Today was an AWESOME day! It tends to be one of the favorite days for groups every time we tour…mostly because it is so Jesus focused. When we began our day, the weather was very rainy – it was pouring when we left the hotel. As we prayed together, we thanked God for this rain for Israel (which is desperately needed). We also thanked him in advance for any pockets of dryness that we might experience while we visited various sites.
As we traveled, we were amazed at the way it rained all day, whenever we were driving. When we got to one of the sites though, and got out to see what we could see, it always stopped raining. It was awesome! Along with the rain, we were treated to some very dramatic and vivid views of the landscape – with the beauty of colors that only an overcast day can produce. In addition to this, we were also treated to 5 different rainbows over the Sea of Galilee. It was majestic, and the beauty was impossible to capture with our cameras.
As far as where we visited, we started the day by driving around the east side of the Sea of Galilee – and our first stop was the ancient city of Capernaum. This was the main city where Jesus did so much of his ministry, teaching, healing, etc. This made it quite surreal for the group, as they realized they were literally walking in the footsteps of Christ.
After Capernaum, we visited the Mount of Beatitudes – where tradition suggests that Jesus shared his teachings of the Sermon on the Mount with the crowds. We talked about what Jesus taught here, how he often retreated by himself to pray here, how he called his disciples here, and how important it is for us to build our lives on the foundation of rock – by listening to his words and living them.
One of the other things that really stuck out to all of us here was the way that Jesus was always using things that were familiar to people in order to share the truth with them (birds of the air, mustard seeds, different kinds of soil - all of which are very prevalent in this area). It was a great reminder for us of the importance of contextualizing the message, and giving people an opportunity to both hear AND experience the truth.
From the Mount of Beatitudes we traveled to the Ancient Boat Museum – which has on display a two thousand year old fishing boat (like the ones used in Jesus’ day) that was discovered 20 years ago. It had been buried in the mud of the Sea of Galilee. After looking at this boat, we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was so moving and incredible to picture what it was like for Jesus and his disciples to be out on the water. We reflected together on the stories of Jesus walking on the water and calming the storm.
We ate lunch next at a restaurant in Migdal (the hometown of Mary Magdalene). Most of us ate what is called “St. Peter’s Fish.” It is a tilapia fish that is prevalent in the lake – and that many believe would have been a primary fish that fisherman like Peter would have caught, sold, and eaten 2000 years ago. It was really delicious and another great experience for the group.
From there we visited one of the most meaningful sites that I have ever visited – it was also a site I have never visited before with any other group. Off the side of the road near the cliffs of Arbel, there is a riverbed that served as the primary passageway between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee in Jesus’ day. We walked this riverbed knowing that Jesus had walked here – and we imagined what it must have been like for him to walk this with his disciples, talking with them along the way (much as we did together today). The views were breathtaking, and it was so surreal to be literally walking where he walked. It really connected us to Christ, to his life, his experience, and the experience of being one of his disciples.
Next we drove through the city of Tiberius, on our way to the Yardenit Baptismal site. When we arrived, we decided not to do the baptisms today. Instead, we scheduled a time for Saturday at a site farther south – near Jericho. We’ve never done that with a tour group before, so we are really excited about that experience. It should be a little bit more raw and authentic – which seems to be the preference for this group. We took some pictures of the Jordan and headed back to the hotel.
Great pictures and testimonial, Tyler. Thank you so much for sharing. But I have to confess, I'm jealous. It's Merle and my dream to go to Israel someday. Cannot imagine the feeling to know one is walking in Jesus' footsteps.
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