Ch. 41, At the Feast of Tabernacles

“Son of Man: Urantia,” 2nd edition

At the Feast of Tabernacles

Jesus wanted to take the shortest route to Samaria, so they followed the eastern shore of the lake and went through Scythopolis to get to the border. Before sundown, Jesus sent Philip and Matthew to a nearby village over on the eastern slope of Mount Gilboa to arrange lodging for the night. The residents of that town disliked Jews even more than the rest of the Samaritans, and with everyone in the land getting ready to go to the feast of tabernacles in Jerusalem those feelings were stronger than normal. The villagers had not heard much about Jesus and his mission, but since they were Jews they refused them rooms for the night. Philip and Matthew became angry, and told the villagers they were turning away the Holy One of Israel. The villagers in turn ran the two apostles out of town with sticks and stones.

Philip and Matthew returned to Jesus and the others, and after they had recounted all what had happened John and James stood up and going to Jesus said “Master, we pray that you give us permission to ask for fire to come down from heaven to devour these rude and shameless Samaritans.”

On hearing his apostles calling for vengeance, Jesus turned on the sons of Zebedee with a stern look and scolded them saying “You do not know what kind of attitude you are showing. Vengeance is not part of the kingdom of heaven. Rather than get in a fight, let us go over to the little village that is by the Jordan ford.” Because of their prejudice against the Jews, these Samaritans denied themselves the honor of hosting the Creator Son of our universe as their guest for the evening.

In the morning, Jesus and the ten crossed the Jordan ford and continued walking the road to Bethany arriving late Wednesday night. Thomas and Nathaniel, who had stayed behind to finish their conversation with Rodan of Alexandria, arrived Friday. The all stayed in the area around Jerusalem for about four and a half weeks, until the end of October. Jesus spent most of this time with Abner and his people in Bethlehem, only entering Jerusalem for brief visits during the feast of tabernacles.

The Dangers of the Visit to Jerusalem

The apostles had wanted Jesus to take his message to Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish culture, since long before leaving Galilee. But they were stunned when Jesus suddenly announced that they were going to teach at the feast of tabernacles. The Sanhedrin not only wanted to arrest him, but Jesus had just told them that he was going to be killed at some point. The apostles were afraid for his life. Before when they begged him to go to Jerusalem, all he would say was “The hour has not yet come.” Now when they pleaded with him not to go, all he would say was “But the hour has come.”

During the feast of tabernacles Jesus boldly went into Jerusalem on several occasions and taught in the temple. He did this in spite of his apostles efforts to dissuade him from doing so. Though they had urged him in the past to announce his message in Jerusalem, now they feared to see him enter the city knowing full well that the scribes and Pharisees were bent on bringing about his death. Jesus’ boldness confused his followers. Many of the disciples, including Judas Iscariot, had dared to think that Jesus fled to Phoenicia because he was afraid of Herod Antipas and the Jewish leaders. They failed to understand the reasons behind his actions. Jesus’ presence in Jerusalem at the feast of tabernacles, especially against his apostles’ advice, worked to forever put an end to all the whisperings about fear and cowardice.

The feast of tabernacles gathered thousands of people together from across the Roman Empire, many who heard Jesus preach. Other followers he taught in Bethany when they came out to visit him concerning the growth of the kingdom in their countries. Jesus was able to preach openly during the tabernacles because the Sanhedrin was now divided. Many of the members secretly believed in Jesus, and the others did not want to risk angering the friendly crowds. Even though they made a few half-hearted attempts to try and arrest Jesus, nothing ever came of those efforts. They were so taken back by Jesus’ unexpected appearance that they assumed Philip, Herod Antipas’ brother who was a half-hearted believer in the gospel, had given him permission to preach; Jesus and the apostles left Jerusalem before the Sanhedrin realized that was not the case. Abner’s group had been so successful gaining support for the kingdom across Judea that Jesus’ enemies did not dare speak out against him; a month or two before this it would have been a different story, and Jesus would certainly have been put to death.

