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Israel Journal Day 3

February 27, 2010

Day 3: JESUS MINISTRY IN GALILEE

After a great sleep until 3:00 am at the Kibbutz Ginossar which is right on the Sea of Galilee, this is what I woke up to as I looked outside of my 4th floor window doing my devotions.

I spent some time reading through Mark 1–3 where all of this God activity took had taken place. I was in Galilee! Being in the place where Jesus preformed so many miracles is very moving and found my prayer being – “Lord may you have full control over my life to do whatever activity in me that you choose”.

Galilee refers to both a region and a sea in the northern part of Israel.
The Sea of Galilee, which is also named Sea of Tiberias, Lake Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, and Holy Lake, is a fresh-water lake in northern Israel. It’s 13-miles long and about 8 miles across at its widest point. The lake is 640 feet below sea level and is surrounded by mountains about 1500-feet high. Its maximum depth is 150 feet. The Jordan River feeds it from the north. It then continues south to the Dead Sea. The area around the lake is a paradise of trees, grass fields and fertile soil. The lake itself is well stocked with fish.

After a phenomenal breakfast at the kibbutz we visited the remains of an ancient fishing boat from the time of Jesus.

In 1986 2 men were walking along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee when they noticed this buried piece of wood that later through a team of excavators found this boat. After removing all the bugs in the wood by soaking it in acid for 10 years they covered it with wax. The Vatican had requested that they borrow this boat to place on display to celebrate the millennium but the kibbutz denied the request fearing that they would not see the boat return to them.

Later we boarded a boat and sailed north from Tiberias up to Capernaum. The ride on the lake caused me to reflect on all of the activity of God that had taken place here.

Jesus preached along these shores and called James, John, Peter and Andrew to be his disciples, to be “fishers of men.” He performed many miracles here, such as the calming of the stormy sea, walking on water, and feeding the 5000.

Today there are churches built on or near areas that mark the event in the life of Jesus. I am standing over looking the site where they believe that Jesus gave the sermon on the Mt. at the Church of the Beatitudes. It is a beautiful setting!

Tabgha, the church of the Loaves and Fishes mark the place where Jesus fed the 5000. There is a pool of gold fish in the front of this church that really caught  my attention.

This church is built over the rock that Jesus is believed to have set the bread and fish on when he blessed it before passing it out to the people.

Mark 6:41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to his disciples to serve the people, and he divided the two fish among them all.

Galilee is the highest and coolest area in Israel with a valley dividing the area in half, the upper half rises 3000 feet above sea level, and the lower half has rich soil for agriculture. The sea has a Syrian/African rift which creates a wind tunnel that normally causes the winds to travel north south. On rare occasions an eastern wind called a “sharkea” will cross through this rift creating tsunami-like conditions. Our guide actually saw one take place where there was a wall of water that hit Tiberias – it made quite a mess. Interesting when you imagine the storm that Jesus and the disciples went through – no wonder they were frightened for their lives, I would have been too!
Mark 4:37–38 Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?”

Capernaum

Next we drove to Capernaum, centre of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. Capernaum is a town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, with a port for its fishing industry. Jesus went there from Nazareth and found his first disciples, Peter, Andrew, James and John.

It was in Capernaum that Jesus directed Peter to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay the Temple tax. On leaving Capernaum, Jesus condemned it along with other cities that had not heeded his call to repentance.

Today there is the remains of a synagogue like the one Jesus would have gone to while he lived there. It would have been here where Jesus would have healed the man with the withered hand in Mark 3.

Mark 3:1 Then Jesus entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.

A short distance from the synagogue, a church was built in the 4th century over what is believed to be the house of Peter.

Since then, a new church has been built on the site. Houses have been excavated in Capernaum dating to the 1st century AD. Jesus left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum, in Peter’s house, after he heard that John the Baptist had been arrested.
Mark 1:29–33 Now as soon as they left the synagogue, they entered Simon and Andrew’s house, with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down, sick with a fever, so they spoke to Jesus at once about her. He came and raised her up by gently taking her hand. Then the fever left her and she began to serve them. When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered by the door.

As well as Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law, he also healed the paralyzed man who was lowered through the roof, and many others who gathered to see Jesus. Being in the hometown of Jesus especially seeing how close the synagogue was from Peter’s house really brought the action of the ministry of Jesus home for me. Interestingly, we were told that the town of Capernaum was on the border of 2 ruling kings so if Jesus would get in trouble in one region he would just go over to the other for a time! I love the stories I am hearing about Jesus.

Caesarea Philippi

Next we drove up to the Golan Heights where the war between Israel and Syria took place in 1967 as well as the war of Yom Kippur 1974. Then to the Banias at the foot of Mt. Hermon which is one of the 3 sources of the Jordan River, the spot of Caesarea Phillipi the most northern limit of Jesus ministry. Snow covered the top of Mt. Hermon and then learned that this Mt. is actually shared between 3 countries, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. Caesarea Philippi is north of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples visited this region. Here, Peter declared that Jesus was the Son of God.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. – Matthew 16:13–17

Being at the place where Jesus went on to say, “On this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail” was very eye-opening! There stands this hole in a mountain and a pit that sits next to a pagan temple – Pan – that would have been what Jesus would have pointed to when he made this statement.

Jesus in the face of the pagan gods makes this bold pronouncement and it still moves me as I see the bride of Jesus as God’s tool for kingdom activity!

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