Where Jesus walked, part 3

The first year of public ministry John 20:31-32

By Andrew McIlwrick, November 30th 2025

We have looked at the early days and Jesus’ travels as a child, we looked at the first days and the walk to find John at Bethabara and be baptised and identified by the one crying in the wilderness, and God’s verdict that this One was perfect in all his ways.

We read of His visit to the desert where He was directly tempted by Satan to break His perfect will to follow His Father’s will, which He did not and He defeated Satan’s temptations.

Finally we saw Him return to Bethabara where John continued to work and He called five men to follow Him, which included Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael and one other. Andrew had been told by John that this was the Messiah and he and the others followed without hesitation, and would continue with him to Cana where He is headed next for a wedding.

4. The Wedding in Cana – about 60 miles. Mom Knows (John 2:1 –11). Jesus’ omnipotence on display.

Jesus along with His disciples is invited to a wedding feast. Who doesn’t love a wedding?

His mother had been storing things up in her heart since His birth, and recognises that it is within His power to change the water into wine. I have no doubt that she would have noticed the difference in her Son as He returned from His baptism, the change in the work of a carpenter to a Saviour, of one living in obscurity in quiet seclusion in an unfavoured town, the one who would transcend the temple in worship as He brings many sons into glory through salvation brought about at the cross. She may not have understood the depth of the change, but she recognised His power and Godly ability in a human body.

Her intervention is given a reminder that it is His Father that determines the time of His exposure to the world as the Christ, never the less, like all mum’s she just tells the men to do whatever He tells them to do. They end up with the finest wine that the master of ceremonies has ever tasted.

When we follow the Lord as we should, when we do what we are told, when we do not think we have a better idea, the outcome, whatever it is, is for the best, and often not just for us, but for those around us. Do we take time to find out what He wants us to do? He is able to change things, nothing is outside of His ability.

This is the starting point of the Bible narrative of the events of Jesus’ life that begin to show us His power and ability, the start of the long walk to Jerusalem and to the cross, the walk that will bring admirers and despisers, those who would have their lives changed and those who would not, those who knew the power of God worked out in the healing of their ailments, those who saw the elements controlled, those who ate of a miserly amount and were filled, those who would stand afar off at the cross and sorrow, and those who would rejoice, those who would cry out away with Him and those who loved Him. These are the lanes we will continue to walk down with Him.

5. From Cana to Capernaum – about 16 miles

John 2:12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

The wedding is over and the whole family and the disciples leave Cana and head to Capernaum. We are not told why, but we are told that they did not stay there long, neither are we told where they stayed as a fairly large group. It is possible it was the meeting point for the trip to Jerusalem which it is known that people would gather together and travel as a group. We were reminded of that with the first Passover that was mentioned that Jesus went to when he was about twelve, and His parents thought He was walking along with the group, which was evidently big enough to disguise the fact a young boy was missing.

6. From Capernaum to Jerusalem – the first Passover after beginning public ministry – about 85 miles

The change in role from carpenter to teacher is complete. When He comes to Jerusalem this time for the Passover and goes to the temple, He does not sit listening and discussing with the doctors of the Law, amazing them with His knowledge and incisive questions, but this time He drives out the people buying and selling in the temple using a small scourge, tipping over tables of money changers and telling the dove sellers to get out.

You need to be able to change your foreign money for local currency, so like a travel money bureau when we go overseas, those travelling to the Passover would require local currency to buy the sacrificial animals for their offerings. The priests had made it very convenient so that it was not necessary to go about Jerusalem to look for your offering, your ox or your sheep or your dove, you only needed to go to the temple where it was conveniently already waiting for you and your money, no doubt at a premium and a little on the side for the priests for your pitch.

Jesus established the correct way to come to worship and the correct instructions for the house of God, a place of worship and considered thought, not a place of merchandise and easy money. It is a reminder that when coming to the temple to worship, they should have been arriving with the sacrifice selected properly and already in their possession, not some convenient last minute bargain, more for show than for the delight of the One being offered to.

There is a reminder to us:

we are expected to come.
we are expected to come prepared.
we are expected to come and offer our worship as we have been taught – no short cuts – in spirit and in truth. God knows, just as Jesus did when he threw them out.

There is a warning to all of us about our spiritual state, it is easy to get it wrong for convenience sake. (Hebrews 10:19-25 Not forsaking assembling together to praise and encourage.)

It is during this trip that we come upon what is regarded as the most quoted verse in the bible, the gospel in a nut shell it has been called.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.“

The Story of Nicodemus

A Pharisee – strictly adhered to the Law.

Came by night – did not want to be seen by the others.

Came with acknowledgement – must be from God.

Did not understand spiritual rebirth.

Explained.

Gives two options.

Nothing has changed hate or love the light.

Things changed – Nicodemus came to the cross twice. Once for salvation (rebirth) and once for the body of Christ. (John 19:39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.)

7. From Jerusalem to the tour of the Judean towns and villages.

John 3:22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.

We are given no detail of how far He travelled, which towns He entered, or where the current borders at the time were, but for context:

(link) This is the considered map of the territory of Judah denoted in Joshua 15:1-21 that God gave to His people. It is based on modern mapping to some point and some of the towns and cities and landmarks may have changed, but it gives some idea of the area occupied by the tribes of Israel in the land promised to Abraham in Genesis.

(link) This second map is a map that takes in just the land of Judah, which is considerably bigger than most of the other tribes land mass, but includes the desert area that leads down to Egypt.

The land given to the tribe of Simeon would have been absorbed into Judah as the ten tribes went in to captivity and were lost.

The Lord preached and His disciple baptised and there would have been many who would have gone out to hear. We are not told of any miracles being done, but no doubt there would have been.

It highlights the truth of the scriptures, that He came unto His own (John 1), here He preaches in Judah, the tribe of which He is a part of by birth, a man from the city of David, Bethlehem in Judah. Here is the first description of His work in teaching His own people before He travels further abroad. He will come on to teach His own in the local town of Nazareth where He was brought up, and we were reminded last week that the Bible tells us that He was recognised by God and man in His own village as He grew up for His Godliness and right living.