After John was imprisoned, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God and saying: “The time is  completed and the Reign of God is near. Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

St. Mark records the beginning of the ministry of Jesus as a historical fact, in which after John was imprisoned, verse 13 ends saying that Jesus was tempted by Satan, he was served by angels and Mark does not say anything more.

The Gospel of Lucas, in an exclusive manner, presents this scene in the Synagogue of Nazareth, as being the inaugural speech and movement of Jesus in His ministry. Upon mentioning that Jesus taught in their synagogue, Luke suggests that the Lord is not indentified with them.

The bible records that before the first period in the ministry in Galilee, Jesus ministered in Jerusalem and in Judea. (Jo 1:19-3:36).

Christs makes a choice in His ministry, He leaves Jerusalem and the region of Judea, that was the political-religious center of Israel, and passes to minister in Galilee, a poor and forgotten region. Jesus makes the Galilean option, leaving the great centers of power and influence and doing His work among the marginalized and forgotten of the poorest region of Palestine.

Therefore, the miracle narratives of Jesus over the length of His ministry, are the expression of this inaugural program It is the liberating practice to the oppressed and excluded, needy and suffering, restoring them to dignity and to life, integrating them in the communitarian and social life.

As Christians, we are called to be continue this program, for He, invites us to follow Him: “If someone wants to follow me, pick-up your cross every day and follow me.”

Father Bantu Mendonça
Father Bantu is a priest in Angola

Translated from Portuguese