Around Galilee

Another beautiful day here in the Holy Land! On our way to our first destination, Miriam pointed out the Arbel cliffs. These are where the Jewish rebels stayed during the revolt against Herod. You could see the caves way off in the distance that were used as a shelter for the Jewish people.

We arrived for many people’s favorite part of the tour, the boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The waters were very calm this morning. As we went out on the water Jim shared with us from Luke 22 when Jesus and the disciples were caught in a storm and Jesus calmed the waters. It was easy to imagine the contrast of the choppy water and the calm afterwards. It is amazing being out on the same body of water Jesus was on and walked on! Jim noted that Jesus questioned the disciples faith. And challenged us that when the storms of life test our faith, and they will, are we fully relying on Jesus.

After our boat ride we headed to the Jewish National Fund forests. As we were driving we passed families and soldiers on the road. They were all in great spirits. We found out this was the completion of the Israeli Defense Forces Golani brigade’s basic training. We drove through the very structured forests to a rocky field that was being prepared with irrigation. There we were each given a tree to plant by the Jewish National Fund. The Jewish National Fund are the primary agency responsible for replanting the forests of Israel. Many plant a tree in memory or honor of a loved one. You can plant a tree in Israel too! Check it out here.

Our next stop was Nazareth Village. This is a place in the heart of Nazareth that is set up like old Nazareth of Jesus’s time. We were able to see how olives are harvested and how different people in the village would have lived in the first century. We even saw an original wine press that was found on the property. Seeing the ways people lived in Jesus’s time really helped put into context some of Jesus’s references in the Gospels. It shows that context is so important when reading and understanding Scripture. We finished the tour of Nazareth Village with a delicious lunch much like Jesus would have eaten: flatbread and hummus, lentil soup, roasted chicken, and apples with date spread. Did I mention it was delicious?

Next stop Capernaum where Jesus did a large bulk of his ministry in the Galilee area. I, Dan, spoke on Luke 4-5 on how Capernaum was where Jesus spent so much of His ministry and performed the most miracles - all to demonstrate His deity. He also called His disciples and they left everything to follow Him. We viewed the traditional house of Peter and the Byzantine era synagogue built over the Jesus era one.  We could see the reconstructed homes of the first century town. The houses were very close together and small.

We finished the night with dinner at the hotel and a concert by an Israeli Christian music group. Tomorrow: Up to Jerusalem!