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Paper 154 Overview: Last Days at Capernaum
Jesus' rejection in Capernaum and growing opposition from religious leaders forced him to shift focus. He concentrated on deeper apostolic training and personal ministry, withdrawing from large public engagements.
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Summary
On Saturday night, April 30, while Jesus was comforting his disciples, religious leaders from Jerusalem were meeting with Herod Antipas to try to convince him to arrest Jesus. Herod would not arrest Jesus because his advisor Chuza had told him that Jesus was only interested in spiritual matters. The Jews threatened to report Herod to Caesar, but Herod sent them away.
From May 1 to May 7, Jesus held private meetings with his followers at the Zebedee house. The rulers of the Capernaum synagogue closed it to Jesus and his followers. Jesus' popular support was at its lowest during this time, but his remaining followers were more deeply committed to the spiritual ideals of the kingdom.
Introduction
On Saturday night, April 30, religious leaders from Jerusalem met with Herod Antipas and tried to convince him to arrest Jesus. Herod refused because his advisor Chuza had told him that Jesus was not interested in politics. Herod also feared Jesus might be like John the Baptist, whom he had killed.
When the Jewish leaders threatened to report Herod to Caesar for protecting Jesus, Herod ordered them to leave. Nothing changed for a week while Jesus prepared his followers for their upcoming separation.
1. A Week of Counsel
From May 1 to May 7, Jesus held private meetings with his trusted followers at the Zebedee house. Only about one hundred disciples had the courage to openly follow Jesus despite the opposition from the Pharisees. Small groups of interested people still met by the seaside to hear Jesus' disciples teach.
On Friday of this week, the rulers of the Capernaum synagogue officially closed their doors to Jesus and his followers. This was done because the Jerusalem Pharisees told them to. Jairus, who had been in charge of the synagogue, resigned and publicly joined Jesus instead.
2. A Week of Rest
On Sunday, May 8, the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem passed a rule closing all synagogues in Palestine to Jesus and his followers. This was unusual because each synagogue usually made its own decisions. Within two weeks, almost every synagogue except the one in Hebron had followed this order.
Jesus declared a week's holiday and told his disciples to go home and rest. During this week, Jesus visited families around the seaside and went fishing with David Zebedee. During this time, Nathaniel and James Zebedee became sick for three days, but Jesus chose not to heal them miraculously because facing life's challenges is part of spiritual growth.
3. The Second Tiberias Conference
On May 16, a second meeting was held between Jerusalem authorities and Herod Antipas. The religious leaders told Herod that almost all synagogues in Galilee and Judea were now closed to Jesus's teachings. They again tried to get Herod to arrest Jesus, but he refused.
On May 18, Herod agreed to let the Sanhedrin arrest Jesus and take him to Jerusalem for a religious trial, but only if the Roman ruler of Judea approved. Late on May 21, Herod signed the order allowing officials to arrest Jesus after learning the Roman authorities had no objections. Herod knew Jesus would not get a fair trial from his enemies in Jerusalem.
4. Saturday Night in Capernaum
On Saturday night in Capernaum, fifty leading citizens met at the synagogue to discuss what to do about Jesus. Even after midnight, they could not agree. The meeting was split into four equal groups with different views of Jesus.
Some thought Jesus was a harmless but confused religious man. Others believed he was a dangerous troublemaker who might cause rebellion. A third group thought he worked with devils. The fourth group believed Jesus was mentally ill. Many people claimed Jesus' teachings were impractical and that society couldn't function if everyone lived by his ideas.
5. The Eventful Sunday Morning
On Sunday morning, May 22, a messenger arrived before dawn with news that Herod had authorized Jesus' arrest. David Zebedee quickly sent messengers to alert all local disciples to meet at seven o'clock that morning. Jesus' family members were also summoned to Zebedee's house.
At this early morning meeting, Jesus gave farewell instructions to his followers. He selected twelve evangelists to travel with him and told the twelve apostles to stay with him no matter what happened. David Zebedee promised to continue his messenger service to keep everyone connected, saying "Nothing that might happen to me will interfere with this service."
6. Jesus' Family Arrives
Around eight o'clock on Sunday morning, five members of Jesus' family arrived in response to the urgent summons. Of his family, only his sister Ruth completely believed in Jesus' divine mission. His mother Mary and brothers were torn between love for Jesus and embarrassment about his public ministry.
The Pharisees had convinced Jesus' family that he was mentally ill and urged them to persuade him to stop teaching. They planned to take Jesus home with them, promising to forgive his neglect if he would give up his "foolish" preaching. When they arrived at Zebedee's house, Jesus was giving his farewell speech to his disciples and did not come out to greet them.
7. The Hasty Flight
On Sunday morning, May 22, Jesus fled with his twelve apostles and twelve evangelists to escape the Sanhedrin officers coming to arrest him. The group of twenty-five men rowed their boat toward the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee around eight-thirty in the morning.
A smaller boat with six of David's messengers followed to maintain contact with Jesus and report his whereabouts to Zebedee's house in Bethsaida. Jesus would never again make his home at Zebedee's house. They went to Kheresa and then traveled to Caesarea-Philippi and the coast of Phoenicia while the Jerusalem officers searched for them in Capernaum.