Many people in the crowds came to Jerusalem hoping to hear Jesus teach, and they did on Solomon’s Porch and in the other temple courts: these sermons were the official announcement of Jesus’ divinity to the world. The people were divided in their opinions about him: some said Jesus was a prophet or even the Messiah, while others thought he was a harmful meddler leading the people astray with strange doctrines. While Jesus’ enemies were afraid to denounce him around his followers, his friends were afraid to support him because they were afraid of his enemies. But even those enemies marveled at what Jesus taught because they knew he had never attending the school of the rabbis. The apostles were terrified whenever Jesus went into Jerusalem, and their fear increased daily as he explained his mission with increasing strength.

The First Temple Talk

Jesus was in the temple speaking to a large crowd about the liberty of the new gospel, when a person interrupted him and said “Teacher, how is it you can quote the scriptures and teach the people so fluently when I am told that you are untaught in the learning of the rabbis?”

Jesus replied “No mortal has taught me the truths that I am telling you; this teaching is not from me, but from God who sent me. If people want to do my Father’s will, they will certainly know this teaching, whether it is God’s or whether I speak for myself. He who speaks for himself seeks his own glory, but when I declare the words of the Father I am seeking glory for God who sent me. But before you try to enter into this new light, should you not first follow the light you already have? Moses gave you the law, but how many of you honestly try to obey it? Moses said ‘You shall not kill’, but still some of you want to kill the Son of Man.”

The crowd began arguing among themselves. Some said Jesus was mad; some said that he had a devil. Some said the religious leaders were afraid to bother him; others said they had not bothered him because they now believed in him. Then someone in the crowd stepped up to Jesus and said “Why do the rulers want to kill you?”

Jesus replied “The rulers want to kill me because they are angry about me teaching the good news of the kingdom, a gospel that sets people free from the religious traditions and oppressive ceremonies they are determined to keep at any cost. The rabbis circumcise babies on the Sabbath like the law tells them to do, but they want to kill me because I once helped a man on the Sabbath. They want to kill me because they are well aware that if you honestly dare to accept and believe my teaching, their traditional religion will be overthrown and forever destroyed: it will take away the authority that they have had all their lives. They refuse to accept this new and more glorious gospel of the kingdom of God. I am now urging every one of you to not judge according to outward appearances, but rather by the true spirit of these teachings: judge rightly.”

Then another person said “Yes teacher, we do look for the Messiah, but when he comes we know that he will come as a mystery. We know who you are: you have been with us from the beginning. But the deliverer will come in power to restore the throne of David’s kingdom. Do you claim to be the Messiah?”

Jesus replied “You claim to know me and to know from where I come. I wish you were right, for indeed you would then find abundant life in that knowledge. But I am telling you that I have not come to you for myself. I have been sent by the Father, and he is true and faithful. By refusing to listen to me you are refusing God who sends me, but if you will receive this gospel you will come to know him who sent me. I know the Father for I have come from the Father to reveal him to you.”

The agents working for the scribes wanted to grab ahold of Jesus, but they were afraid of the crowd. Jesus’ work since his baptism had become well known to all of the Jews, and as they stood around many of them remembered what Jesus had done; among themselves they said “Even though this teacher is from Galilee and even though he does not meet all of our expectations of the Messiah, we wonder if the deliverer when he does come will do anything more wonderful than Jesus of Nazareth has already done.”

When the Sanhedrin heard these comments they decided to put an end to Jesus teaching in the temple. Most of the Jewish leaders wanted to avoid a clash with Jesus because they thought that he had been promised immunity by the Romans—it was the only way they could explain Jesus’ boldness coming to Jerusalem. But the Sanhedrin did not wholly believe that rumor: they were the highest law of the Jewish nation, and they did not think that the Romans would keep something that important secret. Instead they sent Eber, an officer of the Sanhedrin, along with two helpers to arrest Jesus. As Eber approached Jesus to carry out this order, Jesus looked at him and said “Do not be afraid of me. Come close while you listen to my teaching. I know you have been sent to arrest me, but you should know that nothing will happen to the Son of Man until his hour comes. You yourself are not set against me; you are only following orders, and even those Jewish rulers truly think that they are doing God’s will when they secretly try to destroy me.’

“I bear none of you ill will. The Father loves you, and because of that I long to see you free from the bondage of prejudice and the darkness of tradition. I offer you the liberty of life and the joy of salvation. I am announcing the new and living way, the deliverance from evil and the bondage of sin. I have come so that you can have life and have it for eternity. You want to get rid of me and my teachings that make you uncomfortable. But if you could only realize that I am only going to be with you for just a little while! In just a short time I go to him who sent me into this world. Then many of you will carefully look for me, but you will not find me because where I am going you cannot come. But all who truly seek to find me will at some point get the life that leads to my Father’s presence.”

