Jesus and the Twelve Retire for Two Months 

Jesus and his apostles spent September and October, 27 CE at a secluded camp upon the slopes of Mount Gilboa on the borders of Samaria and the Decapolis. There were several reasons why Jesus and his apostles were in retirement at this time. The Jerusalem religious rulers were hostile towards John the Baptist and Jesus. Herod Antipas imprisoned John, uncertain what to do with him and unsure if John and Jesus were working together. There also arose tensions between John’s followers and Jesus’ apostles concerning similar but different beliefs. Jesus knew that his days of teaching and preaching were almost over and that his next move was to begin his full and final effort on earth. He did not want to try or embarrass John the Baptist. Jesus wanted to retire and rehearse his apostles, then operate quietly in the Decapolis cities until John was executed or released to join them.

Jesus explained to his apostles the reasons for the delay:

1. To ensure they understood what they were teaching and had total faith in it.
2. To allow opposition to their work to quiet down.
3. To await the fate of John the Baptist.

In spending this time with Jesus, the twelve became more devoted due to personal loyalty and more committed to their future work of the kingdom. They did not fully understand his many-sided teaching, the nature of Jesus, or the significance of his bestowal on earth. They simply loved the man.

Jesus spent all of September alone with his apostles, teaching them spiritual truths. He shared with them his early life and experiences on Mount Hermon immediately after his baptism and charged them to keep this to themselves until after he had returned to the Father. The apostles related their experiences since Jesus first called them to service and tried to solidify these with the Master’s teachings.

The apostles realized this would be their last chance for a prolonged rest before intense travel and spreading the gospel message. They did not have a firm grasp on what the kingdom of heaven would be. John and Andrew thought the kingdom had already come; Peter and James placed it in the future; Nathaniel and Thomas were puzzled; Matthew, Philip, and Simon Zelotes were uncertain and confused; James and Judas Alpheus were blissfully ignorant; and Judas Iscariot offered no opinion.

Jesus spoke to his apostles on multiple subjects. Jesus also spent much of his time alone on the mountain to commune with his heavenly Father. Throughout September, the central theme was prayer and worship. At this time, the Master delivered his memorable discourse on prayer after Thomas asked him to teach them how to pray. Jesus always advised that prayer was a personal, spontaneous soul expression, not a formal petition or memorized prose. However, due to the need for a simple petition that the apostles could teach others, Jesus consented and gave them the Lord’s Prayer.