Paper 141 Overview: Beginning the Public Work

On January 19, A.D. 27, Jesus and the twelve apostles departed from their headquarters in Bethsaida to commence their public ministry, journeying toward Jerusalem via the Jordan valley. This transition from preparation to active ministry was marked by both organizational deliberation and personal poignancy, as Jesus was visibly grieved that his biological family, with the exception of his sister Ruth, had not come to bid him farewell, their absence stemming from a complex mix of pride, disappointment, and lingering emotional estrangement. The initial phase of their public work was largely characterized by a gradual and diplomatic absorption of John the Baptist's ministry, with Jesus strategically positioning his message as an evolutionary extension rather than a replacement of John's proclamations.

Throughout this foundational period, Jesus articulated several revolutionary theological concepts that would define his ministry, including the reimagining of God as a loving Father rather than a remote sovereign, the kingdom as an internal spiritual reality rather than an external political regime, and spiritual unity as a harmonious diversity rather than enforced uniformity. These early journeys through Galilee, Perea, and Judea served not merely as geographical progression but as carefully orchestrated opportunities for Jesus to instruct his apostles in increasingly profound aspects of his message: teaching them to lead by serving, to heal rather than condemn, and to cultivate spiritual relationships predicated on personal religious experience rather than institutional authority. This deliberate methodological approach established the framework upon which Jesus would subsequently build his public ministry.

On the first day of the week, January 19, A.D. 27, Jesus and the twelve apostles prepared to depart from their headquarters in Bethsaida, embarking on a journey that would lead them to Jerusalem for the Passover feast in April by traveling through the Jordan valley. Their preparations were punctuated by farewells from the families of the apostles and other disciples who had gathered at Zebedee's house to wish them well in their new undertaking, delaying their departure until nearly noon. This moment represented a significant transition from their period of preparation to active public ministry, with all the attendant expectations and uncertainties such a shift entailed.

Just before their departure, the apostles noticed Jesus's absence and Andrew, after a brief search, found the Master sitting alone in a boat along the beach, weeping. This was a poignant display of emotion that startled his disciple. When Andrew approached Jesus and inquired whether someone had offended him, Jesus revealed the source of his sadness: "No one of you has grieved me. I am saddened only because none of my father Joseph's family have remembered to come over to bid us Godspeed." While Ruth was justifiably absent, visiting her brother Joseph in Nazareth, the other members of Jesus's family had remained away due to a combination of pride, disappointment, misunderstanding, and the residual emotional distance resulting from hurt feelings. This moment of vulnerability revealed the profoundly human dimension of Jesus's experience, even as he embarked on a mission of cosmic significance.

Jesus determined that the time had come to journey southward into Judea with his apostles, recognizing that Herod Antipas would soon take notice of his growing influence in Galilee. Although more than one hundred believers earnestly desired to accompany the apostolic group, Jesus compassionately but firmly besought them to remain behind, though many of these devoted followers eventually journeyed after the Master within a few days. The group's initial journey took them first to Tarichea and subsequently to a location near Pella, where John had conducted his preaching approximately one year earlier, and there they remained for over two weeks, teaching and preaching to the rapidly assembling crowds that gathered from various regions including Galilee, Phoenicia, Syria, the Decapolis, Perea, and Judea.

During this period, Jesus eschewed public preaching, delegating to Andrew the responsibility of organizing the multitude and assigning preachers for the morning and afternoon assemblies while reserving the evening meal period for intimate discussions with the twelve. These evening conversations involved no new teachings but rather a methodical review of previous instructions and thoughtful responses to the apostles' numerous questions, including one occasion when he shared some experiences from his forty days in the hills after his baptism. A significant portion of their efforts was dedicated to instructing John the Baptist's disciples, many of whom sought greater understanding of Jesus's teachings while still questioning why Jesus, if he truly was the one John had heralded, took no action to secure John's release from prison. This initial year of Jesus's public ministry in A.D. 27 was characterized primarily by a measured and discreet assumption of John's work throughout Perea and Judea.

On the eve of their departure from Pella, Jesus provided the apostles with profound instruction regarding the nature of the approaching kingdom, addressing their limited and often materialistic expectations. He explained, "You have been taught to look for the coming of the kingdom of God, and now I come announcing that this long-looked-for kingdom is near at hand, even that it is already here and in our midst," proceeding to contrast their conception of a "glorified rule of the Jewish people over all the peoples of the earth with Messiah sitting on David's throne" with the spiritual reality he proclaimed. Jesus articulated the revolutionary concept that the kingdom represented "the realization and acknowledgment of God's rule within the hearts of men," emphasizing that while there was indeed a King in this kingdom, the Universal Father, the transformative truth was that believers were not merely subjects but divine sons.

