus' pattern of combining spiritual teaching with practical service to those in need. While John the Baptist had emphasized the urgency of repentance through dramatic declarations, Jesus immediately began establishing a ministry characterized by personal engagement and compassionate interaction. This contrast between John's preparatory work and Jesus' fulfillment would become increasingly evident as Jesus assembled his core group of apostles and began revealing the true nature of the kingdom.

Andrew, previously one of John the Baptist's leading disciples, became the first apostle chosen by Jesus after profoundly observing him during their journey to Pella with an injured boy. Impressed by Jesus' manner and teaching, Andrew decisively approached him, saying, "I believe you are the new Teacher, and though I do not understand all your teaching, I have fully made up my mind to follow you." This decisive commitment from a mature, thoughtful individual established the pattern for apostolic selection: Jesus sought those who recognized spiritual truth and were willing to commit to its pursuit despite incomplete understanding.

Andrew immediately sought his brother Simon, a passionate and outspoken fisherman, and brought him to Jesus, who welcomed him as the second apostle with the prophetic statement that he would be called Peter. The following day, James and John Zebedee, who had been searching for Jesus in the hills, returned to find Andrew and Simon already selected as apostles. Initially disappointed at not being chosen first, they approached Jesus, who compassionately explained that they had already been with him "in the spirit of the kingdom" and needed no formal acceptance. With profound wisdom, Jesus addressed their disappointment while affirming their significance to his mission.

These four core apostles, Andrew, Peter, James, and John, represented the foundation of Jesus' intimate circle, each bringing distinct temperaments and abilities to his emerging team. Their selection was concluded with a poignant farewell meeting with John the Baptist, who, with remarkable selflessness, blessed the departure of his two leading disciples to follow Jesus. This transition symbolized the culmination of John's preparatory work and the commencement of Jesus' ministry, with the term "apostle" now designating these specially chosen representatives.

The following day, Sunday, February 24, Jesus formally departed from John the Baptist's company, marking their final physical encounter on earth. This separation precipitated a significant division among John's followers, with some like Ezra rejecting Jesus while others embraced him as the promised Deliverer. As Jesus and his initial four apostles journeyed toward Galilee, they encountered Philip of Bethsaida, whom Jesus directly invited with the simple yet profound command, "Follow me." Philip, who had previously known of Jesus, immediately recognized the significance of this invitation and became the fifth apostle.

Enthusiastic about his newfound commitment, Philip sought out his friend Nathaniel, who was meditating under a nearby mulberry tree. When informed that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Deliverer, Nathaniel responded with his famous skeptical query, "Can any such good thing come out of Nazareth?" Despite this initial hesitation, Nathaniel agreed to meet Jesus, who immediately discerned his character, greeting him as "a genuine Israelite, in whom there is no deceit." Profoundly impressed by Jesus' insight, Nathaniel became the sixth apostle.

Having assembled half of his eventual apostolic corps, Jesus led the group to Nazareth, where he systematically destroyed every vestige of his writing in his boyhood home. This deliberate act fulfilled his pre-bestowal instruction to leave no permanent writing on the planet, demonstrating Jesus' methodical adherence to the parameters of his incarnational mission. This selective destruction of his own intellectual production reveals Jesus' careful adherence to the mission guidelines he had received, even as he began gathering the human representatives who would eventually disseminate his teachings throughout the world.

Jesus next directed his apostles to attend a wedding in Cana while he personally visited his mother in Capernaum, stopping first to see his brother Jude in Magdala. This strategic division allowed Jesus to maintain family connections while providing his newly selected apostles opportunity for social integration as a group. Upon arriving in Capernaum, Jesus displayed a remarkable transformation in demeanor, appearing more cheerful and lighthearted than he had in years, demonstrating the psychological liberation that came with the commencement of his formal ministry after decades of preparation and waiting.

Mary, Jesus' mother, experienced renewed hope upon seeing her son's transformed countenance, interpreting these changes as indications that Gabriel's prophecies concerning her son's messianic destiny were about to be fulfilled. She anticipated that Jesus would soon dramatically reveal himself as the supernatural king of the Jews. However, when questioned about his plans, Jesus simply responded, "It is better that I tarry here for a while; I must do the will of my Father who is in heaven," indicating his submission to divine timing rather than human expectations.

