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My favorite seminary professor would draw a map like this on a chalkboard (ancient artifact) as he began his lectures on the Gospels. And, with most activities in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John occurring in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, he would walk, talk, and point to one of these areas when an event matched a “big three” location.
His comment would be, “If you know the location of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, you can act like a scholar.” I’ve taken my seminary professor’s advice — acting like a scholar — just expanding the purview a bit to include everything that I talk about.
Now, draw this map in your mind and become more intellectual as we read the following passages from the Gospels:
After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing (John 3:22, ESV). Point to Judea on your mental map.
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink” (John 4:7). Pin your mental map. Brilliant! Now you know where the story of the Woman at the Well took place!
Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23, NASB). Amazing! You know the location where these miracles took place.
There are many other places mentioned in the New Testament, including Bethlehem (Judea), Capernaum (Galilee), and Caesarea (Samaria), but with the map of the three areas now burned as a fixture in your brain — you’ve become a Bible nerd like me and hopefully don’t have a headache.
A question about our brain map would be: How did we get Judea, Samaria, and Galilee? When the Israelites conquered the Promised Land, there was one nation of Israel until Solomon’s son Rehoboam ill-advisedly enforced harsh policies, causing northern Israel to rebel against southern Judea.
And now we have two countries: Israel and Judea.
Samaria eventually emerged as a type of buffer area between Israel and Judea and adopted its own religious customs. After northern Israel and southern Judea were conquered, foreigners settled in this buffer area, reducing racial purity.
Judea, Samaria, with the former northern Israel becoming Galilee! Our mind map now makes sense.
In the time of Jesus, Samara existed as an unclean land, and the Jews traveling to Jerusalem (in Judea) from Galilee walked around it, which allowed Jesus, who passed through Samaria, to suddenly appear in the temple area.
Let’s review our mind map — Jesus walking from Galilee through Samaria to Jerusalem in Judea.
That’s it. Class over.