After his wilderness experience, Jesus begins traveling around Galilee teaching and baptizing, and the disciples of John the Baptist move swiftly to cut off the competition. 

Jesus’ message is radical and his approach is shocking. The first person he explicitly tells that he is the Messiah is a woman--and she’s not even a Jew!

 

Things are moving quickly--perhaps more quickly than Jesus is prepared for. Then disaster strikes. His cousin, John the Baptist, is arrested. Will Jesus be next? How will Jesus respond?

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We cover John 3:22-36; 4:1-42; Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15; and Luke 3:19; 4:14-15

Jesus has pupils but it isn’t until after John the Baptist’s arrest and a rather spectacular miracle at the wedding of a friend that Jesus begins his ministry in earnest. His miracles make him famous quickly. He begins to call disciples to help him.

 

When Jesus goes back to his hometown and teaches in the synagogue, he makes it clear that he’s the Messiah and that God intends to bless everyone, not just the Jews. That just about gets him killed, and he’s hardly gotten started yet!

 

We cover John 2:1-12; 1:37-51, Luke 4:16-30; 5:1-11, Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20

Jesus, as the Messiah, brings the good news of God’s incredible, expansive, urgent love. And God provides miracles of healing to prove that Jesus is telling the truth. 

 

Miracles are billboards from God saying, “Believe what Jesus is telling you!” 

 

The people may not all believe, but the demons and unclean spirits certainly do. We talk about this difficult terminology.

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We cover Matthew 4:23-25; 8:1-4,14-17; 9:1-17, Mark 1:21-45; 2:1-22, Luke 4:31-44; 5:12-39

Jesus turns everything upside-down. All those religious rules? Out the window. Burdens are left behind and blessings take their place.

 

With one hand he heals and encourages the people until he's dropping from exhaustion, and with the other hand he absolutely skewers the religious leaders. You don't want to argue Scripture with Jesus! He runs circles around those know-it-alls. He embarrasses them so badly they begin plotting to kill him.

 

And it's all to bring us the good news that God will not judge us. Jesus refuses to accuse us. We are already living eternal life in the pleasure of God. Already. Even back then, before Jesus was crucified.

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We cover Matthew 12:1-21, Mark 2:23-28; 3:1-12, Luke 6:1-11,17-19, John 4:43-54; 5:16-47