The entire group subsequently traveled to Cana for the wedding of Naomi, an event that generated extraordinary anticipation among Jesus' family and followers. Despite Jesus' repeated warnings against discussing his identity, his apostles quietly spread word of their belief that he was the Deliverer, creating an atmosphere of expectation that he would inaugurate his messianic authority at this public gathering. Mary particularly approached this occasion "in the spirit of the queen mother," anticipating the imminent coronation of her son, revealing the persistent gap between human messianic expectations and Jesus' actual mission parameters.

The wedding at Cana became an unexpectedly significant event in Jesus' early ministry when approximately one thousand guests (four times the number invited) arrived, many seeking to witness this reportedly remarkable Galilean. Jesus participated graciously in the festivities, even leading the preliminary wedding procession, but maintained a careful balance between social engagement and the premature declaration of his mission. As the day progressed, Jesus became increasingly conscious that people expected him to perform some wonder that would validate their concept of messiahship, particularly his family and the six apostles who anticipated a dramatic announcement of the kingdom.

Mary's expectations culminated in a direct approach to Jesus when the wedding feast's wine supply was depleted. When she suggested he resolve this social embarrassment through supernatural intervention, Jesus responded with the sobering statement, "Woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come." This response represented Jesus' conscious resistance to using his divine powers for social convenience or to satisfy human expectations. However, when Mary persisted, Jesus relented, and water in six stone containers was transformed into wine.

The narrative provides crucial clarification that this occurrence was not technically a miracle that violated natural laws but rather resulted from the unique circumstances of Jesus' dual nature. As the Creator Son recently invested with universe sovereignty, Jesus' divine consciousness was still adjusting to the limitations of his human experience. The transformation occurred because of an unintended interaction between Jesus' sympathetic human desire and his divine prerogatives regarding time elimination, as his Personalized Adjuster had previously explained he could not be deprived of his creator prerogative of independence from time. This unintended manifestation of power left Jesus deeply contemplative about the implications for his carefully planned approach to revealing the kingdom.

The day after the wedding, Jesus and the six apostles departed early for Capernaum without formal farewells, indicating Jesus' desire to withdraw from the public attention generated by the wine incident. During this journey, Jesus provided essential guidance regarding their future work, prohibiting mention of the water-to-wine transformation and advising them to avoid the politically sensitive cities of Sepphoris and Tiberias. This guidance reflected Jesus' strategic approach to ministry, avoiding both sensationalism and unnecessary political entanglements that might distract from his spiritual mission.

That evening at Zebedee's home, Jesus conducted a profoundly important conference with his apostles, explaining his identity and mission in terms that proved overwhelmingly challenging to their preconceptions. The apostles, steeped in traditional Jewish expectations of a messianic deliverer who would restore national glory, found themselves unable to comprehend Jesus' description of a spiritual kingdom not associated with political power. So great was their cognitive dissonance that only the contemplative Andrew attempted to respond to Jesus' revolutionary teachings.

Following this difficult encounter, Jesus spent the night in solitary meditation by the lakeshore, confronting the fundamental challenge that would persist throughout his ministry—the gap between his true mission and human expectations. Through this night of reflection, Jesus reached the pivotal realization that he would never fully liberate his followers from their messianic preconceptions. He therefore made the pragmatic decision to proceed with his message as "the fulfillment of John's prediction," working within the conceptual framework available to his contemporaries while gradually introducing the deeper spiritual truths of the kingdom.

On March 2, Jesus made his first formal public appearance after his baptism at the Capernaum synagogue, an event that drew an overflow crowd animated by growing reports about the baptism and the wine transformation at Cana. The audience eagerly anticipated some extraordinary demonstration of supernatural power that would validate their expectations of messianic authority. Instead, Jesus read from Isaiah and made the simple statement, "Be patient and you shall see the glory of God; even so shall it be with all those who tarry with me and thus learn to do the will of my Father who is in heaven," thereby establishing his pattern of emphasizing spiritual receptivity over spectacular displays.

