A Necessary Departure
4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee.
John 4:1-3
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A Necessary Departure
Jesus left Judea for Galilee, not out of fear of the Pharisees, but because His hour had not yet come. Even in seeming retreat, our Lord moved with divine purpose. The Lutheran Study Bible notes remind us that Christ’s earthly ministry was guided by His Father’s timetable, a timetable that would lead Him to the cross. How often do we grow impatient when God’s ways do not match our own? We expect triumphs and quick victories, forgetting that the Lord’s greatest work was accomplished through apparent weakness and suffering. At the cross, Jesus willingly submitted to the Father’s will, bearing our sin and shame. Here in John 4, His journey would soon bring Him to a Samaritan woman, showing us that salvation is for all. As we follow our Savior, we trust that His timing is perfect. His cross assures us that God’s greatest love often comes through humble, even hidden, means.
John 4:1-3
+
A Necessary Departure
Jesus left Judea for Galilee, not out of fear of the Pharisees, but because His hour had not yet come. Even in seeming retreat, our Lord moved with divine purpose. The Lutheran Study Bible notes remind us that Christ’s earthly ministry was guided by His Father’s timetable, a timetable that would lead Him to the cross. How often do we grow impatient when God’s ways do not match our own? We expect triumphs and quick victories, forgetting that the Lord’s greatest work was accomplished through apparent weakness and suffering. At the cross, Jesus willingly submitted to the Father’s will, bearing our sin and shame. Here in John 4, His journey would soon bring Him to a Samaritan woman, showing us that salvation is for all. As we follow our Savior, we trust that His timing is perfect. His cross assures us that God’s greatest love often comes through humble, even hidden, means.
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