Where do I begin??

I guess I begin on the first day of the 4-day bus trip to Galilee. Sunday, we headed out from Jerusalem early in the morning and our first stop was Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast. As we walked through the different areas of the old city, built by Herod the Great in 22 BC, Dr. Mullins and Dr. Smith gave us background information on aspects of life at that time, and other times when it was occupied in the Byzantine period and the Crusader period. There was the theater, the amphitheater, the Hippodrome, the Herodian Harbor, the Crusader wall and moat, and Herod's palace. As with every place we've visited, we identified Biblical events that occurred there. We read the account of Paul and Cornelius in Acts 10 and Paul defending himself to Festus in Acts 24.

After Caesarea, we traveled north to Mt. Carmel where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and asked the people, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him" (IKings 18:21). We stood at the top of the Carmelite Monastery and looked over the place where it was likely that God displayed His power over the prophets of Baal. I gave a short devotional to the group (as many of us have done over the course of these last three weeks), asking them to choose who they will follow as they make decisions each day. I gave an example of one of our group who was needing direction from the Lord and she had received direction that very day!

At this spot we were also able to see the vast Jezreel Valley, very fertile land with many types of crops growing throughout the valley. From our vantage point on Mt. Carmel we could also see Mt. Gilboa where Saul and Jonathan were killed by the Philistines, and Mt. Tabor which is the possible site of the Transfiguration of Jesus. We passed through Nazareth and could imagine the boy, Jesus, running through the hills and valleys around His hometown. Since my grandson's name is Jezreel (which means "God plants"), I took many pictures of this valley. This is also where the final Battle of Armageddon is to take place as noted in the Bible.

We traveled on to Megiddo which has had 25 different levels of occupation. Twenty-five times Megiddo has been destroyed and 25 times it has been rebuilt! It stands at a very strategic crossroads between Egypt in the south and Mesopotamia in the north. Other tels we visited and explored were Hazor, Dan, and Beth She'an.

The place we stayed for three nights is called Holiday Resort, run by the Kibbutz at En Gev on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. For our group, the first sighting of the Sea of Galilee was awesome. We were hot and tired and the water looked so inviting in the 106 degree weather we were having. Once we checked into our rooms, many of us ran down to the beach and jumped into the lake. It was marvelous! Now this felt like a vacation! The housing was separate bungalows that we shared with one or two or three other people. There were kitchens, but we didn't need them because the dining hall had incredible food and even linens on the tables! What luxury! The students were delighted with the accommodations and the fact that the lake was right outside their doors! They had a ball each evening.

Last night (Tuesday), we took a boat ride from Tiberias to the dock just north of our lodging. The crew of the boat put on Jewish music and Dr. Kay Smith (our other leader) led a number of students in a Jewish folk dance around the benches as we traveled across the lake. We also stopped the boat in the middle of the lake and one of our group read the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Looking out onto the still lake, we could imagine Jesus performing that miracle. Or we could also see Him walking on the water and beckoning Peter to come and join Him. Or cooking breakfast on the shore for His disciples after His resurrection and before He ascended into Heaven. The Sea of Galilee is a special place and I know all the members of the group hold it dear to their hearts. We will never forget our time there.

We also visited other sites around the lake, such as Kursi (where the healing of the demoniac took place), the Franciscan church at the north end of the lake where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus talked with the people, He provided examples that they knew from their everyday lives. For instance, He talked of being salt, and the city of Magdala, which was close to this location, had an industry of salting the fish that was caught in the lake. Jesus also talked about being a light that isn't hidden under a basket, but instead is set out like a city on a hill, for all to see. He may have been referring to the city of Hippos which was on the east side of the lake, on a hill right next to our lodging. Other sites visited was Chorazim (a city cursed by Jesus) and Capernaum (a city that Jesus probably stayed in more than any other town during His ministry), and Tiberias (Herod Antipas' capital after moving it from Sepphoris).

There was so much to see and so much to learn. We climbed up tels and climbed down stairways into cisterns and water systems. We looked out over valleys and visited sacred sites where churches now stand. We hiked into the hills to see an amazing waterfall at Caesarea Philippi, where Peter declared that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16). We "felt" Jesus close since this is where He walked and taught and lived His life and ministry. We identified places that go with so many stories of the Bible and really experienced what it was like in Jesus' day. I just wish I could describe it better! You'll have to see the pictures...we've got lots!

Until next time...

Shalom,

Bev