Anchor My Faith

Previous Lesson
Next Lesson
Author: Stephen Weller
347 words, 2 minutes read time

Leaving Galilee

Scripture: Matthew 19:1-2; Mark 10:1

With this lesson we begin a new major section and will cover its first section.

M^{t 19:1} “Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan [River]. ^{Mk 10:1} Crowds gathered to him, and again, as was his custom, he taught them, ^{Mt 19:2} and he healed them there.”

“These sayings” point back to Matthew 18, which was covered with lessons H406 – H416. The harmonization then followed the narrative from Luke 9:51 to Luke 18:14, with some material from Matthew and Mark being referenced along the way. The harmonization will continue to follow the narrative from Luke, but with this lesson reference is made to Matthew 19:1 – 2. Between Matthew 18:35 and 19:1, we covered lessons H417 – H513.

“These sayings” in Matthew 19:1 then point back to what? Reading through Matthew alone it would point back to Matthew 18, but according to the harmonization narrative it would be the content of the last 100 lessons.

Jesus left Galilee, at this point in the harmonization, and “entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan [River].” This is most likely Perea, the area just east of Jordan River, north of the Dead Sea. (Link to map) As Jesus arrives there, crowds gathered to him to be healed and to hear his instruction. They most likely heard of his healing ministry in Galilee and hearing that Jesus was headed south toward the area of Perea, they were ready to receive him.

Conclusion

The purpose of this lesson was to show that Jesus was moving south towards Jerusalem with a stopping point at Perea. A very interesting point was the realization that there were nearly 100 Bible lessons in the harmonization between the last verse of Mathew 18 and the first verse of Matthew 19, and at no time was there any reference to the gospel of John during that segment of journey.