Day 06 - Galilee: Beth Shean, Mt. Carmel, Caesarea Maritima

Our first stop of the day was Bet She'an, a city named after the Babylonian god of the moon.  It was a Roman city by culture and existed at the same time as the Jewish village that we saw yesterday. We learned about the Olympic Games which started in 786 BC and lasted until 400 AD, from Greeks to the Romans. They stopped running the Olympic Games when they adopted Christianity, as it was pagan worship to the god Zeus. It was amazing to see so many parts of the ancient Roman village, including what would have been their open-air market, shopping center, bathhouses, and the coliseum. This city was also where Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle with the Philistines. When we were walking into the ancient amphitheater, our group ran into two men singing worship songs. Our students joined them, and we spent some time in worship together - in the very coliseum where Christians had been killed by the Roman Empire thousands of years ago. It was beautiful to see how people from all over the world connect in the name of Jesus.  

Our team also discussed the parallel between the Romans calling the coliseum stage performers "hypocrites", and how Jesus references hypocrisy 17 times in the gospels. Jesus is patient and gentle towards so many people, towards both their questions and their needs, but hypocrisy is something that he directly confronts many times in the Gospels.  Matthew 7:1-5 says, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Our second stop was to Mt. Carmel, which is situated next to the Via Maris, the ancient trade route.  We heard there were some beautiful views and a statue of Elijah at the top, but unfortunately, it was so foggy that we could only see a few feet around us.  We stood at the bottom and read through 1 Kings 18, the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. 

We had lunch at an Israeli restaurant and went to our last stop of Caesarea Maritima. This was the biggest port for commerce at the time, and also the site of Herod’s private palace and the political center for Pilate. Herod built the port first and then the city developed around it. We were able to see the ancient ruins of the city, as well as a tunnel that was just discovered only two weeks ago! They are still in the process of excavating the site, but based on what they have found, it is believed that Paul could have been in prison here. We also know that two of Paul’s missionary journeys left and returned from this port.  

We discussed the significance of Jesus being here on earth at the same time as Herod, who accomplished things that people thought defied nature. 

Now we are driving to our last segment of the trip, where we will spend two days in Jerusalem. As we have been driving near the Via Maris, we are driving past where the Israelites lost the battle against Philistines over the ark of the covenant.  

Tomorrow we are looking forward to seeing some of the more significant sites of Jerusalem (Hezekiah’s tunnel and the Western Wall) and we have also been able to add a brief stop in Bethlehem. 

Student highlights:

Mariel Domnenko - “With everyday being a blessed day, today we were blessed with a historic insight on how the Romans lived and we were able to see and hear the contrast between how the Jewish lived versus the Romans. We had a speechless and in awe moment where our group and two men from America sang hymns and we joined and sang hymns along side them in the ancient Roman stage in the city of Tel Bet She’an. Today was filled with so much new information and facts, can’t wait for what tomorrow will bring!”

Seth Pierson - “The most impactful element of this trip has been the people. Whether those on the tour alongside me or the new faces seen on it, their presence has shown me God’s nature and its boundless reach. Today while inside the ancient city of Bet She’an, the place of King Saul family’s murders, something truly amazing occurred. Two men from an unrelated tour group began to sing worship songs inside an ancient theater. Being familiar to us, we began to song along. Soon we found ourselves dancing and clapping praising the lord with our voices. A flashmob worshiping the Lord consisting of high schoolers from Chicago and a man from Florida and a man from Georgia inside of a city that was rooted in pagan culture. Every time i hear those songs I will remember that moment and the connectivity of the Lord.”