Holy Land 2016 Day 5

An early beginning to the day where we found ourselves in many places where Jesus did the bulk of his ministry in the Galilee. Matthew 4:23-25 set the context for us, "Jesus traveled Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all those who had various kinds of diseases, those in pain, those possessed by demons, those with epilepsy, and those who were paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the areas beyond the Jordan." This was the passage we meditated on while we traveled to our first stop.

Our first stop was to the Mount of Beatitudes. Being the first group to arrive there, we had a few minutes of quiet before it got a bit crazy with other pilgrims. We read Matthew 5:1-12 and then poured over the site some taking pictures others finding a quiet place to meditate and pray. The Chapel was quiet (mostly) and I noticed for the first time the beauty of the dome, a gold mosaic that shimmered in the early morning light.

From there we went to Kibbutz not Ginnosar where we visited the Jesus Boat museum before we boarded a boat for a short ride on the Sea. We considered the story in Luke 5:1-5 when Jesus teaches from Peter's boat and then asks him to follow. We discovered something interesting in the story today, Peter, Andrew, James, and John it says, "As soon as they brought the boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus," which meant not only that they "dropped their nets" but that they left all the catch they just hauled in. Even the profit of all those fish didn't dissuade them from following Jesus. We wondered if we would have had the faith to do that, or if we might have it yet today?

Finishing up our boat ride, we hopped the bus for Tabgha and St. Peter's Primacy. Tabgha suffered a tragic fire a few months ago, but fortunately, it didn't damage the church and the monastery was up and running again. It's the location of the feeding of the 5000, built upon the foundations at least 2 other churches. At St. Peter's Primacy we read from John 21:15-19, the restoration of Peter. This site on the north shore of the Sea remembers this story. Most of us dipped our toes in the Sea, collected a few shells and stones, and prepared for our journey toward Capernaum.

Capernaum was where Jesus made his home and centered his ministry. We toured the site, read the story of the Centurion and the Synagogue (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-5). He was a faithful man, though not a Jew, and Jesus called his faith, the greatest he'd ever experienced! 

We toured around the site, in the synagogue and through the newer church before heading out to our next site.

At Bethsaida, the hometown of 5 of Jesus' disciples, I was able to show everyone where I worked on the site 15 years ago. Once a major fortified city during Elijah's time, then a major fishing village in Jesus' day. Jesus healed a man here (Mark 8) and likely visited here regularly.

At Kursi, we remembered the healing of the demon possessed man (not the miracle of the swine), looked around the church and then headed to En Gev for lunch of St. Peter's Fish! (The lunch that looks back at you!)

We finally returned to the hotel hot and tired and ready to experience the Sabbath. 

Tomorrow we finish the Galilee and prepare for our journey up to Jerusalem.