Galilee was the most despised area in Israel by the time Jesus was born. It contained a large mixture of Gentiles, and was a politically unstable region. Indeed, this is what prompted Nathaniel to say, upon being told of Jesus, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46) Galileans were considered unlearned and ignorant people. Troublemakers.

True to form, however, it was just this region that God choose for His Son. Jesus grew up in Nazareth of Galilee. He began His ministry there, indeed, His entire ministry operated from Galilee as a base. Most of those who followed Jesus were from Galilee. He chose all twelve apostles from that region.

There is, however, one thing having to do with Galilee that we want to consider here. Galilee was, in fact, the place where the RISEN CHRIST appeared to His apostles. And not by accident. Galilee was chosen beforehand to be that place.

Jesus wanted the apostles to take a trip to Galilee. There He planned to appear to them. The passages from Matthew state this clearly. But the apostle John reveals that some of the disciples did not, at first, obey Jesus. They didn’t go to Galilee. Instead, they went into hiding in Jerusalem.

This account in John doesn’t actually say whether the apostles were present during that first appearance – but only that Thomas wasn’t when Jesus first appeared. Indeed, if we read Luke, it appears conclusive that none of the eleven were present during the first appearance in John 20, but were all there during the second appearance, which featured Thomas’ confession.

This is probably the same occurrence as the SECOND one in John 20, where Jesus showed Thomas His wounds. In this account, the eleven, including Thomas, were there. The narrative sounds as if this was the first time that even the eleven had seen Jesus. Thus, not only was Thomas not present when Jesus appeared the first time in John 20, but neither were the other ten apostles.

From all of this we can conclude that the apostles did not immediately go to Galilee. Instead, they went into hiding, in disobedience to the command of Jesus. This would have been understandable, given the trauma of the situation. This would mean that after this first appearance to them in Jerusalem, they DID finally take the trip to Galilee.

Herein we see the mercy of God. The apostles and disciples, despite knowing that the tomb was empty, and despite knowing that Jesus had predicted He would rise again, didn’t believe Jesus was risen. At least they didn’t believe to the extent where they were willing to risk coming out into public and taking the trip to Galilee. Yet Jesus came to THEM – came to them even though this was not His first choice. He had wanted them to follow Him to Galilee.

We might reason that Jesus ought to have wanted to appear to His disciples at Jerusalem – the holy city. Indeed, He did appear to the two women outside the tomb, and because the apostles did not obey, in mercy came and appeared to them in Jerusalem. But in the original will of God, Jesus deliberately and with forethought arranged that His first appearance to His disciples would be in Galilee. Upon a mountain. Indeed, He told them to come to Galilee to see Him – even before the crucifixion.

But there was really MORE to Galilee than an appearance by Jesus to the apostles. Indeed, Jesus spend most of forty days, between His resurrection and His ascension, teaching them about Himself, and the meaning of what He had done through His death and resurrection.

So Galilee, among other things, was not only the place where the disciples were to SEE the risen Christ, but it was the place that they were to LEARN of Him. Interesting, since Galilee had been the place where these disciples had been called, and where most of the ministry of Jesus had centered. Now they were to return there.

Galilee is a spiritual type of transition from what we thought the Lord was going to do, over to what He is going to do. When we, "take a trip to Galilee," we are passing from that which our natural minds, efforts, and plans might have supposed, over to what God is going to bring to pass.

Note the important Truth here: WE are passing through a transition. Not just circumstances. The apostles were going to have their thinking, their perspective, and their entire relationship with Christ adjusted. This would happen once they LEFT BEHIND everything of Jerusalem – which represented their hopes – and journeyed to Galilee. There, in Galilee, they would SEE JESUS, and LEARN of Him.

Jesus had come to Jerusalem to dig them out of their hiding place. But He did not compromise His command. They had to come up to Galilee. Herein we see, yes, the mercy of God in bearing with our fears and unbelief. But in the end, we have to COME OUT of Jerusalem and take the trip to Galilee. It is only there that the change necessary can take place.

Can we see that upon their return to Galilee that things were on an entirely NEW basis? THEY were on an entirely new basis. Prior to the crucifixion, the apostles expected a soon-to-be-established kingdom to be set up, with Jesus as the Messiah, and themselves at His side. But all of that came crashing down at Calvary. Now they would return to Galilee on the heels of those dashed hopes. But they would soon learn that everything was right on schedule – according to the will of God. Things would not be the way they expected, but on an entirely new basis.

We all have a Jerusalem, and we all have a Galilee. Jerusalem is the fulfillment of the will of God for us. Galilee is the place where we are prepared for it – changed and adjusted for it. Thus, it is God’s will for us to finally get to our Jerusalem – the apostles did return there and the church began on the day of Pentecost. But only after you COME OUT of your idea of Jerusalem, and abandon it to God. You must abandon it by going to Galilee. Only THERE can you really SEE JESUS and learn of Him. But if you do, then God, in His time and will, can bring you back to Jerusalem. Then you will be there on HIS terms. And you will be ready for His purposes.

