and more difficult, but avoiding it was not strictly a matter of “necessity.”46 Further, Jesus may have been near John (3:22–23), and the geographic logic of the narrative places John in the Jordan valley (3:23), from which the easiest journey might have been northward through the gap at Bethshan; Samaria thus would represent a detour.47 Thus it is possible that the casual first-time reader (especially many unfamiliar with Palestinian geography) would approach the ambiguous expression as an indication