Mk 1:9 Jesus spends his early adult years at Nazareth in Galilee with his family. He learns the skills of a carpenter from Joseph, and enjoys the company of his younger brothers James, Joseph, Judas (Jude) and Simon, as well as his sisters and other close relatives (see Mark 6:3). In 26AD, around the age of thirty (Luke 3:23), and with several younger brothers now old enough to look after his mother and sisters, Jesus leaves his hometown of Nazareth and journeys south (see 1 on Map 5).
Map 5 Jesus begins his work
Mk 1:10-11 Jesus is baptised by John in the River Jordan near Bethany (see John 1:28 and the feature on Bethany beyond the Jordan) in the summer of 26AD. As he emerges from the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove (see Isaiah 42:1) and God’s voice is heard saying, “You are my Son, whom I love” (Mark 1:11) (see Psalm 2:6-7).
Jn 1:35-42 Over the next couple of days, John and his followers spot Jesus several times among the crowds. John calls out, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Andrew – one of John’s followers – rushes to find his brother Simon, exclaiming, “We have found the Messiah” (the ‘Christ’) (John 1:41). When Jesus meets Simon (Hebrew, 'Shimon'), he calls him ‘Petros’ or ‘Peter’ (meaning, in Greek, ‘a rock’) (see the feature on Who was the Messiah? in Section 2).
Fig. 5 Jesus’s Journeys
