Day 05 - Galilee: Boat Ride, Ancient Boat, Beth Shean, Yardinet Baptismal Site

Saturday Feb 21 / Day 5 -  Galilee

Boat Ride

Today we awoke to windy weather and whitecaps on the Sea of Galilee! Our morning plan was to go on a boat ride across the water, so we wondered whether we'd get a sense of what the disciples experienced before Jesus calmed the wind and waves. Before our jaunt was over, though, the sun came out and the water calmed down. The only rockin’ on that boat was from all the dancing onboard! That's right: after we’d spent some time enjoying the ride and some worship music. Yehuda taught us a few traditional Jewish dances.  

Ancient Boat

Our bus picked us up on the other side of the lake and took us to see yet another boat. In 1986, a first century fishing vessel was discovered by two brothers. This 2000 year old, 27 foot long boat has been preserved and is displayed at the Yigal Alon Museum. Known as the “Jesus Boat,” it is exactly the sort of vessel that Peter, James and John used to fish from– and that Jesus and the disciples used to traverse the Sea of Galilee!  

Beth She'an 

After some shopping at the boat museum and another yummy picnic lunch, we visited Beth She'an, an amazing archaeological site.  Its location between the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley has made it significant throughout history. This is the site where Philistines displayed the bodies of Saul and his sons.

Later, during the Hellenistic period, it was known as Scythopolis, a leading city of the Decapolis (an area mentioned in the gospels). We walked through the ruins, stopping in the Roman baths and gymnasium--which Yehuda calls the “country club”--the agora, or marketplace, and in the theatron, a large Roman theater. After Yehuda taught about the city structures and the earthquake that eventually destroyed them, Terry connected the archeological features of Roman city life with the underlying value system.  

As Terry pointed out contrasts between a Roman city like this one and a Jewish city like Chorazin (which we saw yesterday), he challenged us to consider the values of our culture. He asked three main questions:

Where is your core community found? Pay attention to the people who are influencing you. (In a Roman city, community was found through public spaces like the gymnasium and baths, rather than through the intimacy of life at your insula or synogogue.)
What is the center focus of your life?  Whatever's most important to you will wield power over you. (In the Roman agora, money and commerce were 'god'.)
What messages are influencing you? What you are entertained by will shape the way you think. (The Romans assimilated people to their cultural values through entertainment,  in places like the theatron.)
Yardinet Baptismal Site

Many of us took the opportunity to be baptized today, in the very same river where Jesus Himself was baptized.  It was a gift of grace to go under that “living water” of the Jordan, and reaffirm our belief that "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" There were tears, laughter, and rejoicing as we cheered and celebrated each baptism.  And I think the Holy Spirit wanted to get in on the joy, too: as Blake immersed Easton (the last of us to be baptized) two doves flew over their heads!  What a wholly unforgettable–and wholly holy--moment.

Stay tuned... Tomorrow is our last day in Galilee!

Quote of the Day

The Jordan River was shockingly cold, and as Noel and Mark stepped in to be baptized together, Noel cried out, “Holy Shazam, Batman!”