Our first stop of the day was at the Church built on the Mount of Beatitudes at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Over the centuries The Sea of Galilee has had many names, including The Sea of Kinneret, The Sea of Gennesaret, and Lake Tiberias. This is the site where it is believed Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. It is perfectly plausible, with the natural hill with its amphitheatre feeling. It is so easy to imagine Him at the shore, speaking to the crowds – or positioned just offshore in a small boat speaking to them when the throngs pressed too much upon Him.
One of the tidbits of trivia I learned on this trip was that the Sea of Galilee is the 2nd lowest place on the earth. I had known for some time that the Dead Sea was the lowest place on earth, but I didn’t know until this journey that the Sea of Galilee is the second lowest.
Leaving The Mount of Beatitudes, we drove north through the Hula Valley – with Lebanon in view out the left side of the bus. Our destination was Caesarea Philippi aka Banias or Panias which was where the ancient Temple of Pan was located. Caesarea Philippi was where Philip, one of the sons of Caesar ruled. I learned something new there – that the large cave at the site was called ‘The Gates of Hell’.
This precise area – where people actively worshipped a false god, and where the opening of the large cave that loomed in front of them was called ‘The Gates of Hell’ is where Jesus asked His disciples “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They responded that some people said John the Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then Jesus asked them pointedly, “ Who do you say that I am?” To the latter question Peter declared, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And on that declaration, Jesus said he would build his church – and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. He used what was familiar to them to make a point. The evil of a false religion with its ‘gates of hell’ stood right before them. It was a conspicuous object lesson. All too soon they would experience hell’s fury against the Messiah – but later they would remember His words, and find strength in them (Matthew 16). It is a message I can take to heart as well. No false religion will stand against the Truth of the good news of the risen Messiah! We can read the end of the story. Though Satan may buffet – and even appear to win a few skirmishes, the battle belongs to the LORD – and He is victor!
Fences along the journey north had signs on them warning of land mines. We had a very brief glance of a snow-capped Mt. Hermon – but the weather didn’t permit us a clear view.
Our next stop was our northernmost stop: the Golan Heights – overlooking Lebanon and the U N peacekeeping force post. We sang and prayed there, then headed south on another route, this time with Syria nearby on our left side.
We stopped for lunch at Ein Gev, at their kibbutz-run Fish Restaurant. They call their most popular dish St Peter’s Fish, which is a whole fish with its head on. We learned that the fish they serve is actually a tilapia. It was delicious – I’m just not accustomed to my food looking at me. I solved that problem by tearing the head off and having it look at Rick instead…. Ein Gev is on the East side of the Sea of Galilee, right across from Tiberias.
We saw ancient olive presses and learned about millstones. They were large and heavy – definitely not something you’d want hung around your neck before being cast into the sea. Again, they bring scripture to life.
Our next stop was at The Church of the Multiplication of Loaves & Fishes; then we walked past another very small, very-busy-at-that-juncture little church to go down by the Sea of Galilee for a lesson from Pastor Dan.
When we walked down to the shoreline we saw what appeared to be sand was actually millions of little shells – and we saw fresh-water crab scuttling across the bottom.
Finally we got to one of my favorite places: Capernaum. The remnants of an ancient synagogue still stand in Capernaum. Five years ago I was told this was the actual synagogue Jesus taught in. This time there was mention that the synagogue we saw was constructed over the foundation of the one Jesus taught in. But, the visual opportunity is still there. Capernaum was Peter’s home – and Jesus’ home base for his 3 years of ministry. Peter’s house – which would have been a gathering place – is believed to be right under the church that is constructed there. The church looks like a space ship…and doesn’t blend into the surroundings – but at least it was constructed elevated above the ruins so the actual site they commemorate is still visible from the outside – and inside the church, the floor in the center is glass, so you can see down into the house.
There is a beautiful Bougainvillea at the entrance to Capharnaum (the name according to the sign). It was one of the sites where we had to pay to use their bathroom. That occurred several times during the tour. I didn’t mind. The people who do that job for a living need the money, and it meant that the facilities were clean.
The end of that day took us back to Back to Nof Ginosar to the Yigal Allon Centre where ‘The Ancient Galilee Boat’ we saw the day before is housed, but this time our reason for being there was to take a boat ride on The Sea of Galilee. There was an interesting ‘totem’ pole where we boarded. It made me think of the Ashtoreth/ Asherah Poles – but this one was definitely not to a goddess…. It was just unique, and I wondered what it signified.
The boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was absolutely delightful. They honored us by hoisting the American flag on the vessel. I wished it had been the Israeli flag, quite honestly, but appreciated their intentions. We sang & then danced a traditional dance on the boat, with one of the crew teaching us the steps. It was fun!
While we were on the water a wind came up, which was just strong enough to make good waves with little whitecaps, so we could appreciate the story of the disciples fearing for their lives while Jesus slept peacefully. The song, “Master, the Tempest is Raging” quickly came to mind. And Jesus resolution to their fear was to demonstrate his power over nature. “Peace, be still,” he declared to the elements – and the disciples were amazed. “What manner of man is this that even the wind and sea obey Him?”
We landed at Tiberias. Tiberias was ruled by another of Herod’s sons – Tiberias Caesar. When we got off the boat, it was tied up to another boat instead of directly to the dock. The two boats rubbing against each other made part of our boat’s fore bow splinter and break…. It wasn’t a good sound to hear! It definitely created a repair job for someone!
We went back to Nof Ginosar on the bus. Had another of their delicious dinners. A few people patronized me for a brief gathering to chat and sing – but everyone was incredibly tired. We went back to our rooms and packed in preparation for leaving the next morning; then slept, however much that was for each person. (Most mornings I was awake by 2:15 a m – but did doze off a couple of mornings after that point.)
The day was exceptional. And – I had a delightful roommate in Eunice Good. Everything was good, including Eunice!
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