Following the Savior's Steps: The Final Months

When the Savior attended the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem, probably about 3-4 months before His death, He was rejected again by many of the Jews.  After declaring, “I and my Father are one,” they “took up stones again to stone him.”  He left them as they “sought again to take him” and “went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode” (John 10:30-31, 39-40).  This was at Bethabara in Perea, and some of the teaching that are known to have taken place here (such as the “lost” parables) could have been given during this time period.  He stayed there until He was summoned back to Judea by Mary and Martha at the death of Lazarus who were at Bethany, likely a matter of a few weeks after His arrival.  (Note that Bethabara was also called Bethany in some texts, so some distinguish between the Bethany of Perea and the Bethany of Judea where Lazarus was.)  Bethany was a city “nigh unto Jerusalem” and the danger of returning back where there were those who sought to kill the Savior was evident to the apostles.  When Jesus insisted they return, Thomas said, much to his credit, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16, 18).  Jesus went and performed this incredible miracle raising Lazarus from the dead after being deceased four days.  The event became very well known to the Jews, and the rulers sought the more “to put him to death” (John 11:53). 

 After the raising of Lazarus from the dead up until the last week of His life “Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim” (John 11:54).  According to Elder Talmage, “The place of this last retirement is not definitely known; it is generally thought to be the locality elsewhere called Ephrain and Ephron, which lay a little less than twenty miles northerly from Jerusalem.”  Another source, consistent with Elder Talmage’s view, suggests it corresponds to the modern city of Taybeh about 13 miles north-east of Jerusalem.  This is where Jesus would remain, as far as we know, until His return to Jerusalem for the final week of His life.  As Jesus left Ephraim to make His return to Jerusalem near the time of Passover, it appears that He went southwest through Jericho and then back east towards the holy city.  It was in Jericho that He healed “two blind men sitting by the way side,” came to the house of Zacchaeus where He abode, and told the parable of the pounds (Matt. 20:30, Luke 19:1-27).  From John we learn that “Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany” where He had raised Lazarus.  Jesus was back near Jerusalem, and It was soon thereafter that Jesus made His triumphal entry into the holy city for the final events of His life where He would give some of His most profound teachings to the Twelve and then offer His life for all mankind.