Jesus' Public Declaration of Divinity Brings Danger 

On Sunday, September 25, 29 CE, the apostles and the evangelists assembled at Magadan. After a long conference that evening with his associates, Jesus surprised all by announcing that early the next day, he and the twelve apostles would start for Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Tabernacles.

When the hour came to leave for Jerusalem, Nathaniel and Thomas were still in the midst of their discussions with Rodan of Alexandria, and they secured the Master’s permission to remain at Magadan for a few days. And so, while Jesus and the ten were on their way to Jerusalem, Nathaniel and Thomas were engaged in earnest debate with Rodan.

Jesus and the ten apostles intended to proceed to Jerusalem via Samaria, the shorter route. After crossing the lake's eastern bank, they reached Samaria via Scythopolis. Jesus sent Philip and Matthew to find accommodation for the group in a village on Mount Gilboa's eastern slopes. The villagers were more anti-Jewish than the typical Samaritan, and their prejudices were heightened since so many were traveling to the Feast of Tabernacles. These people knew little about Jesus and refused him accommodation because he and his entourage were Jews. After Matthew and Philip informed the Samaritans that they weren't willing to welcome the Holy One of Israel, the angry locals drove them out of the town with sticks and stones.

After Philip and Matthew reported being thrown out of the village, James and John approached Jesus and begged, "Master, we pray you to give us permission to bid fire come down from heaven to devour these insolent and impenitent Samaritans." Hearing these cries of vengeance, Jesus turned on the sons of Zebedee and sharply reprimanded them: "You know not what manner of attitude you manifest. Vengeance savors not of the outlook of the kingdom of heaven. Rather than dispute, let us journey over to the little village by the Jordan ford." Thus, sectarian bigotry prevented the Samaritans from hosting the Creator Son of a universe.

The town near the Jordan ford was where Jesus and the ten slept overnight. The next morning, they crossed the river and went to Jerusalem along the East Jordan route, arriving at Bethany late Wednesday night. Thomas and Nathaniel came Friday after the Rodan conferences delayed them.

Jesus and the twelve stayed near Jerusalem for four and a half weeks until the end of October. Jesus visited the city a few times and the visits were during the Feast of Tabernacles. He spent much of October with Abner and his Bethlehem friends.

Before they fled from Galilee, Jesus' followers begged him to go to Jerusalem to preach the gospel of the kingdom so that his message could be preached at the center of Jewish culture and learning, but now that he had come to Jerusalem to teach, they feared for his life. After learning that the Sanhedrin had tried to send Jesus to Jerusalem for trial and that the Master had lately declared that he must be subject to death, the apostles were astonished by his abrupt choice to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. All their requests that Jesus go to Jerusalem were met with, "The hour has not yet come." In response to their fears, he said, "But the hour has come."

Jesus bravely entered Jerusalem numerous times at the Feast of Tabernacles and lectured in the temple. He did this over his apostles' objections. Though they had long pushed him to preach in Jerusalem, they were now terrified to see him enter because they knew the scribes and Pharisees would kill him.

Jesus' strong Jerusalem presence confused his followers more than ever. Many of his apostles, including Judas Iscariot, believed Jesus had fled to Phoenicia to avoid the Jewish authorities and Herod Antipas. They failed to comprehend the Master's movements. His presence in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, against his followers' counsel, ended all whisperings about fear and cowardice forever. Thousands of believers from around the Roman Empire saw Jesus, heard him lecture, and even traveled to Bethany to discuss local kingdom development during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Jesus spoke in the temple courts during the feast for numerous reasons, but the Sanhedrin officers' fear of the secret division of sentiment in their ranks was the primary one. Many of the Sanhedrin either secretly believed in Jesus or were opposed to arresting him during the feast when so many people were in Jerusalem who either believed in him or were at least friendly to his spiritual movement.

Abner and his colleagues in Judea had likewise consolidated sentiment favorable to the kingdom, so Jesus' detractors dared not speak out. Jesus could openly visit Jerusalem and survive because of this. One or two months earlier, he would have been executed.

Jesus' brazen public appearance in Jerusalem scared his foes; they were unprepared for such a threat. The Sanhedrin unsuccessfully tried to arrest the Master many times this month. Jesus' surprise public visit to Jerusalem left his opponents thinking the Romans had given him security. Since Philip (Herod Antipas's brother) was practically a devotee of Jesus, the Sanhedrin believed Philip had secured for Jesus pledges of protection from his adversaries. Jesus had left their authority before they realized they had been wrong to think his unexpected and dramatic presence in Jerusalem was due to a hidden agreement with Roman officials.

When they left Magadan, only the twelve apostles knew Jesus would attend the Feast of Tabernacles. When the Master appeared in the temple courtyards and began openly lecturing, his disciples and the Jewish authorities were astounded. His followers were not expecting Jesus to attend the feast, but most of the pilgrims who had heard of him hoped to meet him in Jerusalem. They were not disappointed as he spoke in Solomon's Porch and other temple courts multiple times. These teachings were really the formal announcement of the divinity of Jesus to the Jewish people and to the whole world.

The masses who heard the Master's teachings were divided in their opinions. Some called him a good man, a prophet, the Messiah; others said he was a mischievous meddler who was misguiding the people with his bizarre teachings. His opponents were afraid of his sympathetic believers, while his allies were afraid of the Jewish leaders, believing the Sanhedrin would kill him. Even his detractors admired his teaching, knowing he had not studied in rabbinical institutions.

Every time Jesus visited Jerusalem, his apostles were terrified. As Jesus made bolder statements about his destiny on earth, the more they grew afraid. Even when teaching among his companions, Jesus' optimistic statements and astonishing declarations were new to them. Despite their fears and the dangers he faced, Jesus' unwavering courage and profound teachings left an indelible mark on his followers and the broader religious landscape.