Where Jesus Walked

This morning as we set out to our boat tour on the Sea of Galilee, our guide pointed out all around the places Jesus ministered. It’s exciting and almost surreal to be in the place Jesus did the majority of His ministry.

We enjoyed seeing some of the area wildlife. We saw little hyrax in the rocks on the side of the road. They are groundhog looking animals. We enjoyed pointing them out as we rode along the coast.

We started out at the Jesus Boat Museum. There we learned through a video that during a drought a 2000 year old boat was found stuck in the mud. It is referred to as a “Jesus boat” because it is dated back to around the time Jesus was on the earth. There’s no actual evidence that Jesus was on the boat.

Next was something many of us have been waiting for, the trip out to the Sea of Galilee! It was a bit cooler today than yesterday, especially on the water. It was also hazy and overcast. The sun did come out for a short time while we were on the boat. Our first task was raising the American and Canadian flag and singing both National Anthems. As we got further in the middle we listened to praise songs and then we had a time of worship through song.

Jim, our director mentioned again that this is the area where Jesus did the majority of His ministry. He read Matthew 8:23-27. In the passage Jesus takes the disciples out on the boat and a great storm begins. As we all looked out it was very calm waters. Jim explained that the thing about the Sea of Galilee is it’s surrounded by mountains and the water can be chaos one minute then as quickly as it came in it can leave and be calm. I almost wish we could’ve experienced it. (Although for the sake of being sea sick, I’m glad we didn’t!) Jim related the storm in the story to the trials in our lives. It’s easy to trust in the Lord when things are calm. The rebuke, “Oh you of little faith” (vs. 26) is very sobering. We were reminded that all things work together for good for those who trust Him (Romans 8:28). There is something completely mind blowing about reading the accounts in the Bible ON the Sea of Galilee! I loved sitting and imagining Jesus walking on the water beside me. The Sea of Galilee is certainly my favorite. (NOTE: I may say that for almost every location!)

The workers on the boat showed us how to cast a net. Sadly we didn’t catch anything. Good thing there’s shawarma somewhere else we can eat! We ended our time on the boat learning Israeli songs and doing what you should do with Israeli songs: dancing!

After we returned to shore, we were given time to shop in the museum’s big gift shop. The women were very excited about shopping, the men, not so much! I personally was more interested in the cappuccino since jet lag has gotten the best of me and I didn’t fall asleep until 2 am.

As we headed to our next stop, Caesarea Philippi, our guide pointed out a few things on the way. He showed us the previous Syrian occupied area. There were fences with signs warning of live mines in the fields. We also saw buildings that were charred from Syrian attacks. There were cows grazing the fields, unaware of the dangers of the mines. We saw Mount Hermon ahead with snow at the top. Our guide said they allow skiing a few months of the year.

We arrived at Caesarea Philippi and Matthew 16:13-20 was read. “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (vs. 15-16). We learned that this was a place of worship on the road to Damascus. Caesarea Philippi used to be called Panias after the Greek god Pan, who was worshiped there. He was half-goat half-man - the god of fright (where the word “panic” comes from). A lot of debauchery took place here. The word, “pagan” actually means “worshiper of the springs.” The Greek god Pan is the image that depicts Satan now. This is why Jesus says to “get behind me Satan” to Peter. He was tempting Jesus.

On the way to lunch we drove past Nimrod’s castle, an Arab fortress built before the Crusades. We had a fun adventure for lunch. We visited a Druze town. The Druze are Arabic but have rejected Muslim beliefs. They are great supporters of Israel and even serve in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). At lunch we had the option of Labane (a Druze meal) of goat cheese, sesame seeds, and olive oil on a flat pita. I was nervous to try it but I’m so glad I did. It was delicious! Others had schnitzel or falafel. The restaurant was on the rim of a volcano. Although it was chilly many of us sat outside in the sun.

After lunch we visited the Valley of Tears in the Golan Heights. We listened to a recording about the Yom Kippur war and learned that there are trees planted for every soldier lost in that war. You could see Syria in the distance. The Yom Kippur war has a fascinating story. Our radio host, Chris Katulka told the story of it in the second part of the segment of The Friends of Israel Today radio program back in October. Feel free to listen to it here:

http://radio.foi.org/radio-podcast/october-8-2016-1641-the-gospels-speak-to-everyone/

The descent from the Golan Heights back below sea level was quite the journey! The roads were narrow and steep. It was terrifying at times but the views were beautiful. Everyone was snapping pictures as we went down. When we made it to the bottom, everyone cheered for our driver!

Our next stop was the Jordan River where 16 of our tour participants were baptized by Chris and Scott. We were given some time after the baptism to shop before heading to dinner.

The final stop for the evening was Decks Restaurant on the Sea of Galilee. The Friends of Israel has been eating there on tours for years - and for good reason, the food is amazing! We had what seemed like 15 courses and enjoyed singing and fireworks. We all needed wheelchairs to get back to the bus because we ate too much. I’m sure (or at least I hope) we sleep well tonight!