LXIII.

First Withdrawal from Herod's Territory and Return.

(Spring, a.d. 29.)

Subdivision A.

Return of the Twelve and Retirement

To the East Shore of Galilee.

^A Matt. XIV. 13; ^B Mark VI. 30–32; ^C Luke IX. 10; ^D John VI. 1.

^b 30 And the apostles gather themselves together unto Jesus; ^c when they were returned, ^b and they told { ^c declared unto} ^b him all things, whatsoever they had done, and whatsoever they had taught. [They had fulfilled the mission on which Jesus had sent them, and on returning each pair made to him a full report of their work.] 31 And he saith unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place [an uninhabited place], and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. [Need of rest was one reason for retiring to the thinly settled shores east of the lake. Matthew proceeds to give us another reason for his retiring.] ^a 13 Now ^d 1 After these things ^a when Jesus heard it [Heard about John's death. The excitement caused by this event, and the efforts to use Jesus as a leader in revolt, as indicated at the close of the last section, constituted another reason why Jesus should withdraw from the multitude], ^c he took them [the apostles], and withdrew ^a thence ^c apart ^b 32 And they went away in the { ^a a} boat, ^d to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. ^c to a city called Bethsaida. ^b to a desert place apart. [They sailed to the northeastern shore of the lake to a plain lying near the city of Bethsaida Julius.] 375