From the Feast of Tabernacles, October, A. D. 29, to the Feast of Dedication, December, A. D. 29; 3 Months.

The events in this period are not definitely fixed, either as to time or place.

I. THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY (John 7:538:n). In the evening of the last day of the feast Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, perhaps to the home at Bethany, and early the next morning he reappeared at the Temple. The Pharisees, finding they dared not openly oppose him, tried to entrap him by bringing to him a woman taken in adultery for his decision concerning her case. If he would pronounce the sentence of death they thought he would lose favor with the people, and if he would decide otherwise they would accuse him of breaking the Law. But Jesus simply said, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone," and then stooped to continue his writing on the ground. When he looked up the woman stood alone before him and all the accusers had fled. When he found there was no one to accuse her, he bade her go and sin no more.

II. CONVERSATION WITH THE PHARISEES (John 8:12-59). Jesus afterward met many of the Pharisees at the temple and declared to them that he was the Light of the World and all of his servants are free.

III. DEPARTURE FROM GALILEE (Matt. 19:1, 2; Mark 10:1). After the Feast of Tabernacles it appears that Jesus again returned to Galilee for a short time, and multitudes of the common people followed him. But in a short time he took his final leave of Galilee and spent the last few months of his ministry in Judea and Perea.

IV. REJECTION BY A SAMARITAN VILLAGE (Luke 9:51-56). With his face set towards Jerusalem, Jesus with his Apostles started for Jerusalem, going through Samaria. In one of the villages the Samaritans refused to receive Jesus, and the impetuous James and John desired to call down fire from heaven upon them. The Master quietly rebuked them and departed to another village.

V. THE THREE HALF-HEARTED FOLLOWERS (Matt. 8:19-22; Luke 9:57-62). As they went on their way they met three men who desired to follow Jesus, but the first was not willing to bear the hardships; the second desired to first bury his father and the third wanted to give his friends farewell. Jesus wants an immediate, entire service.

VI. SENDING OUT THE SEVENTY (Matt. 11:20-24; Luke 10:1-16). Jesus then sent out seventy of his disciples to prepare the way before him to perform miracles and to preach the kingdom in the villages that Jesus expected to visit.

VII. THE GOOD SAMARITAN (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus seems then to have passed out of Samaria into Perea, and there he met a lawyer who came to tempt Jesus with the question, " What shall I do, to inherit eternal life?" Jesus told him to love God and his neighbor, but the lawyer, desiring to justify himself, asked who was his neighbor. Jesus by the parable of the Good Samaritan impressed upon him the truth that neighborliness springs from the heart of love and compassion and cannot be limited by racial or social lines. We must be like the Good Samaritan.

VIII. RETURN OF THE SEVENTY (Matt. 11:25-30; Luke 10:17-24). Probably while Jesus was still in Perea the Seventy returned much pleased with the success in casting out evil spirits. Jesus told them not to rejoice because they had power over evil spirits, but to rejoice because their names were written in heaven.

IX. JESUS AT THE HOME OF MARY AND MARTHA (Luke 10:38-42). Jesus withdrew from Perea and went towards Jerusalem, stopping on the way at Bethany to rest at the home of Mary and Martha. Mary sat at his feet and Martha, anxious to serve the Master well, rebuked her sister; but Jesus commended her gentle meekness and reproved Martha for being cumbered with the care of serving.

X. HEALING THE MAN BORN BLIND (John 9:1-41). Jesus went to attend the Feast of Dedication, and there he resumed his discourses in the Temple. On the Sabbath he passed a man who had been blind from his birth. Jesus anointed his eyes with clay and bade him wash in the Pool of Siloam, and the man went and returned with his sight restored. Such a miracle aroused a great commotion and the Sanhedrim called the man to account, and then his parents, and finally they excommunicated him from the synagogue.

XI. THE GOOD SHEPHERD (John 10:1-21). Jesus addressed these Pharisees in the parable of the Good Shepherd, denouncing them for their selfish, cruel shepherding of the flock, seeking their own welfare rather than the good of those they taught. Jesus declared himself the Good Shepherd, bringing abundant and eternal life to all who entered his fold.

XII. THE FEAST OF DEDICATION (John 10:22-39). It was winter now, and Jesus had been teaching in Solomon's Porch. It was time for the Feast of Dedication, and many Pharisees gathered about them asking him to tell them plainly whether he was the Messiah. Jesus pointed them to his miracles already wrought in their midst; but they would not receive his testimony, but took up stones and would have stoned him, but he quietly escaped from their midst.

QUESTIONS.

• How many months are covered by this period?

• When did Jesus go to the Mount of Olives?

• How did he silence the accusers?

• What did he say to the woman?

• What lessons did he teach the Pharisees?

• Where did Jesus spend the last months of his ministry?

• What did James and John want to do when some refused to receive Jesus?

• Why did not the three follow Jesus immediately?

• What must the followers of Jesus do?

• Where did he send out the Seventy?

• What was their mission?

• What was the lawyer's question?

• How did Jesus answer him?

• Who is our neighbor?

• Whom did Jesus meet at Bethany?

• What was Martha doing?

• What was Mary doing?

• How did Jesus heal the blind man?

• What parables did Jesus give these Pharisees?

• When was the Feast of Dedication?

• Why did they not stone him?