Jesus established a crucial distinction between law-based obedience and relationship-based spiritual transformation, declaring, "When the Father's will is your law, you are hardly in the kingdom. But when the Father's will becomes truly your will, then are you in very truth in the kingdom because the kingdom has thereby become an established experience in you." He characterized this progression as an elevation from being "noble slave subjects" under God's law to becoming "liberated sons of the kingdom," free children of God experiencing authentic sonship. Although the profound implications of this teaching largely eluded the apostles' full comprehension at that time, these transformative concepts gradually penetrated their understanding, ultimately emerging in their later ministry with life-changing power, even though only James Zebedee seemed to grasp something of the significance of this tremendous announcement during its initial presentation.

Jesus and his apostles remained in the vicinity of Amathus for nearly three weeks, during which the apostles maintained a rigorous schedule of twice-daily preaching to the multitudes, while Jesus reserved his teaching for Sabbath afternoons. The intense nature of their expanding ministry necessitated organizational adjustments, with Andrew arranging for two apostles to rest each day of the six-day workweek, while ensuring full participation during the Sabbath services. This period saw the development of specialized roles among the twelve, with Peter, James, and John handling most of the public preaching, Philip, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Simon focusing on personal work and specialized instruction, the twins maintaining general supervision, and Andrew, Matthew, and Judas evolving into an effective administrative committee, though each also engaged in considerable religious work.

Andrew devoted significant effort to resolving the recurring conflicts and misunderstandings between John's disciples and Jesus's newer followers, situations that arose with concerning frequency. While Jesus consistently refused to participate personally in these conferences or to provide specific solutions for these interpersonal disputes, Andrew, with assistance from his fellow apostles, skillfully managed to broker temporary agreements between the contending parties. Jesus's rationale for abstaining from such mediation was illuminating: "It is not wise for the host to participate in the family troubles of his guests; a wise parent never takes sides in the petty quarrels of his own children." Throughout this period, Jesus exhibited remarkable wisdom and perfect fairness in all interactions with his apostles and disciples, exercising extraordinary influence through a captivating personality that combined intellectual brilliance with spiritual depth. His approach was characterized by a rare blend of authoritative teaching, lucid logic, incisive reasoning, matchless poise, sublime tolerance, and complemented by spiritual qualities of patience, tenderness, meekness, gentleness, and humility. He had a holistic personality that appealed to diverse audiences from common fishermen to intellectual leaders like Nicodemus and even to the hardened Roman centurion at the cross.

During their sojourn at Amathus, Jesus devoted considerable time to instructing the apostles in the revolutionary concept of God as a loving Father rather than a cosmic record-keeper primarily concerned with documenting human transgressions. While the Jewish people had historically conceived of God as a king and, in a limited sense, as the Father of their nation, never before had substantial numbers of ordinary individuals embraced the transformative concept of God as the loving Father of each person individually. When Thomas inquired about the identity of the God of the kingdom, Jesus provided the profoundly simple yet revolutionary answer: "God is your Father, and religion—my gospel—is nothing more nor less than the believing recognition of the truth that you are his son."

Jesus persistently endeavored to liberate the minds of his apostles from deeply ingrained traditions, particularly the practice of animal sacrifices as religious obligation, though they struggled to grasp this conceptual shift. He also provided comprehensive instruction regarding their mission "to comfort the afflicted and minister to the sick," identifying three distinct categories of human suffering they would encounter: physical diseases of the flesh, emotional and mental difficulties, and the possession of evil spirits. Jesus clearly understood the fundamental difference between genuine evil spirit possession and mental illness, though his apostles failed to grasp this distinction. Referencing these unclean spirits, Jesus prophetically stated: "They shall no more molest men when I shall have ascended to my Father in heaven, and after I shall have poured out my spirit upon all flesh," a promise that would find fulfillment after Pentecost.

One of the most significant evening conferences at Amathus addressed the question of spiritual unity, sparked by James Zebedee's inquiry: "Master, how shall we learn to see alike and thereby enjoy more harmony among ourselves?" Jesus's response was uncharacteristically impassioned as he declared: "James, James, when did I teach you that you should all see alike? I have come into the world to proclaim spiritual liberty to the end that mortals may be empowered to live individual lives of originality and freedom before God." He explicitly rejected the notion that social harmony and fraternal peace should be purchased at the expense of personal spiritual autonomy and creative self-expression, establishing instead a paradigm of unity derived from shared spiritual purpose rather than uniformity of thought.

Jesus articulated a profound distinction between uniformity of perspective and genuine spiritual unity, explaining that "Spiritual unity is derived from the consciousness that each of you is indwelt, and increasingly dominated, by the spirit gift of the heavenly Father." This principle of unity-in-diversity allowed for "refreshingly diverse" personalities with different intellectual approaches, emotional responses, and social behaviors, while maintaining a fundamental spiritual cohesion recognizable to observers. Jesus identified two essential elements that harmonize in the lives of believers: first, a common motivation for life service—the desire to do the Father's will above all else—and second, a shared existential goal to find the Father in heaven, demonstrating their transformation into his likeness. Throughout his remaining time with the twelve, Jesus repeatedly returned to this theme, warning them against dogmatism and standardization of religious interpretation, consistently advocating for spiritual freedom rather than institutional conformity as the pathway to authentic unity.

