Last Night in Galilee

Shalom, everyone!

Andrew and Ben here. We just wanted to take a minute and tell you about all the awesome stuff that happened today in Israel. We got to go to a few different sites, hear some incredible teaching, and experience some really cool things.

To start the day off, we all grouped up near the shores of the Sea of Galilee and had our devo time. Kelsey shared some questions that she has been thinking about throughout the course of our time in the holy land so far and then encouraged us to constantly be thinking through questions of our own that we may have and constantly push to improve ourselves.

Then we loaded onto the bus again and began our day’s journey by going to a town called Qatzrin. This site was incredible. The town has been partially rebuilt, so we got to see what a town from the time of Jesus would have looked like. We got to go into a house, cram a room full with our quite sizable group, and settle in for some teaching. Samantha taught on the story of the paralyzed man and really opened up an entire new level of depth in the story. She walked us through some of the motivations and emotions that the man and his friends would have been experiencing at the time. Feeling how tightly packed we all were and hearing the story within that context was something that I will never forget. We also got the chance to make pita bread with a local baker there and subsequently taste test it along with goat cheese, hyssop, and other delightful toppings. The group reloaded the bus a few pounds heavier.

Immediately, we drove toward Damascus toward a high point called Mount Bental overlooking Syria. The class stood and sat beside a former Syrian bunker turned Israeli bunker made from chicken wire. We learned about Paul on the road to Damascus. He was a Pharisee who studied under a Sadducee. His teacher passively resisted the new faith in Christ, claiming that if it were not real or of God it would fall apart. Paul went against his teacher and saw the “new way” as a disease that should be eradicated. He hunted them like a wolf, killing men and women alike both inside and outside the nation. Ronen our tour guide (who wore his hat) taught us about the Six Day War, claiming that because of that war the people of Israel were a bit proud, but later learned to treat other people with the same or higher regard than themselves. All of the people in Israel want peace and to live in the land promised to them by God in the Bible. Media is very good at twisting things. Many of the students explored the underground bunker. The passageways were about a person-and-a-half wide and shaped like a stretched-out hexagon. A student experienced some Turkish coffee afterwards at Coffee Anan (a play on the name Kofi Anan). He described it as fantastic, bold and surprisingly smooth. It was Turkishly delightful. We all got into the bus to have further adventures.

We rode into a large empty parking lot before Joshua and Heartland (the other group with us) hiked to a scenic waterfall. You will probably be able to see this photo on the website soon. We then trekked through green. Lots of green, lots of life. Moss covered many rocks and trees. Trees provided shade as well as small cliffs that we walked beside. Small yellow flowers were everywhere. Mustard. After a few smaller waterfalls, we came to a clearing. And behold glorious food; pita bread sandwiches, chips, wafers, and an assortment of drinks. After our meal, we came to a circle and sat facing Rich. He told us about the story in Matthew 16:13-20 when Jesus asked his disciples who people say he is. The questions that really resonated with me were: Will we recognize who Jesus is? And if we do will we live like it? Will it change the way we live and who we are? The surrounding area has a flat stone path and other flat stones. It is interesting that Peter receives his name here. In the First Century spring would have poured out of the cave where Pan was worshiped. This is what Jesus may have been referring to when he referenced the gates of hell. Christianity has prevailed against the gates of hell. We no longer worship Pan or the rest of the Pantheon of Gods. We worship Christ in all of his deity and humanity. However, I still fall distracted to what is core in my life. I may not worship Pan, but I might not live as if Christ is center. I hope to live Christ-centered.

Due to rain, our planned trip to Tel Dan and the hike we had planned were both canceled. As much of a bummer as that was, we made the best of it. On the way back we sang and danced on the bus. Getting to see the amount of joy and laughter in the bus was a truly amazing end to our day’s journey. I cannot recreate this with words. I can simply say it was a very good time with our class.

After arriving once more at our hotel, five of our fellow Joshua students got baptized: Madelyn, Marissa, Caitlyn, Sam (Nelson), and Caleb. Getting to watch our brothers and sisters publicly proclaim their love for Jesus, in the Sea of Galilee nonetheless, was an amazing experience. We are incredibly proud of and happy for them!

Overall, today was another busy day, but as with the past few days, it was also incredibly fulfilling. We are both looking forward to what the next few days hold. For now though we will enjoy our final night on the Sea of Galilee.