Welcome to…Jesus land

https://www.facebook.com/ncvisalia/videos/10154325360189421/

Pulling away from our hotel we looked out at the calm and serene Sea of Galilee. It was here in this region that the majority of Jesus’ teachings and ministry took place.

“Welcome to…Jesus land!” our guide Ronen called out on the bus.

We all perked up in our seats to look out, as if expecting to see Jesus himself standing at the shore calling to some young fishermen to become fishers of men, or to see him teaching upon a hill top, or even retreating to a mountain for prayer. We know the stories, but they were once again coming to life before our eyes.

Our group set out first for Mt. Arbel. Though it is not mentioned in the Bible, its location along the Sea of Galilee has led scholars to consider this a spot where Jesus himself might hike up to pray (as he often did). And when I mean hike, I mean….hike. It took us about 2 hours, but after a long strenuous hike past the Ancient Crusader fortress built into the side of Mt. Arbel, we finally made it to the top. Overlooking the Sea of Galilee we caught a better glimpse at why Jesus might retreat to such a place. In fact, the Galilean Rabbis referred to it as the “mountain of prayer.” Jesus had a mission, yet even he knew the importance of retreat and renewal.

After such a hike, we were ready for some renewal of our own, so we headed out to our next location along the shore, Tabgha. We sat at the shore imagining Jesus not only calling his disciples, but also restoring them, like he did with Peter in John 21. As we spoke of Peter, and the love Jesus had for him and also for us, we couldn’t help but be moved by the words Jesus spoke to Peter time and time again, “Follow me.”

With Peter fresh in our minds, we next went to the amazing city of Capernaum, the hometown of Peter and the stomping grounds of Jesus for about three years of his ministry. It was here that Jesus would have walked, taught, ate, healed, loved, and cared for those around him. It was in this synagogue that he would have read from the scriptures. It was in this city that he healed a paralytic man. It was here he taught what it meant to, “Follow me.” One can only imagine the crowds gathering along the crowded homes hoping to hear just a word from the lips of this rabbi.

But the people didn’t always have to gather in the streets. Scripture tells that as thousands of people crowded to hear him teach, Jesus made his way to a mountainside. It just so happens that behind Capernaum rises such a mountainside, creating a natural amphitheater. One doesn’t have to be a detective to determine that it was here Jesus could have went to preach to the crowds so that they could hear his words. And it was here, on this mount, the Mount of the Beatitudes, that we made our last stop for the day.

Here, atop this mountain, Jesus laid out his ethic, his path, his guide to being a walking collision of Heaven and Earth. As Forrest closed our day with reading the Sermon on the Mount aloud, we closed our eyes, listening to the wind move about us, imaging the Light of the World speaking those very words himself. It is no wonder the text observes the amazement of the crowd. These words were meant to move us, shape us, and resurrect us into the people of God.

This rabbi was no ordinary rabbi. This rabbi was the Son of God.

Bryan Muirhead
Connections Pastor