Current interest in the Galilean Jesus as a historical figure has obscured the christological claims of the New Testament with regard to his person and ministry. This article seeks to build bridges between Jesus and the proclamation about him by exploring three themes arising from accounts of his ministry (messiahship, openness to Gentiles, and the role of wisdom teacher) by examining each theme within the context of Galilean life in the Herodian period, and by demonstrating how these aspects of Jesus’ Galilean career are carried forward and developed into the early Christian proclamation.