Where Jesus walked part 2

The First year of Public Ministry John 20:31-32

By Andrew McIlwrick, 23rd November 2025

Last week: That this man Jesus we are thinking about is the Son of God, the perfect image of His Father, He is God and has all the ability and attributes of God, but willingly laid them aside to become a human and experience all that we do. He left the glory and worship of heaven and was born of a virgin and travelled as a young child to Egypt, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nazareth.

In the first few months he had travelled about 300 miles by donkey and in the first twelve years over 600 walking miles that are recorded.

This time we will see the beginning of Jesus’ earthly service:

To His Father, whose will He would comply with while here because He and His Father are One in all things. (John 10:30 I and my Father are one.)
His service to His nation. (John 1:11 He came unto His own. Matthew 15:24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.)
His disciples. (John 13:12 So after he had washed their feet).
All who believe on Him. (John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.)

Jesus was not self-serving, He never did anything to enhance His name or position in the eyes of men for His own sake. The things He did attracted amazement, wonder and interest from the people around, some recognising Him for who He is, but many would just treat Him as we would a famous pop star or sports star or dignitary. Many would hear His words and see what He did, and be healed by Him and just move on with no further thought of what He had done or who He was, or how He was able to help them, to serve them in their illness. He wanted no hero worship, but desired the true worship of God, in spirit and in truth. Nothing He did was for his own benefit or standing, but the things He did brought it about because of the perfection of them. His actions, words and attitude got attention because they were all only ever for the good of another.

The first year: His Service to the people.

We closed off last week with the reminder that Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem after the Passover, talking with the doctors of the Law in the temple where He was found by His mother and father. He reminded them of His higher calling, but immediately after this we are told: Luke 2:51-52 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.

Here was the story of His life in this first year, He would increase in favour further with God and man as He started His ministry of teaching the people at about the age of 30.

The first journey we are told He makes is from Nazareth to Bethabara, or Bethany on the other side of the Jordan as it is referred to – it distinguishes it from a home Jesus spent a lot of time in at Bethany near Jerusalem.

This journey would appear to be done on His own, it is the outset of His work, and He goes to meet the one who was His cousin and the promised forerunner that we thought about last week. Mary, Jesus’ mother had gone to see Elizabeth her cousin and it was her son John, who was called the Baptist, that had been promised in the book of Isaiah, to whom Jesus went to be baptised. This was a dividing point, if you like, here was a new dedication to His Father’s will. All He had done before was perfect, and in complete subjection to Joseph and Mary (Luke 3:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.) but He was now moving out of the family business of carpentry, from under the rule of His parents’ home, to dedicate Himself to the teaching of the kingdom of God. There would commence a three-year period of intense teaching of those who He chose as disciples and those who followed Him. There were intense highs and lows to come, moments where the faith of people encouraged Him and times where their lack of response was staggering, and times where the things that were to happen to Him brought Him to intense pleading with His Father.

1. The visit to John to be Baptised in Jordan at Bethabara – about 60 miles

He comes to where John is baptising and joins in with those who are waiting. John recognises Him and initially suggests that Jesus should baptise him. John recognises the Lord Jesus for who He is, and yet there is no pomp and ceremony, no great fanfare, just a simple recognition that this is the Son of God who had come to take away the sin of the world. It is a reminder of the importance of baptism as one of two ordinances, or things that we are asked to do, and demonstrated in the first instance by Jesus that all those who loved Him would recognise the significance of it, public identification with God in salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

Matthew 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

This is His first public act that is noted of since He was twelve, and in case anyone should think that there was a sudden change in His life at this point, there is a summary of his life to date by His Father at the end of those verses, (This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.) God was perfectly happy with all that Jesus had done so far. This was a change in occupation that would continue to be the will of His Father as it had been to date. Although John was reluctant to baptise Jesus recognising Him as a great person, it was confirmed that Jesus was the Son of God, because he had been told that the holy Spirit would descend in the form of a dove and settle upon Him as a sign for all to see. The dove and the word of God sealed his conviction in the first place that this man he baptised was the Son of God sent to take away the sin of the world.

His first public act was to demonstrate the importance of declaring God as our Father as the one we are following, so the world knows. It is an outward demonstration of an inward conviction of who God is, of the salvation and forgiveness we have received and for us, the image of death and burial to the old life and resurrection to the new life. It does not change anything, we are no more saved than we were before, but often it enhances our resolve and is the opportunity to share with others our salvation and trust in Christ.

2. His temptation into the desert of Judea – about 30 miles

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Jesus was baptised and immediately was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. This was not an ordinary walk, this was a walk that led directly into the place where He would spend 40 days in the presence of God, communing with Him and giving thanks, but the purpose was to demonstrate His commitment to God that He had shown when He was baptised. After 40 days of fasting, Satan, who He had cast out of heaven sees an opportunity, a time when Jesus is at His weakest and comes to test Him, to make Him fail, to sin. If he can do that, then Jesus is not God and then His purpose of salvation of sinners is lost, all the work and preparation and public reminder of God that this is His Son and He had done everything as He should would be wasted and Satan would have won the battle, the One sent to destroy him would have lost the war, the One promised in Genesis would have failed and he would rule supreme on earth, there would be none saved.

He starts with His immediate need, food, just a little thing and really needed and wanted at that point in time. And builds up to proving who He is by demonstration, just show the world by jumping from the temple and the leaders and rulers in the capital city, in the central place of worship will immediately recognise You for who You are. Came to His own and yet they did not recognise Him.

And finally appealed to the desire of men for power, and offers Him control of the kingdoms of this world. Everyone would come under His authority. Except of course Satan because he is the prince of the power of the air, and roams the world seeking whom he may desire.

In each case Jesus reminds Satan that God is supreme and over all and that although Jesus has taken on the form of a man and was subject to all the things that make us sin, He never once failed, never once said or thought the wrong thing. He was and always is perfect, and relied on the power and authority of His Father’s word and promises written in the scriptures. We are reminded by Jude that this same Jesus who never failed is able to keep us from stumbling if we would demonstrate the same level of commitment to God and His word as we see Jesus do here

3. From the Wilderness back to Bethabara (John 1:35-51) – about 30 miles

These five men who would become part of the 12 chosen disciples recognise the attributes of Jesus. One is named as Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, and he immediately went to fetch Peter, telling him they had found the Messiah. Andrew had been told by John the Baptist, who evidently he had been following and discussing things with when Jesus walked by and John pointed Jesus out as the Messiah and the two followed Him. Here were two men who had believed John to be the forerunner of the Messiah, a great man, a man whose life warranted them following and listening to him, and yet when John points to Jesus as the Messiah, they do not question him, wonder where his retinue of followers are, or question the validity of Jesus, but on the word of John, they follow the Messiah. Here were two men who recognised the difference between following a good man and God. John has no desire that men follow him and it is often quoted of John when he said: “I must decrease, and He must increase.”

Andrew fetches his brother Peter and we see something of Jesus’ omniscience as He tells Peter of his future. It will be seen again in his words to Nathanael. These three follow Him to where He is staying.

The next day He is leaving for the Galilee area and He finds Philip before He leaves. Philip immediately recognises who He is and goes and calls his brother Nathanael. Nathanael comes at the invitation and even if he has questions. But he follows.

None of them disappointed, none of them went away. All of them were prepared to follow Him to Galilee where they had no idea about what would be there, where they would stay, what they would eat. Whatever they had been doing they laid aside to follow the Master. Do I? Choose you this day.

Joshua 24:15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”