Passover:  and when a Nobleman of Capernaum heard he was returned into Galilee, and went to him and desired him to come and cure his son, he went not thither yet, but only said, Go thy way, thy son liveth; and the Nobleman returned and found it so, and believed, he and his house, John iv.  This is the beginning of his miracles in Galilee; and thus far John is full and distinct in relating the actions of his first year, omitted by the other Evangelists.  The rest of his history is from this time related more fully by the other Evangelists than by John; for what they relate he omits.

From this time therefore Jesus taught in the Synagogues of Galilee on the sabbath-days, being glorified of all:  and coming to his own city Nazareth, and preaching in their Synagogue, they were offended, and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which the city was built to cast him headlong; but he passing thro’ the midst of them, went his way, and came and dwelt at Capernaum, Luke iv.  And by this time we may reckon the second Passover was either past or at hand.

All this time Matthew passeth over in few words, and here begins to relate the preaching and miracles of Christ. When Jesus__, saith he, had heard that John_ was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt at Capernaum, and from that time began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand_, Matth. iv. 12.  Afterwards he called his disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John; and then went about all Galilee, teaching in the Synagogues,—­and healing all manner of sickness:—­and his fame went thro’out all Syria_; and they brought unto him all sick people,—­and there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan_, Matth, iv. 18, 25.  All this was done before the sermon in the mount:  and therefore we may certainly reckon that the second Passover was past before the preaching of that sermon.  The multitudes that followed him from Jerusalem and Judea, shew that he had lately been there at the feast.  The sermon in the mount was made when great multitudes came to him from all places, and followed him in the open fields; which is an argument of the summer-season:  and in this sermon he pointed at the lilies of the field then in the flower before the eyes of his auditors. Consider, saith he, the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet Solomon_ in all his glory was not arayed like one of these.  Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is and to morrow is cast into the oven_, &c. Matth. vi. 28.  So therefore the grass of the field was now in the flower, and by consequence the month of March with the Passover was past.