Jesus was on a mission - sent from heaven to the cross … and along the way to train a group of men to carry the gospel to the world. His time in Galilee had been important. Away from the religio-political pressure of Jerusalem in Judea, Jesus intrigued His disciples by the miracles and parables He taught to the crowd. Afterwards, in private, the trainee apostles asked Him to explain their meaning. It was a period of intense learning which would prepare them for their leadership task ahead.
 
The move away from the North of the country marked the lead-up to the cross. He travelled down through Samaria, which was despised by religious Jews. Luke 9:51-18:30 describes further ministry training including sending out 72 other men to experience mission in His Name. All the time, Jesus was equipping His team so that when He went back to heaven, they would understand how to lead the churches under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 
When eventually Jesus arrived in Judea (the tribal-land which contained Jerusalem) He crossed over the river and encountered the relatively uninhabited areas of Perea on the east side of the Jordan, near to the place of His baptism. Yet they were not alone. Wherever Jesus went He attracted large crowds of people. They knew that He had the power and wisdom of God, which was immensely attractive to needy, sick, deprived, ignored, ill-treated and hopeless people.
 
Jesus is still drawing people to Himself. He uses the spiritual descendants of the disciples (us!) who were taught by Jesus. The Holy Spirit distils that information and applies it to people who are without hope. When so many people have let them down, Jesus is always reliable and kind: no wonder they are attracted to Him. He wants to use us to tell people the same gospel that Jesus taught, and demonstrate God's kingdom in the way we live - like Jesus did. When they see today's authentic disciples, they know that their Master will be powerful and wise in their lives too. So live as an authentic disciple and explain the gospel clearly; see how the Holy Spirit will use you to lead others to Jesus.