The Bible Comes to Life

The Bible comes to life. John 1:14

Our first of two days in Israel and a visit to Galilee and Nazareth, exploring the area where Jesus had his main ministry. We were met by a friendly guide named Yossi who it turned out was going to be our guide for the next two days. He spent the early part of his life in Canada so he spoke perfect English.

As we drove out towards Galilee we were given a history lesson in the life of Israel particularly since World War II and the British mandate which created it. I suppose the most surprising thing for me was seeing and learning how Jewish, Christian and Muslim Arab communities all live side-by-side in a melting pot of societies. The whole country was surprisingly lacking in any signs of military presence.

Our first port of call was a recently discovered archaeological dig in a small area called Migdal where they are unearthing a first century synagogue. This settlement and synagogue was located between Tiberius and Capharnaum. They had a replica of the sacrificial altar stone that they found. I was surprised how small it really was. Not much room for a whole fattened calf.

From there we travelled slightly north to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the “Sermon on the Mount” and this is recorded in Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6. The site now houses a Catholic Church and guesthouse which is absolutely beautiful overlooking the Sea of Galilee and Capharnaum.

All through the garden pathways around the church are snippets of the Beatitudes.

The church chapel itself is quite simple and proudly displays its souvenir from Pope John Paul II when he visited in 2000. The gardens are beautifully kept and both Sharon and I noticed the abundance of birdsong.

Our guide Yossi read to us from his Hebrew Bible the Beatitudes from Luke chapter 6.

There was a real peace and serenity around the whole area and the views over the Sea of Galilee were really great. Looking south we can see the town of Tiberius and also to the right-hand side of the town is a pass that Jesus used when he walked between Galilee and Nazareth.

We next travelled into Capharnaum, where it is believed that Jesus lived for most of his three years of ministry.

In this town there are the remains of a synagogue at which no doubt Jesus would have prayed. Around one of the decorative stones there is a very clear carving of a chariot carrying the Ark of the Covenant.

Opposite what would have been the entrance to the synagogue is a fantastic view out across the Sea of Galilee, and there is a wonderful statue of the apostle Peter with the inscription from Matthew 16:18 “thou art Peter, upon this rock I will build my church”. With so many biblical references and archaeological finds, there was a real peace around the place. As we approached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Sharon and B1 could not resist washing their feet!

We left Capharnaum and heading down towards Tiberius to visit Kibbutz Ginosar on which in 1986, the remains of a 2000 year old fishing boat was found buried in the mud by Moshe and Yuval Lufan, brothers and fishermen from the Kibbutz. Never before was such an ancient vessel found so complete, the boat was positively dated to the First Century. The vessel is 9 meters long, 2.5 meters wide and 1.25 meters high. It may have functioned as a ferry boat, but its measurements also suit those used by ancient fishermen employing a seine, or dragnet, “cast into the sea” as described in Matthew 13:47-48.

When we visited, Yuval was actually in the visitors centre. Sharon was amazed later on that evening to find reference of the boat find in the study notes of her Bible.

Looking north from the Kibbutz is a great view of the Mount of Beatitudes, which is the low-lying hill with trees on.

After all this sightseeing it was definitely time for some lunch, and travelling through the town of Tiberius we came to the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, stopping at the Manna Restaurant on the banks of the Jordan River. Lunch was a delightful selection of salads and a locally caught delicacy called the St Peter’s fish.

It is actually an area now where people can be baptised by immersion in the river and there were some people undertaking this whilst we were visiting. In fact there was a contingent of UN peacekeepers being baptised and a Scottish piper was playing Amazing Grace. Even though I do not like bagpipes I found that aspect pleasantly moving. As you will see from the photograph below the Jordan River is surprisingly small these days.

We then had to leave the Sea of Galilee and head up into the hills towards Nazareth which proved to be a slow journey through mainly an Arab section of the country. As I had mentioned earlier Israel seems to be a melting pot of faiths and peoples, mainly living in harmony from our evidence and this was backed up in Nazareth where Arab Muslims were sending their children to Christian schools because they believe they got a better education at them.

We stopped at the centre of Nazareth to visit The St. Joseph church which is is located, according to early traditions, over the Joseph’s workshop. Later traditions from the seventh century identify this place as the house of Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

Just next to the church and slightly downhill is the Basilica of Annunciation. This church is one of the Holiest Catholic Christian sites. It stands on the site that was believed to be the house of Mary, where she was announced that she will give birth to Jesus.

Leaving the Basilica we passed through the local streets and this shop in particular made us smile, I wonder what Jesus would have made of it?

What a day.