The Glory of His First Journey to Jerusalem
The Light of Christ · AD 28
I am the light of the world.
John 8:12
In the spring of AD 28 the Lord Jesus made His first public journey to Jerusalem, and everywhere He went His light either drew broken sinners to Himself or hardened proud hearts against Him. As the Light of the World He cleansed His Father's temple, taught Nicodemus of the new birth, opened the heart of a Samaritan woman, was rejected by His own hometown, healed an officer's son, and called His first disciples. Because the light reveals who God is, it exposes who we are — and men either love it or hate it.
Read: John 2:13–25; John 3:1–21; John 4:1–42; Luke 4:16–30; Luke 5:1–11
The Light that Purifies the Temple
After turning water into wine at Cana, Christ traveled with His disciples about sixteen miles to Capernaum, a fishing village of roughly 1,500 people on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This was the home of Simon, Andrew, James, and John, and the great trade route of the Via Maris ran through it, carrying all kinds of people and merchandise between Egypt and the north. From this point forward Capernaum became Christ's new home, and He would perform more miracles there than in any other place in Israel.
From Capernaum He made the three-to-four-day journey up to Jerusalem to keep the Passover. When He arrived at the temple, He found His Father's house turned into a den of thieves — money changers exploiting poor pilgrims, since the temple tax could only be paid with the high-silver Tyrian shekel. Zeal for His Father's house consumed Him, so He carefully wove a whip of cords, overturned the tables, and drove the exploiters out.
Just as His humility manifests His love for man, His anger manifests His love for God — a holy, unselfish anger that never once condoned evil. The Jewish leaders demanded to know who had given this man from Nazareth such authority, while others in Jerusalem believed on account of His signs. Yet Christ, who knew the heart of man, would not entrust Himself to those whose faith was only skin-deep.
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
John 2:19
The Light that Illumines Nicodemus
A ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus concluded that Jesus must be a teacher sent from God, for no one could do such signs unless God was with him. But fearing his fellow Pharisees, he came to Jesus secretly, under the cover of night. He was curious but not yet committed, and Christ was not interested in affirming a shallow, superficial faith.
Instead the Lord pressed him to the heart of the matter: to savingly know that Jesus is the Son of God, a man must be born again by the Spirit of God. Like the unseen wind, the Spirit blows where He wishes. Nicodemus, confused, asked how a man could be born when he is old — yet only those born from above can see the kingdom, for the natural man loves the darkness and will not come to the light lest his deeds be exposed.
Christ then went into the Judean countryside, where His disciples baptized those who came to hear Him. Meanwhile John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon near Salim. Told that Jesus was drawing larger crowds, John was not jealous but thrilled — he was only the friend of the bridegroom, glad to step into the shadows now that his mission of identifying Christ was complete.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30
The Light that Purifies the Woman at the Well
Returning toward Galilee, Christ went through Samaria — a region most Jews avoided, for the Samaritans were regarded as unclean and worshiped God on Mount Gerizim instead of at Jerusalem. But Christ loved the world, and He had an appointment at a certain place, at a certain time, with a certain woman. He came to Jacob's Well on the outskirts of Sychar, weary and thirsty from the journey.
Around noon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Christ, breaking a double taboo, asked her for a drink. He knew she had been married five times and was living with a man not her husband; He knew she was living in darkness. Yet He had loved her from the foundation of the world, and He spoke plainly to her, exposing her sin while offering her the living water of eternal life.
Born again by the Spirit, she left her water jar behind and ran into the city to tell everyone she had found the Messiah. Christ was so filled with joy over the ripening harvest that He would not stop even to eat, and He lingered in Sychar two more days, where many believed He was the Savior of the world. Though she deserved the curses pronounced from Mount Ebal, Christ gave her the blessings of Mount Gerizim.
They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
John 4:42
Rejected at Nazareth, Received in Capernaum
Christ came to His hometown of Nazareth, where He had grown up as the carpenter's son. On the Sabbath He stood in the synagogue, opened the scroll of Isaiah, and read of the Spirit of the Lord anointing Him to proclaim good news to the poor and liberty to the captives. Then He sat down and declared plainly that He was their long-awaited Savior.
At first the Nazarenes marveled at His gracious words, but then they took offense: was this not merely the carpenter's son? Enraged that He would compare them to the faithless Israel of Elijah's and Elisha's day, they drove Him out of town to the brow of a hill to throw Him down the cliff. But because it was not yet His hour, He passed through their midst and traveled on to Cana.
At Cana an officer of Herod Antipas came sixteen miles from Capernaum, begging Christ to heal his dying son. Christ simply spoke the word — “Go; your son will live” — and the man believed and went home to find his boy healed at that very hour. This second sign led the officer and his whole household to faith. From Cana Christ settled in Capernaum, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy that the people dwelling in darkness would see a great light.
Preaching by the sea, Christ told Simon to let down his nets after a fruitless night, and the catch nearly sank two boats. Overwhelmed by the presence of God, Simon fell at His feet crying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Christ tenderly answered, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,” and these men left everything to follow Him.
And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:21
For Reflection
Down, down, down our Lord traveled as the Light of the World. He always spoke the truth no matter the cost, never shying away from telling people what they needed to hear — even though it meant being hated. His first journey to Jerusalem began with rejection by the Jewish leaders and ended with rejection by His own hometown. Yet those He illuminated — Nicodemus, the Samaritans, the officer, the fishermen — were awakened by the Spirit to see their own darkness and their only hope in Him.