Day 06 - Upper Galilee: Katzrin, Caesarea Philippi, Tel Dan

Hey everyone! It’s your friend Hannah from the Forge here checking in to recap our 6th day in Israel for y’all!

We started off our morning by the Sea of Galilee to pray and Shema together before the day ahead. It was here that Jared told us to “prepare our hearts” for the big spiritual day we were about to have.

From here we loaded up on our favorite bus “the Promised Land,” found our seats, and were greeted by the greatest tour guide and driving duo in all of Israel - Ronen and Meir. When we arrived at our destination we exited “the Promised Land” to see the reconstructed city of Katzrin. This city was unlike any other we have been to as instead of looking at ruins we were looking at an ancient city that was rebuilt to look as it once did. We even got to raid the “skit closet” and put on tunics and head coverings before we entered the city. Jared led us through the city into a small room where all 56 of us crowded in sitting wherever we could in order to fit.

In this small, dimly lit room, Dexter taught on the passage in Luke 5:17-26 about the paralytic who was lowered through the roof to Jesus in hopes that he would be healed. Dexter challenged us to not just begin to see the text but to feel it asking us what we think the friends in the text were feeling, what the paralytic was feeling, and what Jesus was feeling. Dexter emphasized the courage and faith of the friends who lowered the man down. He mentioned friends in his own life who have torn through roofs to get him closer to Jesus. He ended with “a community of faith creates communities of faith.” I left Katzrin praising God for the community of faith he has given me over the past 6 months in the Forge and the friends he has gifted me that have and will continue to tear through roofs to get me closer to Jesus.

After changing back into our regular attire, we got back on the Promised Land and arrived for a quick stop at an olive oil manufactory where we scrubbed our hands to the softest they’ve ever been and tasted all kinds of various olive oils. After many of us purchased gifts for our mothers, we got back on the Promised Land and prepared for a hike at our next location.

Upon arrival we were led on what the signage said was “the most beautiful trail in Israel” and I would have to say I agree. We passed along a rushing stream for the majority of the walk and took a pit stop at a beautiful waterfall. We took a lunch stop where Meir cooked us up some burgers that would rival that of Guy Fieri’s. From here we continued on to our teaching location where Jared informed us that we were in Caeserea Phillipi, the location where Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God in Matthew 16:13-20. As we learned more about the culture of Ceserea Phillipi, it became clear that for Jesus to take his disciples here and ask them “Who do you say that I am?” meant more than just identifying Jesus. It meant claiming God in the midst of pagan worship and idolatry. It meant that the disciples had to start (if they hadn’t already) counting the cost of following Jesus even if it meant going against the culture. The question I was left with as I got on the bus to leave this site was, “have I counted the cost? And is it one I am willing to pay?”

Our final location of the day was the city of Dan. This is where the preparation of our hearts came in handy. Because it was here that we sat by the very location of the golden calf that Jeroboam placed in Dan in 1 Kings 12:25-30 meaning that we were standing on the very ground of idol worship. As Jared explained the significance behind this location and text he revealed to us what it means to be only one degree off in your faith. From here Jared jumped to Galatians 2:11-21 where Paul writes about his opposition to Peter’s behavior in refusing to eat with the Gentiles due to public pressure. Jared connected the two stories by saying that it is our communities who help us course correct when we are off course. It is the people who surround us that nudge us back to the true north we have in Jesus Christ.

When I woke up this morning I had no idea that the theme of the day would be community and friendship but now as I sit by the Sea of Galilee to type this I can see clearly the lesson that God had for us through every location we visited today. This life is not meant to be lived alone. As Kiley handed me a pink Starburst on the way home, I ended the day grateful for a friend who will both hand me a snack and nudge me back on track to true north when I need it.

Hazak, hazak, v’nit’hazek my friends! (Strong, strong, together we are strong!)