That afternoon, Jesus took his apostles a short distance from shore in a boat to provide more intimate instruction about the kingdom. He emphasized that they should maintain their regular occupations until "the hour of the kingdom comes" and directed them to tell no one about him, establishing a pattern of discipleship characterized by normal life rather than dramatic separation from society. Jesus helped them understand that the kingdom would emerge through "the great change which my Father will have wrought in your hearts," not through political or social revolution.

With remarkable foresight, Jesus prepared his apostles for the challenges ahead, warning that "it will be only through much tribulation that many will enter the kingdom" and that the world would demand miraculous signs as proof of his authority. He established a remarkably balanced view of discipleship that included both spiritual transformation and practical engagement with ordinary life. After returning to shore, Jesus offered a poignant prayer of gratitude for his apostles "who, in spite of their doubts, even now believe." This prayer revealed Jesus' deep understanding of the psychological and spiritual journey his followers were undertaking as they struggled to reconcile their traditional expectations with his revolutionary teachings.

For four crucial months, March through June, Jesus conducted over one hundred teaching sessions with his six apostles and his brother James, creating a deliberate period of preparation before active public ministry. This extended tarrying time proved challenging for the believers, as Jude (Jesus' brother) could seldom attend due to family responsibilities, and Mary nearly despaired as her son's actions failed to match her messianic expectations. This extended period with no dramatic developments tested the faith of all involved, functioning as a necessary crucible for transforming their understanding of Jesus' mission.

These months provided invaluable opportunity for the apostles to develop comfort with Jesus' dual nature—to live with a divine being in human form without being overwhelmed by his divinity. The text notes that "they were held together by his matchless personality and by the gracious words which he spoke to them evening upon evening," highlighting the profound interpersonal foundation being established for the future work of the kingdom. Through his patient teaching, Jesus helped his followers navigate from expectation to understanding, from hoping for dramatic intervention to accepting spiritual transformation.

During this formative period, Jesus also provided his apostles with essential orientation to the complex religious and political landscape of Palestine. He explained the beliefs and practices of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, Herodians, and Samaritans, while making it emphatically clear that "he and his disciples would not become allied to any of these schools of thought or practice." This educational component prepared the apostles to navigate the complex cultural environment they would face while maintaining their distinct identity as representatives of the kingdom. Jesus particularly emphasized a message of inclusive spiritual fellowship, teaching his followers to "show forth love, compassion, and sympathy" while proclaiming the good news of the kingdom.

On Sabbath, June 22, approximately ten days after John the Baptist's imprisonment, Jesus delivered his seminal sermon on the kingdom, marking the transition from preparation to active proclamation. This pivotal address followed Jesus' decision to lay aside his carpenter's tools permanently when Peter brought news of John's arrest. With solemn determination, Jesus declared, "The Father's hour has come. Let us make ready to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom," signifying his recognition that John's imprisonment necessitated the commencement of his own public ministry.

In this foundational discourse, Jesus proclaimed the establishment of his Father's kingdom as an inclusive spiritual reality that transcended religious, social, and ethnic boundaries. He declared, "I have come to proclaim the establishment of the Father's kingdom. And this kingdom shall include the worshiping souls of Jew and gentile, rich and poor, free and bond, for my Father is no respecter of persons; his love and his mercy are over all." Jesus explicitly distinguished his kingdom from political aspirations, stating, "My kingdom is not of this world. The Son of Man will not lead forth armies in battle for the establishment of a throne of power or a kingdom of worldly glory."

Jesus articulated the kingdom as an internal spiritual reality rather than an external political structure, explaining, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand, and all who enter therein shall find joy, righteousness, and eternal life." He compared the kingdom to a seed growing in good soil, emphasizing its gradual development toward spiritual maturity rather than instantaneous transformation. The sermon concluded with Jesus' declaration, "John came preaching repentance to prepare you for the kingdom; now have I come proclaiming faith, the gift of God, as the price of entrance into the kingdom of heaven." This statement effectively bridged John's preparatory ministry and Jesus' inaugurating ministry, establishing the theological foundation for the active phase of public work that would follow.