WHEN Jesus returns to his home territory after an extended preaching campaign in Judea, it is not to rest up. Rather, he begins an even greater ministry in Galilee, the land where he grew up. But his disciples, instead of staying with him, return home to their families and their former occupations.
What message does Jesus begin preaching? This: “The kingdom of God has drawn near. Be repentant, you people, and have faith in the good news.” And the response? The Galileans receive Jesus. He is held in honor by all. However, this is not particularly due to his message but, rather, because many of them were at the Passover in Jerusalem months before and saw the remarkable signs he performed.
Jesus apparently begins his great Galilean ministry in Cana. Earlier, you may recall, on returning from Judea, he turned water into wine at a wedding feast there. On this second occasion, the child of a government official of King Herod Antipas is very sick. Hearing that Jesus has come from Judea to Cana, the official travels all the way from his home in Capernaum to find Jesus. Grief-stricken, the man urges: ‘Please come immediately, before my child dies.’
Jesus responds: ‘Go back home. Your son is healed!’ Herod’s official believes and starts on the long trip home. On the way he is met by his servants, who have hurried to tell him that all is well—his son has recovered! ‘When did he get better?’ he asks.
‘Yesterday at 1:00 p.m.,’ they answer.
The official realizes that this is the very hour when Jesus said, ‘Your son is healed!’ After that, the man and his entire household become disciples of Christ.
Cana thus became favored as the place where, signaling his return from Judea, Jesus twice performed miracles. These, of course, are not the only miracles he performed up to this time, but they are significant because they marked his return to Galilee.