Among themselves some of the scoffers said “Where will this man go that we cannot find him? Will he go to live among the Greeks? Will he destroy himself? What does he mean when he says that he will soon leave us, and that we cannot go where he goes?”

Eber and his helpers refused to arrest Jesus, returning to their meeting place without him. After the Pharisees and chief priests scolded Eber for not arresting Jesus, Eber only said “We were afraid to arrest him in the middle of the crowd because many people believe in him. Besides, we never heard a person speak like this man; there is something out of the ordinary about him. You would all do well to go over to hear him.”

The Sanhedrin was astonished, and mocked Eber saying “Are you also led astray? Are you about to believe in this deceiver? Have you heard of any of the rabbis believing in him? Have any of the scribes or the Pharisees been tricked by his clever teachings? Why are you swayed by this illiterate crowd who do not know our law or the teachings of the prophets? Do you not know that such uneducated people are cursed?”

Eber said “Even so my masters, but this man speaks words of hope and mercy to the people. He cheers the downhearted and his words are comforting to our souls. Even though he may not be the Messiah of the scriptures, what could be wrong with his lessons? What about our law that requires fairness? Do we find people guilty before we hear what they have to say?”

The leader of the Sanhedrin became furious, and said “Have you gone mad, Eber? Are you by any chance also from Galilee? Search the scriptures and you will see that no prophet, much less the Messiah, comes out of Galilee.”

The Sanhedrin did not know what to do, and Jesus went back to Bethany for the night.

The Woman Taken in Adultery

Humanity’s record of the Sanhedrin trying to trap Jesus using a woman caught in adultery is distorted. It suggests that Jesus’ handling of the situation indicated that the Pharisees themselves were guilty of immorality. But Jesus was well aware that while the Jewish leaders were spiritually blind and intellectually biased by tradition, they were still some of the most moral men of that day. The following is a more accurate account of what occurred.

It was early in the morning on the third day of the feast of tabernacles. As Jesus was walking to the temple a group of men hired by the Sanhedrin stopped him in the middle of the road; they were dragging a woman behind them. The leader of the group said “Master, this woman was caught in the act of cheating on her husband. The law of Moses says we should stone her. What do you say we should do?”

These men expected Jesus to answer in one of three ways. If he upheld Moses’ law and had the women stoned, he would be breaking the Roman law that said the Jews were not allowed to execute someone without the Roman’s approval. If he forbid them from stoning the woman, then he was putting himself above Moses’ law. And finally, if he remained silent they could call him a coward. But Jesus had other plans and their whole plot fell apart.

This woman, who had once been quite beautiful, was the wife of a lower class man from Nazareth who had often caused trouble for Jesus when they were children. He had married this woman and then forced her into prostitution to earn their living; they were in Jerusalem to sell her sexual services to the many men attending the feast. But then he made a deal with the Sanhedrin and betrayed his wife to these men. They in turn caught her and her client in bed together and promptly hauled both of them to Jesus as he approached the temple.

A crowd had gathered and Jesus, looking through all of the faces of the people present, saw the woman’s husband standing in the back behind the others. Jesus knew what kind of man he was and that he was part of the plot against him. Jesus walked around the outside of the crowd and kneeling down in front of the man he wrote a few words in the sand. When the man read them he quickly left. Then Jesus went back to the men holding the woman and again he wrote in the sand, and when the men read his words they also, one by one, left. Finally, Jesus turned to man who had been caught having sex with the woman and for a third time he knelt down and wrote something in the sand, and again the man after reading the words quickly left the crowd. When Jesus stood up from writing the last time the woman was standing, alone now, in front of him. Jesus said “Woman, where are your accusers? Did no man remain to stone you?”

Lifting her eyes from staring at the ground, she said “No man, Lord.”

Jesus said “I know about you; I do not condemn you. Go your way in peace.” This woman, Hildana, left her wicked husband and became a disciple of the kingdom.

