A Synopsis of Paper 129: Later Adult Life of Jesus

Jesus left home when he was twenty-six years old. After visiting several cities on the Sea of Galilee, he accepted a job in Capernaum building boats with Zebedee, a friend of his father. Jesus worked in Capernaum for more than a year, creating a new style of boat that was so superior that the shop had more work than it could handle for several years.

Five evenings a week Jesus studied at the Capernaum synagogue. One night each week he spent with young people, and one with the elderly. Jesus endeared himself to both age groups because he was always interested in what people were doing. He seldom offered advice unless asked. He made a habit of conducting question-and-answer sessions each evening before going out to study, discussing such topics as politics, science, philosophy and religion.

In March, 22 AD, Jesus left for Jerusalem. Salome, Zebedee's wife, wrote a letter for Jesus introducing him to her relative, Annas, who was once a high priest in Jerusalem. Through this connection, Jesus visited the Jerusalem schools; he also spent much of time listening to the temple discussions.

Near the end of Passover week, Jesus met two travelers from India, Gonod and his son Ganid. The travelers hired Jesus as an interpreter and tutor to accompany them on a business trip around the Mediterranean. The experiences of this Mediterranean tour gave Jesus the opportunity to grow close to people of many colors, education levels, cultural backgrounds, social strata, and religious persuasions.