I Believe in You

Today was our fist day in the Galilee, the place where Jesus spent most of his time on this earth. We were on a mission to tune into the walk of his life, to hear his voice and allow for the stories of our lives to play out in our minds as we walked the paths and hillsides of this rugged land.

Jesus called the village of Capernaum his home after the beheading of John the Baptist by Harold Antipas, whom happened to reside in a palace, for part of each year, only a few miles around the Sea of Galilee in Tiberius. Adjacent to Capernaum is the Via Maris, a trading route that would be instrumental in helping spread the Gospel both eastward and westward.

We hiked to the sight most likely agreed upon as the location that he fed the 5000 and then down to the Sea where he had his first encounter with some frustrated fishermen whom he encouraged to fish from the other side of the boat, so they could “catch the world”.

We reverently walked through the synagogue where Jesus would teach and challenge his neighbors to love and serve and forgive. We talked about the importance of the synagogue school, where young boys would spend years memorizing the Torah in hopes of someday following in a rabbi’s walk. Jesus preached in every synagogue in the Galilee and undoubtedly knew many capable young students whom could become his disciples. But whom did he choose? Not the best, brightest and most capable students of the Torah, those who came from wealthy families of status. He chose men that did not make the cut ... men who might have believed that they were meant for the ordinary life of a fisherman. But Jesus believed in these men more than they believed in themselves, He believed that they could become like him, following the rabbi.

An important lesson for today was that regardless of how we see ourselves, Jesus will believe in us anyway. He is waiting for us to follow him, walk in his steps and listen to his voice. If we can choose to believe, then we will be able to help others to find their way in believing too.

Written by Debbie R.