After the preaching tour by the twelve, Jesus began to withdraw from Galilee as the scene of his public ministry. There were probably several reasons for this new departure. Many of the people of Galilee were intent on forcing him to be their king and deliverer. Jesus desired to avoid any such public demonstration. He desired to get away from the milling crowds in order to devote more time to the training of the twelve. The time was short; the disciples still had much to learn.

Perhaps the deciding factor in the decision of Jesus no longer to stay at Capernaum in Galilee was the news of John the Baptist's tragic death and the resulting interest and curiosity that Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, was showing in Jesus.