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John 2:12 (ANIV)
Jesus Clears the Temple
After this he [Jesus] went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Not specified in the Bible narrative. I have set this scene in the early afternoon.

LIGHTING NOTES:
The sun (high up & on the right (in the west) illuminates this scene, casting shadows to the left (towards the east) & below figures & objects.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
From left to right: an unnamed man carrying a sack. Sitting on a rug: James Cleopas, John (son of Zebedee, brother of James), Mary Magdalene, James (son of Zebedee, brother of John). A man in green robes standing at a railing, looking out at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus (sitting on a wooden box), Simon/Peter, his brother Andrew.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This scene shows Jesus in the fishing village of Capernaum, which was on the north western coast of the Sea of Galilee. I have shown some of his disciples with him, many of them sitting at his feet on a mat, listening to his teaching. I haven’t included Jesus’ mother or siblings in this scene (mentioned in verse 12 above)… perhaps they are at home, doing something else!

Here is the scene without the figures in the foreground.

Background of John 02 – Jesus clears the temple – Scene 01 – Jesus goes to Capernaum

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Background of John 02 – Jesus clears the temple – Scene 01 – Jesus goes to Capernaum

It is interesting that verse 12 tells us Jesus went down to Capernaum, a fact which is due to Cana (where Jesus was just previously) being among the hills, and therefore at a higher land elevation than Capernaum (about six hundred feet below sea level (about 182.8 metres)). Capernaum seems to have become Jesus’ home base rather than Nazareth (see Matthew 4:13; Mark 1:21; 2:1). From this point onwards, Jesus seemed to be alienated from His family (see Mark 3:21, 31-35; John 7:3-5) and His hometown of Nazareth (see Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:14-30). (see footnotes [1]).

“Capernaum became Jesus’ home base during his ministry in Galilee. Located on a major trade route, it was an important city in the region, with a Roman garrison and a customs station. At Capernaum, Matthew was called to be a disciple (Matthew 9:9). The city was also the home of several other disciples (Matthew 4:13-19) and a high-ranking government official (4:46). It had at least one major synagogue. Although Jesus made this city his base of operations in Galilee, he condemned it for the people’s unbelief (Matthew 11:23; Luke 10:15).”
[Source: Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary]

John 2:13 informs us that the Jewish Passover celebration was soon to occur (within several days), which is probably why Jesus & his followers only stayed in Capernaum for a few days, before travelling to Jerusalem for the celebrations there. Interestingly, this was the first Passover after Christ’s baptism.

[1]
Matthew 4:13 (ANIV)
13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—

Mark 1:21 (ANIV)
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.

Mark 2:1 (ANIV)
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.

Mark 3:21 (ANIV)
21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Mark 3:31-35 (ANIV)
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

John 7:3-5 (ANIV)
3 Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. 4 No-one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Mark 6:1-6 (ANIV)
1 Jesus left there and went to his home town, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offence at him.
4 Jesus said to them, “Only in his home town, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honour.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Then Jesus went round teaching from village to village.

Luke 4:14-30 (ANIV)
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” [Isaiah 61:1-2]

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your home town what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ “
24 “I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his home town. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy [2] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

[2]
The Greek word was used for various skin diseases affecting the skin – not necessarily leprosy.