John 7

Home. There’s no place like it!

Not even one verse into today’s reading and already the wheels are turning in my head! Verse one starts out, “after this…” “After what?” I ask… after many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him, that’s after what! (John 6:66). What did Jesus do “after this”? He ‘went around in Galilee’. Galilee was ‘home’ territory. There are other verses that help me understand how Jesus must have felt about Galilee: It’s where He performed not only His first miracle (John 2:1-11), but His second as well (John 4:43-54). Most of Jesus’ miracles were performed in and around Galilee. It’s where the 4000 and the 5000 were fed. In fact, Matthew 4:23 tells us that Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching and preaching and healing EVERY disease and sickness among the people!! Galilee is where He called the twelve and they were all Galileans (Acts 1:11) and the women who cared for Him were also Galileans. (Matthew 27:55) Galilee is where Jesus first shared his coming betrayal, death and resurrection with His disciples (Matthew 17:22-23) and it is where He told them to meet Him after His resurrection (Matthew 26:32). All that history in Galilee helps me understand why Jesus would want to go back there “after this”. Every memory from there was not perfect, everything done there was not the way He would have wanted it, He wasn’t accepted by every single person, but it was home. Where do I go when I’m discouraged and lonely? I have my own Galilee….it’s the church that meets at Providence Road. No, not the physical building, but YOU. Jesus had family in Galilee, not just His physical family, (turns out they weren’t always the most supportive anyway)! I have family in the body that meets at Providence Road! Thank you for being here for me so that coming to PR is like coming home and there is no place like it!!

Ok, I got through seven words in chapter 7! I love how every word of Scripture is intentional and full of impact!


Julie Hallman
March 23