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SearchVisit with Family Aborted
Before Jesus took the twelve for a short sojourn in the vicinity of Caesarea-Philippi, he arranged
through the messengers of David to go over to Capernaum on Sunday, August 7, for the purpose
of meeting his family. By prearrangement this visit was to occur at the Zebedee boatshop. David
Zebedee had arranged with Jude, Jesus' brother, for the presence of the entire Nazareth family--
Mary and all of Jesus' brothers and sisters--and Jesus went with Andrew and Peter to keep this
appointment. It was certainly the intention of Mary and the children to keep this engagement, but
it so happened that a group of the Pharisees, knowing that Jesus was on the opposite side of the
lake in Philip's domains, decided to call upon Mary to learn what they could of his whereabouts.
The arrival of these Jerusalem emissaries greatly perturbed Mary, and noting the tension and
nervousness of the entire family, they concluded that Jesus must have been expected to pay them
a visit. Accordingly they installed themselves in Mary's home and, after summoning
reinforcements, waited patiently for Jesus' arrival. And this, of course, effectively prevented any
of the family from attempting to keep their appointment with Jesus. Several times during the day
both Jude and Ruth endeavored to elude the vigilance of the Pharisees in their efforts to send
word to Jesus, but it was of no avail.
Early in the afternoon David's messengers brought Jesus word that the Pharisees were encamped
on the doorstep of his mother's house, and therefore he made no attempt to visit his family. And
so again, through no fault of either, Jesus and his earth family failed to make contact