Up until the time of the crucifixion, the disciples had done everything they could to get Jesus reigning and ruling as the Messiah they expected. All of their thinking and planning was geared to that end. They interpreted Jesus along the lines of their expectations, and even tried to get Him to put aside all notions of dying. (see Matt. 16:21-23) Most of this BUILD UP to the kingdom in Jerusalem happened in Galilee – prior to the death of Jesus.

Now note: What the disciples were trying to BUILD UP before the Cross – a kingdom in Jerusalem – had to be torn down. It wasn’t what God was going to do. Thus, at the Cross, it was torn down. It came crashing. No wonder Jesus had told them, "Come out of Jerusalem. Come out of your idea of the kingdom. There is something better. Come up to Galilee. THAT is where I want to appear to you and teach you about Myself."

What man builds up with His plans for God, must always be torn down. This isn’t because God merely demands that He do everything. No. It is because anything WE BUILD cannot execute God’s will. It cannot. Ever.

God does want to use us to do His will. Certainly. But the only way in which we can be used of God is to be adjusted to God – to the point where we will not take ownership over the things of God. Then He can trust them to us. This requires a death in us – and a trip to Galilee where God can establish us on HIS basis. Once God tears down our ways, then God will build things up HIS way. Of course, what God is really tearing down, and then building up, is more than just a THING – or some plan we have. No, God is working on US – on our faith and relationship with Him. He is getting US on the right basis.

If we would understand this principle, it would explain much. Often, God is tearing down our thinking, ways, and plans, while we are trying to build them up. Thus, we think we are out of God’s will, or being punished, or deceived. We are confused and don’t understand. But the problem is that we are unwittingly working at cross purposes with God. We are still in Jerusalem trying to have a kingdom. God is calling us up to Galilee TO SEE JESUS.

The reason that our churches are in such sad shape today is because most of us haven’t been to Galilee – after the Cross. We have our plans for God, and as sincere as they might be, and as based in ignorance as they might be, God isn’t going to bless them. He cannot bless them. We have to come out of them and spend time with JESUS. We have to come up to Galilee. Then we will be adjusted and changed, and on God’s basis – not our own.

Galilee is the place of YOUR change and adjustment – to make you fit for the will of God. It is where you SEE THE RISEN CHRIST – and learn Him. There is no substitute for this trip to Galilee.

We must see the Risen Christ. We have to see HIM! Not an empty tomb which suggests He has risen -- but HIM. If all I ever see is an empty tomb, I can build doctrines and churches around it, and spend the rest of my life suggesting what it means – that Christ has risen. But none of this will be the same as personally SEEING JESUS.

To see the Risen Christ requires that you leave the place where your dream died, and come out of IT, to HIM. Get that. We want God to do THINGS in our life. We want Him to give us an, "IT." We want to see the will of God – the THING we had hoped – come to pass. Instead, God wants us to SEE JESUS HIMSELF.

Am I willing to go all the way with God – to Galilee? In the aftermath of smashed hopes and dreams – which I may have believed were of God – am I willing to say, "Well, I guess I was wrong about what God wanted," and get to what He does want: That I may SEE JESUS.

God will take care of everyone of our problems and dreams, in His time and in His way. You will note that the disciples did come into a kingdom, didn’t they? They were baptized in the Holy Spirit fifty days later and used of God to form the foundation of the Body of Christ. This was NOT what they expected, or could have known to expect. But God would get them to that point where they could be so used.

How? Well ask: What happened between the time Jesus was crucified, and all their expectations were dashed, and the day of Pentecost? One big thing: They saw the Risen Christ. And to see the Risen Christ, you have to come out of your Jerusalem, and take the trip to Galilee.

I’m not sure that there is anything more important to grasp as Christians. Until we see the Risen Christ, the best we will see is an empty tomb. In other words, we must do more than believe that He is risen, and that He is alive. We have to actually experience a revelation of Christ.

But you see, many Christians don’t know what that means. They think that I am talking about knowing doctrines about Christ. No. Doctrines are great. Everyone believes in the doctrine of the resurrection of Christ. But if that is all we have, then we are still walking around the empty tomb, proclaiming that He is risen. We still have to take the trip to Galilee.

A personal revelation of Jesus was, "business as usual," for the first Christians. Note how the apostles speak of it as normal:

Your spiritual Galilee is where you get, "the witness within." It is where you see Jesus in a way that surpasses facts, information, and doctrines ABOUT Him. This is not some weird, ultra-spiritual concept. It is the way it is supposed to be for Christians. The fact that it isn’t normal for most of us is an indictment upon the church today. We are too busy, "doing church," to take the trip to Galilee!

After the disciples saw the Risen Christ they returned to Jerusalem. But they did not come back to a changed city. No. They came back as changed people! Why? They took that trip to Galilee. They saw Jesus. Seeing Jesus had changed THEM. And thus, they were able to be used of God in a way that would change others.

Jesus calls us to meet Him in Galilee. The way in which this is worked out may differ for each of us. But in the end, we must go there and see Jesus, or our Christianity will be spent , at best, worshipping around an empty tomb.

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