Day 04 - Galilee: Galilee Boat Ride, Ancient Boat (Ginosar), Mount Arbel, Tabgha, Capernaum, Chorazin, Mount of Beatitudes

We arrived last night at the Sea of Galilee and spent today travelling around the area where we visited a variety of locations. After an early breakfast at the hotel, we took a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. The lake is surrounded by hills and mountains and several of the hillsides are covered by small towns. During our boat ride, the wind was strong and the waves on the sea were rolling. It gave an idea of Jesus calming the storm. In Mark 4, it says that “a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”  While we were on the boat ride, we also spoke about what it must have been like for the disciples to see Jesus walk out on the water towards them.

We then visited a museum that contained a boat found along the shore of the sea, dating back roughly 2000 years. The boat was found by fisherman and eventually a crew of archeologists extracted the boat and preserved it. The recovered hull of the boat provided a powerful image of Jesus’ time. Much of the day helped us to see the humanity of Jesus and the physical realities of where he called his disciples and gave his sermons and performed his miracles.

After seeing the archeological discovery of the boat, we visited Mt. Arbel and hiked to the top of the mountain. For many students, hiking to the top of Mt. Arbel was one of the day’s highlights! Mt. Arbel is a stunning mountain just inland from the shores of the Sea of Galilee and is the most prominent mountain in the area. A Jewish settlement was built at the base of the mountain, and we saw several caves where the Jews hid from Herod the Great and were hunted down by Roman soldiers. The hike itself was both beautiful and strenuous. We were able to see the valley on one side (“Valley of Doves”) and the Sea of Galilee ahead of us, and on several occasions, we climbed up the boulders using iron hand-holds to pull ourselves up. Once we arrived at the top of the mountain, we overlooked the Sea of Galilee, and many scholars believe Jesus went up to Mt. Arbel to pray before he chose his disciples.  The exact location of the events are not always clear in the Bible, but standing at the top of Mt. Arbel allowed us a view of the entire area surrounding the Sea of Galilee and it was powerful to see the area where Jesus carried out a significant part of his ministry.

In the afternoon, we visited the remains of a Jewish village around the time of Jesus called Korazim.  Korazim is part of the “Evangelical Triangle”, along with the towns of Capernaum and Bethsaida. At Korazim, we saw how the typical Jewish community was structured and talked about the importance of community in our Christian faith. We saw how the school was connected to the synagogue and we spoke about the Jewish emphasis on spiritual education at a young age. 

After Korazim, we visited the town of Capernaum, where Jesus lived during his ministry. Capernaum was where many of most prestigious Jewish rabbis lived at the time, and was also home to Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew. Scholars believe that Jesus studied and taught in the synagogue in Capernaum. We saw the remnants of the Jewish synagogue in Capernaum, as well as the remains of what is believed to be one of the first Christian home churches. It was powerful to see a home where some of Christ’s earliest followers lived and gathered, even though it would have been illegal to worship together at the time. In the short time that we walked through the town, we saw Christians visiting from Ethiopia, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. It is sobering to think how those early followers of Christ in Capernaum risked their lives to follow Him, unaware that 2,000 years later Christians from all over the world would visit that very home. 

In the late afternoon, we were hit with some rainy weather, but we were still able to visit the shore called Tabgha (“Spring of Seven”) where Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after his resurrection.  On the drive back to the hotel, we stopped at the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached his famous sermon before healing the man with leprosy. 

It was a great first day at the Sea of Galilee and tomorrow we will spend more time travelling around the region!

A few highlights from students:

Elizabeth Dieter – “This morning we got to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. I was already looking forward to this part of the trip but the reality of it far exceeded my expectations. We read through Matthew 14:22-33, which is the story of Jesus walking on water. To be in the same place the disciples were when they saw Jesus coming towards them on the water was hard to wrap my head around. We did a devotion on the boat about how Jesus sends his disciples into the storm. Our boat ride was windy which helped us visualize what the disciples might have been feeling as they faced a storm on the Sea of Galilee. It’s hard to put into words but as we listened to worship music and looked out at the sea, I was so in awe of Jesus and how He has and will continue to work on our trip!

Camille Allman – Today we hiked Mt. Arbel which was an incredibly eye-opening experience! It was a very treacherous hike but rewarding when we got to see the beautiful views. It is here that Jesus came to pray when He walked on water with His disciples. Our hike was difficult, and I can only imagine how much more difficult it was for Jesus without any made path, which just goes to show His devotion to his Father. Another highlight of the day was going to Tabgha, a rocky beach on the Sea of Galilee. This was where Jesus called his disciples and it was so cool to be able to visualize it. Each day is better than the last!

Hollee Ball