The Feast of Tabernacles

The feast of tabernacles in Jerusalem, which was attended by people from across the entire known world stretching from Spain to India, was the ideal time for Jesus to announce the full gospel. This feast celebrated the fall harvest so the weather was pleasant and the people camped in leafy booths. Because of the weather, more people showed up for this celebration than usually did for the Passover held at the end of winter, or the Pentecost at the beginning of summer. At last the apostles saw their Master boldly announcing his mission to their entire world.

The feast of tabernacles was the finest feast of the year. During this celebration any sacrifice that had not been offered at the other festivals could be offered now. This was both a vacation, and a religious ceremony where people made offerings to the temple. It was a time for sacrifices, Levitical chants, solemn blasts from the priest’s silvery trumpets, and the crowds celebrating that they were Jews. At night the temple was an impressive site, with it and people brilliantly illuminated by flaming torches on posts and huge candelabras hanging from the walls. The rest of the entire city was also decorated, except for the Roman castle at Antonia that looked down in grim contrast on the festivities below: and the Jews did hate this ever present reminder of the Roman yoke.

Seventy head of cattle representing the seventy nations of the heathens were killed for God. The ceremony of the outpouring of the water, which symbolized the outpouring of the divine spirit, came after the priests and Levites’ parade at sunrise. These worshipers walked down the steps leading from the court of Israel to the women’s court accompanied by continuous blasts of the priests’ trumpets, and then the faithful marched on toward the Beautiful Gate that opened the court of the gentiles. Here they turned around to face west, repeated their chants, and continued to march for the symbolic water.

On the last day of the feast almost four hundred and fifty priests and the same number of Levites conducted the ceremonies. They started at dawn with all of the people coming together, each of them carrying in their right hand a cluster of myrtle, willow, and palm branches; in their left hand they each carried a branch of the paradise apple known as the citron, or the forbidden fruit. Then the pilgrims divided themselves into three groups. One group remained at the temple to attend the morning sacrifices, and another group marched to Maza outside of Jerusalem to cut the willow branches needed to adorn the sacrificial altar. The third group paraded from the temple behind the priest who was carrying the golden pitcher to the fountain gate near the pool of Siloam out past Ophel: after the priest filled it with water the procession marched back to the temple. They entered through the water gate and went straight to the priest’s court where the priest with the water picture was joined by a priest with the wine. These two men then poured the wine and water into silver funnels that led to the base of the altar. This rite was the signal for the crowd and Levites to alternate chanting the Psalms from 113 through 118, while the people waved their branches at the altar. Then the priests started killing the animals as they repeated the Psalm for that day. On the last day of the feast that Psalm was the eighty-second, beginning with the fifth verse.

Sermon on the Light of the World

In the evening of the second to last day of the feast when the temple was brightly lit by the hanging candelabras and fiery torches posted around the court yard, Jesus stood in the middle of the mass of people and announced “I am the light of the world. Those who follow me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Believing you can place me on trial and daring to sit as my judges you state that if I tell you about myself that my words cannot be true. But the creature can never sit in judgment of the Creator. If I do tell you about myself my words are forever true, because I know who I am, from where I came, and where I go. You who would kill the Son of Man do not know who I am, from where I came, or where I go. You only judge by what you see; you do not recognize the realities of the spirit. I judge no one, not even my archenemy. But if I should choose to judge my judgment would be true and righteous, for I would not judge by myself but with my Father who sent me into the world and who is the source of all true judgment. You say that the word of two reliable people can be accepted. Well then, I am telling you these truths and so is my Father in heaven. When I told you this yesterday, in darkness you asked me ‘Where is your Father?’ It is true, you do not know my Father or me because if you had known me you would have also known the Father.’

“I have already told you that I am going away, and that you will look for me and not find me because where I am going you cannot come. You who reject this light are from beneath: I am from above. You who prefer to sit in darkness are of this world: I am not of this world and I live in the eternal light of the Father of lights. You all have had more than enough time to learn who I am, but you will have even more evidence confirming the identity of the Son of Man. I am the light of life and everyone who knowingly rejects this saving light will die in his sins. I have much to tell you but you are not able to receive my words. However, he who sent me is true and faithful; my Father loves even his erring children. All that my Father has spoken, I also say to the world.’

“When the Son of Man is lifted up then you will all know that I am he and that I have done nothing of myself but only as the Father has taught me. I say these words to you and to your children. He who sent me is even now with me: he has not left me alone because I always do what is pleasing to him.” As Jesus taught the pilgrims in the temple courts, many believed. And no man dared to put his hands on him.