Nearing the conclusion of their time at Amathus, Simon Zelotes introduced Jesus to Teherma, a Persian businessman conducting trade in Damascus who, having heard of Jesus in Capernaum and learning he had traveled southward, had set out to find him. Simon, misinterpreting Teherma's Zoroastrian practices, regarded him as a "fire worshiper," though Teherma carefully explained that fire merely served as a visible symbol of the Pure and Holy One. After conversing with Jesus, the Persian expressed his intention to remain for several days to hear the Master's teachings and observe his disciples' practices, eventually joining the community of believers.

When Simon later approached Jesus privately, asking why his own persuasive efforts had failed while Jesus readily won Teherma's confidence, Jesus delivered a profound lesson on spiritual outreach: "Simon, Simon, how many times have I instructed you to refrain from all efforts to take something out of the hearts of those who seek salvation? How often have I told you to labor only to put something into these hungry souls?" He counseled that the most effective approach was not to critique existing beliefs but to introduce positive truth: "Lead men into the kingdom, and the great and living truths of the kingdom will presently drive out all serious error." Jesus reminded Simon that his own approach had not been to denounce Moses and the prophets but to reveal "the perfected vision of that which your fathers saw only in part," advising Simon to first establish people securely within the kingdom before addressing specific doctrinal refinements. Heeding this wisdom, Simon modified his approach, and consequently, Teherma the Persian was numbered among those who entered the kingdom.

On February 26, Jesus, accompanied by his apostles and a substantial contingent of followers, journeyed to the ford near Bethany in Perea, the historic site where John had first proclaimed the coming kingdom, and remained there teaching and preaching for four weeks. During the second week, Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the hills across the river and south of Jericho for three days of rest and advanced instruction, imparting many new and profound truths about the kingdom of heaven that the Midwayer Commission has systematically reorganized for clarity in this record. Jesus emphasized that disciples who had experienced the spiritual realities of the kingdom should live in ways that would prompt others to inquire about their faith, leading naturally to opportunities for sharing the "glad tidings of the faith gift" that ensures admission to the kingdom with its eternal divine realities.

Jesus impressed upon the apostles that their primary mission was twofold: to reveal God to individuals as Father and to present these individuals to God as faith sons, both essential revelations perfectly embodied in Jesus himself. He declared, "I have come to establish personal and eternal relations with men which should forever take precedence over all other human relationships," offering as rewards "spiritual joy and divine communion" in this world and "eternal life in the progress of the divine spirit realities of the Paradise Father" in the next. Emphasizing that he had come not merely as an example for a few earth people but to "establish and demonstrate a standard of human life" for all worlds throughout his universe, Jesus deliberately began his work with the poor and neglected classes, avoiding "great men of earth" while establishing a message that was "world-wide, even universal." Though Peter exhibited greater oratorical skill, Jesus's effectiveness as a teacher stemmed from his extraordinary personality and his direct communication "to men's souls," approaching them "through the mind" while fully participating in their lives, maintaining a remarkable independence "above all human beings" while remaining completely approachable and exhibiting "unaffected friendliness."

Throughout the four-week sojourn at Bethany beyond Jordan, Andrew regularly assigned pairs of apostles to visit Jericho for one or two days at a time, where John had established a substantial following of believers who generally welcomed the more advanced teachings of Jesus and his apostles. In these Jericho visits, the apostles diligently implemented Jesus's instructions regarding ministry to the sick, methodically visiting every house in the city to bring comfort to the afflicted. This marked the first comprehensive fulfillment of Jesus's commission to the twelve, combining the proclamation of the glad tidings of the kingdom with compassionate ministry to those suffering from various afflictions.

The apostles made the significant discovery that the message of the kingdom provided genuine comfort to the afflicted and that their ministry carried healing potency for the suffering. They stopped in Jericho during their journey toward Jerusalem and encountered a delegation from Mesopotamia that had traveled specifically to confer with Jesus. Though the apostles had planned for merely a day's stay, Jesus devoted three days to these earnest truth-seekers from the East, who subsequently returned to their homes along the Euphrates with joyful hearts, enriched by their newfound knowledge of the truths of the kingdom of heaven.

On Monday, the last day of March, Jesus and the apostles commenced their ascent toward Jerusalem, having made comprehensive arrangements through Lazarus of Bethany, who had twice journeyed to the Jordan to visit Jesus, to establish their headquarters at his home for the duration of their stay in Jerusalem. The disciples of John remained at Bethany beyond Jordan, continuing their work of teaching and baptizing the multitudes, which allowed Jesus to travel to Lazarus's home accompanied only by the twelve apostles.

Jesus and the apostles tarried at Lazarus's home for five days, taking advantage of this opportunity to rest and refresh themselves before proceeding to Jerusalem for the Passover. This visit constituted a significant event for Martha and Mary, who cherished the opportunity to minister to the needs of Jesus and his apostles in their brother's home. On Sunday morning, April 6, Jesus and all twelve apostles journeyed together to Jerusalem, the first occasion when the Master and his complete apostolic corps had visited the holy city as a unified group, marking another milestone in their expanding public ministry.