by Dorcas Kulwa | 16 April 2021 08:46 pm04
Are You Still in Jerusalem, or Will You Go to Galilee?
When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to different groups of people in different places. Some saw Him in Jerusalem, but others were given specific instructions about where to meet Him.
For example, Jesus appeared to the two disciples walking to the village of Emmaus, near Jerusalem (Luke 24:13-33). He also appeared to the women who went to the tomb on the first day of the week, spoke to them, and then left.
However, He did not appear to His eleven disciples while they were in Jerusalem. Instead, He instructed the women to tell them: “The Lord will go ahead of you to Galilee, and there you will see Him.”
Matthew 28:9-10 says:
“Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet, and worshiped Him.
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me.’”
Why did Jesus give them specific instructions about where to meet Him? Even before His death, He had already told His disciples the same thing:
Mark 14:27-28:
“Tonight all of you will fall away on account of Me, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I rise, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
So this wasn’t a command for everyone, but for a specific group—those He called “My brothers.” And it wasn’t just anywhere in Galilee; He gave them the exact mountain where they would meet Him.
After Jesus rose, they made the journey from Jerusalem to Galilee—about 120 km—straight to the mountain He had directed. There, they met Him face to face and received His instructions:
Matthew 28:16-20:
“The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, though some doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
You may ask: why did Jesus choose to reveal Himself in Galilee instead of Jerusalem, as He did with others? Why have them travel such a long distance when He could have appeared right there in Jerusalem?
The answer is that He wanted their focus to shift. Galilee was where Jesus grew up and where He did most of His ministry. By meeting them there, He was showing that His heart after resurrection was not in Jerusalem—it was in Galilee, where His work had been, and where He wanted His disciples to see and continue His mission.
Galilee was where He trained His disciples, performed miracles, and shared His message. By sending them there, Jesus was saying: “Go into the world and make disciples just as I made disciples in Galilee. I will be with you always.”
What does this mean for us today?
Even now, if you are a disciple of Jesus—or want to be—you will not find Him in Jerusalem. You will not find Him in the tomb, in teachings about the cross, or just in doctrines of repentance. If all you know is to repent and be saved, and you don’t understand what Jesus wants you to do, then you are still in Jerusalem.
Christ wants you to see His work and ministry, and to do the same. He wants you to see that people need the gospel, salvation, freedom from sin, and deliverance. That is your Galilee—the place where you meet Jesus today.
If, however, you are content just to hear the gospel, say “Amen,” or claim “I am saved,” then you have nothing more to offer. You are not Christ’s “brother” or “disciple” in action, and you cannot please Him.
The times we live in are as the prophets foretold—there is a famine coming, not of food or water, but of hearing God’s Word.
Amos 8:11 says:
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.’”
Ask yourself: since Christ has risen in your life, what extra work have you done for God’s kingdom? Are you still in Jerusalem, unwilling to go to Galilee? Are you too busy with work, family, or worldly concerns? Galilee may seem far—there may be no money, no recognition, and people may mock you—but that is where the work of God is.
Examine your faith. If giving to the work of the gospel is difficult for you, how will you share the kingdom with others? If you do not take action, your crown will be small—or you may not receive one at all.
Let us awaken and begin sharing with others what the Lord has entrusted to us during this time of spiritual famine in the last days.
Maranatha.
Please share this good news with others.
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