Day 06 - Galilee: Katzrin, Mount Bental, Caesarea Philippi, Tel Dan

Sunday Feb 22 / Day 6 -  Galilee

Katzrin

We spent the day in north Galilee today. Our first stop was to the “Olea Essence” olive oil press in Katzrin, where we had an abbreviated tour and a chance to taste-test the olive oil and try samples of their natural skin care products. Since we began our trip seeing an ancient olive oil press at Yad Hashmonah, it was a neat glimpse into modern olive oil processing and products (And the garlic-infused oil was delicious, even before 8am!).

Katzrin is also the home of an ancient village that’s been restored to replicate a New Testament - era town. Our guide, Elisheva, was dressed in period garb and made the experience fun. We got to cook our own pita bread in the ancient way and enjoy it with toppings like date honey, labneh, and more olive oil (this kind had hyssop, aka zatar, for flavoring). Elisheva also showed us an olive press and invited our honorary “donkeys”-- Blake and Easton– to demonstrate the process. She then gave us a special blessing of the “first drop,” which referred to the oil that came from the initial pressing of olives. This first pressing yielded the purest oil which burned the most brightly, and was only for use in the temple menorahs.

We then walked through a reconstructed house built on the footprint of a real home from the second century.  In the main room of the home (which was lit by olive-oil lamps!) Terry read and taught on Mark 2. This story, where Jesus healed and forgave the paralyzed man who was lowered by his four friends through the roof, took on new life as we sat beneath a thatched-style ceiling. It isn’t our job to save people or make them believe – only an encounter with Jesus can change someone – but we can become like the friends in Mark 2, who are desperate and full of faith in their efforts to carry their friend to Jesus. 

Mount Bental

Next, we headed to the northern end of Israel to Mount Bental. Cold-war era bunkers are still accessible here. From the windy peak, Yahuda pointed out the Syrian border –it was so close– and taught us more about the history and military significance of the Golan Heights.  

Caesarea Philippi

We then drove a short distance away to an area outside of Caesarea-Philippi, where springs – which originally poured from a mountain cave – have given it a long history as a place of pagan worship. Caves were often thought of as doors to the underworld (or Hades), so it’s no surprise that ruins for several ancient temples have been uncovered at Caesarear-Philippi. The oldest was erected in honor of the Greek god Pan. Half man and half goat, Pan was a god of nature, and because of fertility customs, Pan was associated with perverse and pornographic cultic practices. 

As Terry pointed out, the Greek and Roman connection between idolatry and pornography isn’t just an ancient thing. Again and again on this trip, we’ve seen connections between the Greco-roman world and our own culture.

In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus and the disciples were in the region of Caesarea-Phillipi. It was here that Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you say I am?" Peter responded with the fundamental Christian belief– “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

And then–perhaps in the shadow of this very cave, where pagans believed people entered Hades, never to be seen again, Jesus replied:

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it."

The foundation of the Church is not Peter, but the faith Peter professed in Jesus as Lord and Messiah. It was no coincidence that Jesus spoke these words in this place. Jesus has broken the power of sin and the grave! Despite centuries of confrontation with darkness, the church still shines: Pan’s temple is in ruins… Zeus’s, too. Mighty Rome has fallen, and yet the church prevails. Not even the gates of hell–death itself–can overturn the victory of Christ.

Tel Dan

This area of Galilee is home to the largest springs in northern Israel, and the national park at Tel Dan is absolutely beautiful! After a picnic lunch, we set out on a hike through the site.

The benefit of an extended tour like this one, with rich biblical and historical teaching, is that by day 6 we’re making some seriously cool connections. With Yehuda and Terry’s help, we are seeing the story of scripture play out in powerful ways! Tel Dan was no exception. The tribe of Dan was originally allotted a strategic and fertile territory near the coastal region. On Day 1 of our trip, we saw it! In the Shephelah, we learned about Samson, a Danite. But the tribe of Dan never possessed their allotment fully (likely because of their fear of the Philistines) and lived a meager existence on the hills. So eventually, the Danites migrated north and captured the city of Laish, which they renamed Dan. It was here, at Laish/New Dan, that we spent our afternoon.  

Fast-forward from the time of the Judges to when Israel and Judah split into two kingdoms. Jeroboam ruled the northern tribes of Israel, but he was afraid he’d lose his throne because the temple was in Jerusalem (in the kingdom of Judah). So Jeroboam built two new temples after the same pattern given in Leviticus – one in Bethel, on the southern edge of the kingdom, and one in (you guessed it) Dan. We could see the outline of this 3,000 year old temple, including a life-sized representation of the altar. Not only that, the steps to the inner sanctuary (called the Holy of Holies in the original temple) were in tact. We sat on them while Terry taught!

The mere construction and operation of these counterfeit temples was an immense offense to the God of Israel, but that wasn’t all that was rotten in Dan. The people’s worship became henotheistic (another callback to earlier in our tour, when we visited the temple at Arad). Jeroboam brought golden calves into the temple, adding idolatry to the worship of Yahweh. 

And yet God was true to His character – merciful and patient, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love – sending prophet after prophet to call the people to repentance for 200 years! Eventually God gave them over to the consequences of their rejection of Him, though. Even though their worship at Dan had the appearance of true devotion – following the pattern of the tabernacle – it was counterfeit. They were “honoring” Yahweh on their own terms, their own way, in their own temple. It’s not a unique temptation, either, to desire the salvation God offers apart from the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We want it our way.

But God must be true to His character. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God – and discipleship requires nothing less than saying to Him (like Peter did): “because You say so.”

Quote of the Day

Okay, this is actually a callback to a few days back while we were in the desert, but Debbie brought it up at dinner, and it needed to be recorded!  Here’s the context: our of our bus window, we saw a young man riding a donkey–while on his cellphone.  Even in the wilderness, teenagers are still glued to their screens and texting while “driving.”

Blake memorialized the moment with these sage words:  “If you don’t want to fall on the grass, don’t text while riding your ______.”