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unclean, so Jesus’ request for water probably led the woman to think that He was not a very religious
Jew.

The disciples were astonished to find Jesus talking with this woman. While they said nothing, they
probably had some very harsh thoughts toward Jesus’ actions. Jesus demonstrated to them that He
came to love and save those who are lost.

This trip north from Judea to Galilee marked a shift in the location center for Jesus’ ministry for the next
few months. Jesus knew that if He stayed in Judea, the religious leaders would seek to kill him, and He
had not yet fulfilled His entire ministry at this point. Galilee would be a safer place in which to preach
the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ Ministry in His hometown, Nazareth (Luke 4:13-22; Matthew 13:54-59 and Mark 6:1-6)

Jesus arrived in Nazareth about a year after he had left for Judea to be with John. His only trip home
was a short trip to Cana. Jesus went to the synagogue and was very familiar with it as he probably
received his education there when growing up.

The word “synagogue” comes from a Greek word meaning “meeting place “or “congregation”. By the
time of Jesus, the Jews had established synagogues in most cities and villages where they lived. The
oldest synagogue excavated so far in Judea dates from about 100 AD. It was located near the city gates,
a traditional place for public business.

The people in the synagogue knew who Jesus was as well as who his family was. Jesus was immediately
recognized by the rabbi of the synagogue and was asked to participate in the service. Jesus picked up a
scroll and read from Isaiah 61, which told of the coming Messiah and what He would declare to the
people.

There was a very important rule in the synagogue which regulated the reading of Scripture. It was
required that the person readying a passage of Scripture read the entire passage without interruption.
Isaiah 61 is eleven verses in length. Therefore, Jesus was required to read all eleven verses. But He only
read the first two verses, rolled up the scroll, and set it down. Luke records that the eyes of everyone in
the synagogue were fastened on Jesus in shock. He had broken the rule. Then He said, “Today this
scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”. He was declaring Himself to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy
of a coming Messiah. Immediately those hearing Him rejected Him by saying, “Are you not Joseph’s
son?” Jesus preached a short sermon, condemning them for this unbelief. When they heard His
message, they were filled with wrath and took Him to a hill outside the town called Mt. Precipice to
throw him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst, left Nazareth, and journeyed northeast to
Capernaum located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Later in Matthew 13 and Mark 6, Jesus returned to Nazareth and performed miracles there. He again
returned to the Synagogue, but His reception matched the first: rejection. Matthew states that Jesus
ceased doing many miracles in Nazareth because of their lack of belief.

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