Barton's Bible Study Notes

Life of Christ: Unit 7 - Sections 35-37

Read John 4:43-54. Jesus leaves Samaria and returns to Galilee, probably to Nazareth. From here, He makes a trip to Cana, which was located about ten miles north of Nazareth. In Cana, a government official, probably an official in Herod’s court, approaches our Lord. This man did not live here, but probably in Capernaum since this is where his son was. We can safely assume he had heard that Jesus had returned to His home in Nazareth and had traveled there and then to Cana to see if He would help him.

1. What request did a government official make of our Lord?

2. Why do you think this man would believe Jesus could help him?

3. What was Jesus’ response to this man’s initial request?

4. When Jesus told the man to go his way, his son lives, what was the man’s response?

5. How was this man’s faith confirmed?

Read Matthew 4:13-17, Mark 1:14b-15 and Luke 4:15-31. After Jesus returned from Jerusalem to Galilee, He began to proclaim the same message John the Baptizer had proclaimed before his imprisonment. He began doing this in His hometown of Nazareth. We do not know if the trip to Cana occurred before or following this incident in Nazareth, but they happened within a short period of each other. While Matthew and Mark do not tell us why He moved from Nazareth to Capernaum, a town about twenty miles northeast on the shore of the Lake of Galilee, Luke does tell us.

6. Describe what happened in Jesus’ hometown synagogue that prompted His move to Capernaum.

The Applications:

What are the applications of these passages to our lives today? Identify as many as you are able.