Paper 141 Overview: Beginning the Public Work

Jesus and his twelve apostles left their headquarters in Bethsaida on January 19, 27 to begin their public work. Before leaving, Jesus was sad because none of his family members came to say goodbye, except for Ruth who was visiting her brother Joseph. The group first journeyed south, where they taught and preached to the followers of John the Baptist.

During this journey, Jesus taught the apostles many important lessons about the new kingdom. He explained that God was a loving Father, not just a powerful ruler. The apostles learned how to help people with physical, mental, and spiritual problems. Jesus also taught them that they did not all need to think alike to be united in spirit.

On January 19, 27, Jesus and his twelve apostles prepared to leave their headquarters in Bethsaida. They planned to travel to Jerusalem for the Passover feast in April, going by way of the Jordan valley. Before leaving Zebedee's house at noon, the families of the apostles and other disciples came to say goodbye and wish them well.

Just before departure, the apostles noticed Jesus was missing. Andrew found him sitting alone in a boat on the beach, weeping. When asked why he was sad, Jesus explained that none of his father Joseph's family had come to bid them farewell. Only Ruth, who was visiting her brother Joseph in Nazareth, was absent for a good reason. The rest of his family stayed away because of pride, disappointment, and hurt feelings.

Jesus decided to travel south with his apostles because he knew Herod would soon notice his work in Galilee. More than one hundred believers wanted to go with them, but Jesus asked them to stay behind. Many of these followers came after them within a few days anyway.

They first traveled to Tarichea, then to an area near Pella where John had preached the previous year. They stayed for more than two weeks, teaching and preaching. Jesus did not preach in public but reviewed his previous teachings with the apostles in the evenings. Many people who had been baptized by John came to learn more from Jesus, though they were confused about why Jesus did nothing to free John from prison.

The night before they left Pella, Jesus taught the apostles about the new kingdom. He told them it was not an earthly kingdom with a king on a throne. Instead, the kingdom was the realization of God's rule in people's hearts.

Jesus explained that his followers were not just subjects of a king but children of a loving Father. He said when God's will became their will, they would truly be in the kingdom. This would make them free children of God instead of slaves to the law. Most of the apostles didn't fully understand this teaching, but it stayed in their hearts and helped them in their later work.

Jesus and the apostles stayed near Amathus for almost three weeks. The apostles continued preaching twice daily to the crowds, and Jesus taught every Sabbath afternoon. They could no longer have their Wednesday playtime, so Andrew arranged for two apostles to rest each day.

Andrew spent much time solving disagreements between John's followers and Jesus's newer disciples. Jesus never participated in these meetings or offered advice on how to solve these problems. He showed great wisdom and fairness in all his dealings with the apostles and disciples. He had an impressive personality that combined intellectual power and spiritual strength.

While at Amathus, Jesus taught the apostles about the new concept of God. He emphasized that God is a loving Father, not just a bookkeeper recording people's sins. The Jews had long thought of God as a king or father of their nation, but not as a loving Father of each person.

When Thomas asked who God was, Jesus replied: "God is your Father, and religion is nothing more nor less than recognizing that you are his child." Jesus also tried to free the apostles from the idea that animal sacrifices were necessary. He taught them about three types of affliction they would encounter: physical diseases, troubled minds, and possession by evil spirits.

One of the most important evening discussions at Amathus was about spiritual unity. James Zebedee asked how they could learn to see things the same way and have more harmony. Jesus responded with strong emotion that he had not taught them to all see alike.

Jesus explained that he came to give spiritual liberty so people could live as individuals before God. He didn't want social harmony to come at the cost of personal freedom. What Jesus required was spiritual unity - being dedicated to doing God's will. They didn't need to see, feel, or think alike to be spiritually united. Their unity would come from each being guided by their indwelling spirit from the Father.

Near the end of their stay at Amathus, Simon Zelotes brought a Persian businessman named Teherma to Jesus. Teherma had heard about Jesus in Capernaum and came to find him. Simon had tried to persuade Teherma but had trouble convincing him.

When Jesus and Simon were alone, Simon asked why he couldn't convince Teherma. Jesus explained that Simon should not try to remove beliefs from people's hearts but instead add the truths of the kingdom. He advised Simon to first bring people into the kingdom, then teach them how to advance spiritually. Teherma eventually became a believer in the kingdom.

On February 26, Jesus and his group traveled to the ford near Bethany in Perea, where John had first proclaimed the coming kingdom. They stayed there for four weeks. During the second week, Jesus took Peter, James, and John into the hills for three days of rest and teaching.

Jesus taught them many new truths about the kingdom of heaven. He wanted his disciples to live in a way that would make others curious about the kingdom. He taught that his only business was to reveal God to individuals and to help them become God's children. Jesus emphasized two important truths: salvation comes by faith alone, and truth gives human freedom.

Throughout their four-week stay at Bethany beyond Jordan, Andrew would regularly send pairs of apostles to Jericho for a day or two. John had many followers in Jericho who welcomed Jesus's advanced teachings. The apostles visited every house in the city to comfort the sick.

In Jericho, the apostles began to fully carry out Jesus's instructions to preach the good news of the kingdom and minister to the afflicted. They discovered that the message of the kingdom brought comfort to the sick. On their way to Jerusalem, they stopped in Jericho and met with truth-seekers from Mesopotamia.

On the last day of March, Jesus and the apostles began their journey toward Jerusalem. They had arranged to stay with Lazarus and his sisters in Bethany while in Jerusalem. John's disciples remained at Bethany beyond Jordan, so only the twelve accompanied Jesus.

Jesus and the apostles stayed with Lazarus for five days to rest before going to Jerusalem. On Sunday, April 6, Jesus and all twelve of his apostles went down to Jerusalem together for the first time.