Lesson on the Water of Life

On the last day of the feast—which was the peak of the celebration—after the people had marched from the pool of Siloam, returned to the temple, and poured out the water and the wine, Jesus, who was standing in the crowd of pilgrims, stood up and said “If any man is thirsty let him come to me and drink. From the Father above I bring to this world the water of life. He who believes me will be filled with the spirit that this water represents, for even the scriptures have said ‘Out of him will flow rivers of living waters.’ When the Son of Man has finished his work on Earth there will be poured out on all flesh the living Spirit of Truth. Those who receive this spirit will never know spiritual thirst.”

Jesus did not interrupt the temple service to speak to the people: he had addressed the worshipers immediately after they chanted the Hallel, the back and forth reading of the Psalms as they waved the branches before the altar. There was a pause at this point while the priests prepared to kill the animals, and it was then that the pilgrims heard Jesus’ fascinating voice say that he was the giver of living water to every spirit’s thirsty soul.

At the end of this early morning service Jesus continued teaching the people, and said “Have you not read in the scripture, ‘Observe, like water is poured out on dry ground and spread over parched soil, I give the spirit of holiness to be poured out on your children for a blessing even to your children’s children’. Why will you thirst for the ministry of the spirit while you want to water your souls with people’s traditions poured from the broken pitchers of ceremonial service? What you see happening around this temple is the way that your fathers tried to demonstrate the giving of the divine spirit to the children of faith, and you have done well to continue keeping these symbols even to this day. But now this generation has received the revelation of the Father of spirits through the gift of his Son, and all of this will certainly be followed by the gift of the spirit of the Father and the Son on humanity. For those who have faith this gift of the spirit will become the true teacher of the way that leads to life everlasting: to the true waters of life in the kingdom of heaven on Earth and in the Father’s Paradise over there.”

Jesus continued to answer both the questions from the crowd and those from the Pharisees. Some of the people thought that he was a prophet; some believed him to be the Messiah; others said he could not be the Christ because he came from Galilee and that the Messiah must restore David’s throne. Still, they did not dare to arrest him.

The Talk on Spiritual Freedom

It was the afternoon of the last day of the feast of tabernacles. The apostles wanted Jesus to flee from Jerusalem but instead he returned to the temple to teach. He went to Solomon’s Porch where he found a large group of believers and said “If my words have taken root in you and you want to do my Father’s will, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. I know how you will answer me: ‘We are Abraham’s children and we are in bondage to no one: how then will we be made free?’ That may be so, but I am not speaking about being physically oppressed under another person’s rule. I am speaking about the freedom of your soul. It is true when I tell you that everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. You know that a slave is not likely to stay forever in the master’s house; you also know that the son does stay in his father’s house: he will make you sons, and you will indeed be free.’

“I know that you are the descendants of Abraham. But your leaders want to kill me because they have not allowed my words to influence and transform their hearts. Their souls are sealed by prejudice and blinded by pride and thoughts of revenge. I am telling you the truth that my eternal Father shows me, while these mistaken teachers want to do what they have learned only from their human fathers. When you tell me that Abraham is your father, I tell you that if you are Abraham’s children then you would do the works of Abraham.’

“Some of you believe my teaching, but others want to destroy me because I have told you the truth that I received from God. But Abraham did not treat God’s truth this way. I notice that some among you are determined to do the works of the evil one. If God were your Father you would know me and love the truth that I reveal. Will you not see that I come forth from the Father, that I am sent by God, and that I am not doing this work by myself? Why do you not understand my words? Is it because you have chosen to become the children of evil? If you are the children of darkness you will hardly walk in the light of the truth that I reveal. The children of evil follow only the ways of their father who was a deceiver and did not stand for the truth because no truth was found in him. But now comes the Son of Man speaking and living the truth and many of you refuse to believe me.’

“Which of you says that I am a sinner? If I then state the truth and live the truth that has been shown to me by the Father, why do you not believe me? He who is of God gladly hears the words of God, and because of this many of you do not hear my words because you are not of God. Your teachers have even dared to say that I do my works by the power of the prince of devils. One person close by has just said that I am a child of the devil. But all of you who honestly deal with your own souls know full well that I am not a devil. You know that I honor the Father even while you would dishonor me. I am not looking for my own glory, only for the glory of my Paradise Father. Neither do I judge you, for there is one who judges for me.’

