Jesus' first trip to Capernaum (Luke 4:23 and John 2:12)

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Sharp

Sharp

Senior Member
May 5, 2009
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Good evening.

I have a question about Jesus in Capernaum.

Luke 4:23 (Jesus' rejection at Nazareth) states:

And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.”


Having looked at a gospel harmony, the only Capernaum incident that comes before Luke 4:23 is John 2:12, which states:


After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

I have two questions:

1. Does the reference to Jesus' time in Capernaum in Luke 4 refer specifically to his days there as specified in John 2 (given that chronologically, this is the only recorded Capernaum visit before his rejection at Nazareth)?

2. If question one is answered in the affirmative, what is it likely that Jesus "did" at Capernaum, that people were expecting him to do at Nazareth?


Thankyou.
 
Having looked at a gospel harmony, the only Capernaum incident that comes before Luke 4:23 is John 2:12
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It is possible (and probably in my opinion) these gospel syncs that are widely available are incorrect.

I believe the issue here, for the whole scene where the statements were made, is:

Jesus had just publicly insinuated that He Himself was anointed by God to preach the gospel.
It would be the same as you or I coming into this forum and saying: "Hi guys, I'm a chosen prophet"

And everyone else saying "check yourself, before you wreck yourself"

They basically said: "say what, who's this guy? a simple carpenter's son, not even a priest, anointed by God? yeah right."

And He, seeing their reaction said basically: "oh, so now you're going to tell me to cast a demon out of myself, like I actually did to the guy in capernaum" (citing a proving work, tongue in cheek)

Followed by: "I can't expect people who already know me to believe it could be true"

Don't forget these were real people speaking real conversations, reacting just the way people would today.
 
And He, seeing their reaction said basically: "oh, so now you're going to tell me to cast a demon out of myself, like I actually did to the guy in capernaum" (citing a proving work, tongue in cheek)
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and what I mean to insinuate by this, is that He was giving them the capernaum statement in advance, as a fortelling of the future. more like "wait and hear what I do in capernaum, a few verses later in this story"

sorry forgot to make that point.
 
Why in your opinion are the gospel synchronisations incorrect?
 
Why in your opinion are the gospel synchronisations incorrect?
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Most of them depict a 3 year ministry, but I believe they can be better lined up to present a ministry that lasted a little over a year, from the time He was baptized until His ascension.
I've seen several versions of the 3 year example, that can't seem to agree, but the 490 day theory kinda locks things into place for me.
 
Capernaum was a fishing village of about, almost exclusively, 1,500 Jews in Galilee. As Wikipedia states (of Capernaum):

"The town is cited in the Gospel of Luke where it was reported to have been the home of the apostles Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. In Matthew 4:13 the town was reported to have been the home of Jesus. One Sabbath, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum and healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil.

Afterwards, he healed a fever in Simon Peter's mother-in-law. According to Luke 7:1–10, it is also the place where a Roman Centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant. Capernaum is also mentioned in the Gospel of Mark (2:1), it is the location of the famous healing of the paralytic lowered through the roof to reach Jesus. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus selected this town as the center of his public ministry in the Galilee after he left the small mountainous hamlet of Nazareth (Matthew 4:12–17).

Capernaum has no obvious advantages over any other city in the area, so he probably chose it because it was the home of his first disciples, Simon (Peter) and Andrew. He also formally cursed the city, saying "You shall be brought down to Hades," (Matthew 11:23) because of their lack of response to his teaching."

As stated, Capernaum was the center of Jesus activities in the Galilee and his town during that time. Jesus taught in the local synagogue and had many interactions with its residents. It was also the home town of the apostles Peter, James, Andrew and John, and the tax collector Matthew.
 
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