Israel 2013 - Around the Sea of Galilee

Today, Nathan Erickson is the guest blogger.  Nathan heard about this trip when he saw my post about it on Facebook.  We had not seen each other since 2000 when he graduated from Kenyon College.  I was doing college ministry and got to know this outstanding young man then.  Cile and I enjoyed having him into our home a number of times, including a memorable Thanksgiving when I had to take Cile the the Emergency Room for stitches and Nathan and our girls all finished cooking the meal.  He is a rock-solid Christ-follower and has this to say about our fourth day here in the land where Jesus lived.

Day 4

We saw so much today, it's hard to not take a casual approach to it. It seems like one of those busy days at home where you accomplished 5 or 6 things, except the 5 or 6 things here are witnessing the places Jesus became famous. We started out viewing the "Ancient Boat" also called the Jesus boat. It is housed in a museum right next to where we're staying. About 25 years ago the Sea of Galilee receded significantly, revealing part of the shoreline that hadn't been seen. Some locals were digging around the shoreline and happened upon this boat, which after analysis dated back to the time of Jesus. Thankfully they took great care to remove the boat, which had been protected by the mud. You can now see this boat nearly intact in the museum. Whether or not it was a boat Jesus used, it was a boat used during that time. A phenomenal sight to put so many Sea of Galilee trips in context. More on that later.

Following the boat we set out for our own trip on the Sea of Galilee. We headed out to the middle of the lake and just stopped, taking in the surrounding towns and putting pictures to words of the size of the lake (it really is a lake), as well as the region of Jesus' ministry outside of Jerusalem. To be able to now picture, literally, Nazereth, Capernaum, the region of the Gaderenes, the Sermon on the Mount, feeding the 5,000, is inexplicible. I don't know how I really pictured it before, but you can see that God chose a very specific area for a very specific reason. Perhaps the most moving for me was imagining Jesus' encounter with Peter and the other disciples after his resurrection in John 21. I have spent time studying this passage, specifically Peter and his personal experience. Peter spent most of his time with Jesus trying to prove himself. He would state his case many times why he was the greatest, and why he deserved Jesus' highest honors. Peter's last experience with Jesus prior to His death was denying Him three times, an event Jesus knew would occur and told Peter about it. Peter, so full of pride, assured Jesus that he would NEVER deny Him. In John 21 they are by the Sea of Galilee and I can imagine Peter reflecting on the last few days. He went from being certain of His devotion to Jesus and full of ambition for the King, to denying Him and watching Him die on a cross. All that Peter had known and based his life on shattered before his eyes. Not only that, he had to deal with the shame and guilt of his last experience with Jesus being one of denial. In shame and self-doubt, without direction, I can imagine him thinking to himself "what now?", and just deciding to go back to life before Jesus: "I'm going fishing". For him fishing wasn't just something to do, it was giving up on all that brought hope and meaning to his life, enveloped in the realization that he had let down Jesus.

So I imagine the joy he felt after realizing it was Jesus on the shore, throwing on his tunic and racing back. Just to see Jesus again must have restored life to his dreams, but with some resignation. He had denied Jesus, remember? Would Jesus reject him, be angry with him, scorn him? No, even Jesus returning to the shoreline and cooking them breakfast was a sign of His grace. Peter needed to be humbled, to realize that to follow Jesus meant servanthood (feed my sheep), not greatness. Peter was restored, and to be able to visualize that from the Sea of Galilee and the shoreline was incredibly meaningful to me.

I've described two things, and we're not even to lunchtime! It was almost too much to take in. After returning to the shore we went to where Jesus fed the 5,000. Like most places in Israel, from the 3rd and 4th Century various denominations have put churches over these holy sites, to protect and memorialize them. It challenges you to use your imagination a little more, but you can understand why. As Pastor John's wife Cile pointed out, even Peter wanted to erect monuments to Jesus, Elijah, and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration.

From there we went to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the sermon on the mount. Again, another church, and here is where I started to get frustrated with the crowds and tourists. It is hard to picture such an historic event occuring when there are people pushing their way through the site, taking picture after picture, and talking loudly where there should be quiet. All I wanted to do was find a quiet place to sit and read through the sermon on the mount, but it couldn't be done. Then it was like the Holy Spirit spoke to me "do you think it was quiet and peaceful when Jesus delivered this message?". I suddenly realized that the environment I was in was probably just like the sermon on the mount, at least at the beginning. A lot of people were probably there just to see this "novelty" of Jesus, there were likely hundreds of side conversations, people being distracted while Jesus spoke. So it was interesting to not only be able to picture the site but the experience.

Following that we went to Korazin, a place Jesus cursed along with two others for not following Him despite the miracles He performed there. It was amazing to see so much of the village intact in terms of forms and outlines. Even more impressive was the synagogue and the history Ezra could share with us around the structure and layout. He showed us the kitchen as well, with a visualization of how people ate in those days and what a table really looked like. He was able to put the Last Supper in context, so much different than how we think of it based on how Da Vinci pictured it.

For the sake of length, I am rushing through the rest, but there was so much to learn. We had lunch after Korazin, a fish meal at a place called St. Peter's fish. We then went to Capernaum, where Jesus spent most of His time. We saw Peter's mother's house, where Jesus healed her and where He likely stayed in Capernaum. There we saw another temple/synagogue, and Ezra put into context Capernaum of that time. Interestingly He cursed Capernaum too for not following Him despite the miracles He performed there. Capernaum was a wealthy city with many people passing through on their way to someone else. Many people were probably quite comfortable and didn't see a "need" for Jesus (sound familiar?). It made me think that after all I've seen in Israel, I don't want to go back and get so comfortable with my life that the significance of Jesus or what He's done is lost.

After Capernaum we went to the region of the Gaderenes, where Jesus healed the demon possessed man. You could see the hill the pigs went down into the Sea of Galilee. It was actually a very beautiful place, one of my favorites. Partly because there wasn't anyone else there! One of the benefits of a guide like Ezra is he takes you to all the places you know you want to see (just like everyone else), and then to places you didn't know you wanted to see, but so glad you did.

We ended the day at Yardenit, the mouth of the Jordan River that feeds the Sea of Galilee, where it is believed John the Baptist baptized Jesus. In my mind this was a river bank you would have to wade down to, quiet and serene. However such a monumental place deserves a great monument... and gift shop, stairs and ramps leading down to the river, restrooms, etc. etc. It was hard not to be frustrated again by the commercialization of such an historic place, but again the Holy Spirit reminded me that when John the Baptist was baptizing people, crowds gathered, some just to see what all the fuss was about, and with crowds came merchants to take advantage of it! So baptism at the Jordan River today was probably a lot like it was 2,000 years ago. And just as it was a life changing experience then, I could see many people who chose this time and place to get baptized because it would be a life changing experience now. Had I not already been baptized, I would have definitely done it as well.

So that ended our day! Today we will go to Mt. Tabor, or the Mount of Transfiguration, Beth She'an, and then Jerusalem for the rest of the trip. I feel like we've covered so much of Jesus' life, and yet we haven't even been to Jerusalem! As Pastor John says, you will never read the Bible the same again and I am already experiencing it. Most of all, when you see these places and hear the stories, it only solidifies your faith. God is real, and He is awesome.

Shalom,

Nathan