John 2 Nazareth - Cana - Capernaum?

[Eoghan]

Jesus home town was Nazareth, the wedding was in Cana north (?) of Nazareth and inland. After the wedding they all went down to Capernaum that is east(?) of Cana and away from Nazareth.

Anyone any insights into what is going on?

 

[Jack K]

The other gospels give a clear sense that Capernaum, not Nazareth, was the hub of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. Perhaps he had extended family there, or his mother and brothers largely lived there despite having spent their earlier years in Nazareth. Or maybe he chose Capernaum because several of the disciples were from there, including Peter and Andrew and James and John. It could well be that the opposition he ran into early on in Nazareth (Luke 4) forced him to find another home. In any case, Matthew tells us that right from the start of his ministry "leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea" (Mat. 4:13), fulfilling prophesy from Isaiah.

I believe Capernaum was considerably larger and more influential than Nazareth, a natural choice if you were picking either (1) a ministry hub or (2) a new home after being kicked out of your small town.