Part 1, Jesus in Capernaum (of Galilee)

A. In Capernaum before the 1st trip to Jerusalem

  1. Jesus spent a few days with His family & disciples [2] 2. above; John 2:1-11 has Jesus in Cana at a wedding with His mother only (see Min'tryBegins A.2.):

• John 2:12-13 After this He went downhill to Capernaum, with His mother & brothers & His disciples. There They stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went uphill to Jerusalem.

B. In/near Capernaum after the 1st trip to Jerusalem

  1. Jesus lived in Capernaum

• Matt 4:12-17 See Min'tryBegins C.5.

  2. Jesus cast out an evil spirit [6] 4. above

• Mark 1:21-28 They [Jesus, Philip, the newly acquired Andew (who formerly was 1 of John's disciples-- see BeforeMinistry Also prior...) & Simon (Andrew's brother-- also newly acquired] went back to Capernaum, & when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue & began to teach. The people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught them as 1 who had authority, not as teachers of the Law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are-- the holy One of GOD! Be quiet! said Jesus sternly. Come out of him! The evil spirit shook him violently & came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teaching-- & with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits & they obey Him.' News about Him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
• Luke 4:31-37 Then He went downhill to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, & on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at His teaching, because His message had authority. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, Ha! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are-- the holy One of GOD! Be quiet! Jesus said sternly. Come out of him! Then the demon threw the man down before them all & came out without injuring him. All the people were amazed & said to each other, 'What is this teaching? With authority & power He gives orders to evil spirits & they come out!' And the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding area.

  3. Simon Peter's mother-in-law healed [6] 4. above

• Matt 8:14-17 When Jesus had come into Andrew & Simon Peter's house in/near Capernaum, He saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He simply touched Her, & the fever left Her, & She got up & began to wait on Him. When evening came many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, & He drove out the spirits with a Word & healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah-- a far-distant description of the present Gentile era: He took up Our infirmities & carried Our diseases [sorrows, per Isa 53:4a-- the prophecy there was that there will come a time (& now is!) that the turmoil of the reservoir maybe-might be no more, if-so-be 1st we believe]. Note that sandwiched between this slice-of-bread topic, & the 1 about how He calmed the winds & waves (see SeaOfGal 1 C. 1.), is the meat about following Jesus (see below, C. 5.). Today we cast Our burdens on Him & He carries them-- upon our abiding in faith (recall 1stJn 3:3, Everyone who indeed puts His hope in Him follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit & purifies himself, just as He is pure).
• Mark 1:29-34 As soon as They (Jesus & 4 of His disciples) left the synagogue of Capernaum, They went with James & John (the other 2 recently acquired) to the house of Simon & Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, & They told Jesus about Her. So He went to Her, took Her hand & helped Her up. The fever left Her & She began to wait on Them. That evening after sunset & the Sabbath had ended the people brought to Jesus all the sick & demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, & Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but He would not let the demons speak because they knew who He was-- this may have been a case of He learned obedience by the things which He suffered, for remember we just saw the demon later shrieking & calling out at the top of his voice who He was? His ministry was in fact yet public, in the sense that He was avoiding the Jewish radar, but it was not yet time to reveal who He was.
• Luke 3:38-41 Jesus left the synagogue, & went to the home of Simon Peter. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, & They asked Jesus to help Her. She got up at once & began to wait on Them. When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, & laying His hands on each 1, He healed Them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, You are the Son of GOD! But He rebuked them & would not allow them to speak farther (as we saw they had above in B. 2.), because they knew He was the Christ (Messiah).

    4. A paralytic was healed [6] 6. above

• Matt 9:1-8 Having gone to a lonely place, Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over & came to His own town where He lived. Some men brought to Him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith-- recall the incident in Cana, when because of intercession Jesus healed the man yet in Capernaum (which incident became a proverb, later referred to in Nazareth-- see Cana/Nazareth A.2. & B.1.), He said to the paralytic, Take heart, son; Your sins are forgiven. At this, some of the teachers of the Law said to themselves, 'This fellow is blaspheming!' Knowing their thoughts & precluding that they would become critics , Jesus said, Why do You entertain evil thoughts in Your hearts? Which is easier (comes 1st) : to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up & walk'? But so that You may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.... Then He said to the paralytic, Get up, take Your mat & go home-- 'no, there is no farther requirement!'  And the man got up & went home. When the crowd (mixture of followers/observers-- no critics yet) saw this, They were filled with awe; & They praised GOD, who had given such authority to men-- brings to mind the time when Jesus spoke of the results of the new patch on the old garment, how that new wine must be put in new wineskins (referring to that the veil shall be torn down-- that Jews might also be a kingdom of priests, that they all might be able to intercede.
• Mark 2:1-12 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that He had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, & He preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by the 4 of Them. Since They could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, They made an opening in the roof above Jesus &, after digging through (enlarging) it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, Son, Your sins are forgiven. Now some teachers of the Law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 'Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but GOD alone? Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this is what They were thinking in their hearts, & He said to Them, Why are You thinking these things? Which is easier: to say (comment) to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say (advise), 'Get up, take Your mat & walk'? But that You might know that the Son of man has authority (is effective-- not just spewing glitter) on earth to forgive sins.... He said to the paralytic, I tell You, get up, take Your mat & go home. He got up, took His mat & walked out in full view of Them all. This amazed everyone (both the disciples & observers) & They praised GOD, saying, 'We have never seen anything like this!'
• Luke 5:17-26 1 day as He was teaching, Pharisees & teachers of the Law, who had come from every village of Galilee & from Judea & Jerusalem, were sitting there-- not as disciples, nor as critics yet, but as observers. And the Power of the LORD, a good name for the Holy Spirit, was present for Him to heal the sick. Some men, whose faith defined them as disciples that could intercede, came carrying a paralytic on a mat & tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When They could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, They went up on the roof & lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus-- the Power of the LORD had guided them to just the right spot on the roof. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, Friend, Your sins are forgiven. The Pharisees & teachers of the Law began thinking to themselves, entertaining that they might ought to criticize, 'Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but GOD alone?' Jesus knew what They were thinking & asked, Why are You thinking these things in Your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up & walk?' But that you may know (see the evidence & not become critics) that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.... He said to the paralyzed man, I tell You, get up, take Your mat & go home. Immediately He stood up in front of Them, took what He had been lying on & went home praising GOD. Everyone was amazed & gave praise to GOD. They were filled with awe & said, 'We have seen remarkable things today.'