“It is true when I tell you that if people keep these words of truth alive in their hearts they will never taste death. Right now at my side a scribe says that this statement proves I have a devil because Abraham and the prophets are dead. He asks ‘Are you so much greater than Abraham and the prophets that you dare to stand here and say that whoever keeps your word will not die? Who are you claiming to be that you dare to utter such violations against our laws?’

“To that I say if I glorify myself my glory is nothing. But it is the Father who will glorify me, even the same Father that you call God. But you have failed to know your God as my Father, and I have come to bring you together to show you how to truly become sons of God. Though you do not know the Father, I do know him. Even Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and by faith he saw it and was glad.”

By now a large number of unbelieving Jews and agents of the Sanhedrin had gathered around. When Jesus finished speaking they raised a commotion and shouted, “You are not fifty years old and yet you speak about seeing Abraham: you are the devil’s child!”

Jesus was unable to continue teaching. As he left, he said “It is true when I tell you that before Abraham was, I am.”

Many of the unbelievers then rushed outside looking for rocks to throw at Jesus, and the agents of the Sanhedrin wanted to place him under arrest. But Jesus quickly made his way through the temple corridors and escaped to a secret meeting place near Bethany where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were waiting for him.

The Visit with Mary and Martha

It had been arranged for Jesus to stay with Lazarus and his sisters at a friend’s house, and for the apostles to scatter themselves about here and there finding lodging in small groups. They took these precautions because the Jewish leaders were again bold enough to try and arrest Jesus.

For years Mary, Martha, and Lazarus would drop everything they were doing to listen to Jesus whenever he visited them. After their parents had died Martha took over caring for the house, so this time while Mary and Lazarus sat at Jesus’ feet, Martha made dinner. Martha, it should be pointed out, was the type of person that was often distracted by needless tasks and who worried about trivial things: it was just her nature. As Martha bustled about taking care of all of these minor duties she became upset that Mary was not helping her. She went to Jesus and said “Master, do you not care that my sister has left me alone to do all of the serving? Will you not tell her to come and help me?”

Jesus said “Martha, Martha, why are you always worried about so much and troubled by so many little things? There is only one thing that is important, and since Mary has chosen this good and needed thing I will not take it away from her. But when will the both of you learn to live as I have taught you: both cooperating and refreshing your souls together? Can you not learn that there is a time for everything—that the lesser matters of life should give way before the more important things of the heavenly kingdom?”

At Bethlehem with Abner

The week after the feast of tabernacles scores of believers came together at Bethany and were taught by the twelve apostles. The Sanhedrin did not bother them because Jesus was no longer on site: he was working with Abner and his crew in Bethlehem. Jesus had left the day after the feast and did not teach again in the temple during this visit to Jerusalem.

Abner made his headquarters in Bethlehem, and from that central hub many workers had been sent to cities in Judea, southern Samaria, and even as far as Alexandria. Within a few days of arriving in Bethlehem, Jesus and Abner finished their plans for bringing together the two groups of apostles.

During the feast of tabernacles Jesus had divided his time equally between Bethany and Bethlehem. At Bethany he spent much of the time with his apostles, and at Bethlehem he taught Abner and John’s former apostles; it was this intimate contact with Jesus that finally led them to believe in him. John the Baptist’s former apostles were influenced by Jesus’ courage going into Jerusalem to teach, as well as by his sympathetic understanding during their private lessons in Bethlehem. These influences finally won each of them over to wholeheartedly accepting the kingdom and all that implied.

Before leaving Bethlehem, Jesus arranged for everyone to meet in Magadan Park: they were going to join forces in an united effort before Jesus ended his mission on Earth. Early in November, Abner and his eleven people cast their lot with Jesus and the twelve, and they all worked as one organization right on down to the crucifixion. On Sunday, October 30^ththey left Ephraim where Jesus had been resting for a few days, and went west on the Jordan road straight to Magadan Park. They arrived late in the afternoon on Wednesday, November 2^nd. The apostles were relieved to have Jesus back in friendly territory, and they never again urged him to teach in Jerusalem.