What does Matthew 19:1 mean?

This is an important moment in Jesus' life. He has spent nearly His entire ministry thus far teaching and performing miracles in the northern region of Galilee. He grew up in the small town of Nazareth and later moved to the larger, coastal town of Capernaum. He has travelled far and wide with His disciples, but He has mostly avoided spending much time in Jerusalem or the surrounding region of Judea.

Now, though, Jesus officially leaves Capernaum and the region of Galilee behind. He has told His disciples that He "must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised" (Matthew 16:21). This departure from Galilee toward Jerusalem is the beginning of that process, though Jesus will take some time getting there.

He begins by travelling into the region of Judea but beyond the Jordan. Most likely this means that Jesus travelled east of the Jordan River into the mostly Jewish area of Perea, south of the mostly Gentile region of the Decapolis. Many scholars believe Jesus crossed over the Jordan to the east at this time after entering Judea because the Samaritans would not allow Him to pass through their region (Luke 9:51–56). In essence, this required Jesus and His disciples to take the long way around to get to Jerusalem.