11 Days in Galilee

Places visited: Bet Shean, Nazareth, Mt. Arbel, boat ride on the sea of Galilee, Mt. of Beatitudes, St. Peter’s Primacy, Tabgha, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Gamla, Chorazin, Kursi, Tiberias, Jordan River, Mt. Tabor, Megiddo, Gan Ha-Shelosha, Hazor, Dan, Banias/Caesarea Philippi, Nimrod’s Castle, Syria Overlook, Sepphoris, Akko, Haifa, Mt. Carmel, and Caesarea. Stayed at Ein Gev on the eastern shore of the sea. Plus 13 hours in class, 3 bonfires on the shore of Galilee, swimming, hiking, not sleeping, singing, pondering, talking, learning, growing. Rather than a day-by-day breakdown (time is ticking) here is a favorite locations highlight: Nazareth Couldn’t see the town for the city but still a neat experience. Among other stops we went to Nazareth Village which presents hands-on aspects of life at the time of Christ. I got to try out a stick and string version of a drill press in the Carpenter’s shop. Mt. Arbel This was my first view of the Sea of Galilee. We climbed up a grassy hill covered in wildflowers and looked at the sea off the edge of a cliff. I was able to sit on a rock a ways away from the group for most of the time and just think. As I walked back to the bus I knew that if I could only see one place in Israel this would be it. Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee There’s not much I can say that you can’t imagine—this was incredible. We stopped in the middle and sang “Master the Tempest is Raging” even though it was a beautiful, calm, sunny morning. Mt. of Beatitudes I have never had a passage of scripture come so alive. The “fowls of the air, and lilies and grass of the field” tangibly testified of the context of the Sermon on the Mount. It was so easy to imagine the Savior standing there, pointing to the scenery around as he taught powerful doctrines to the people seated on the hill. Capernaum Same day as boat ride and Mt. of Beatitudes (and four other sites). By this time I was a little overwhelmed. I found myself questioning how well I am getting what I am supposed to and learning what I need to learn from this experience because it would be a tragedy not to take full advantage of this opportunity. I walked out on the shore and ended up watching some ants gathering food. Ants are very diligent in their work. If they drop their food they pick it back up and go right back to work. I applied this to myself in the Story of the Ants. : ) To get where I want to go in life and beyond I need to be diligent like the ants in drawing near to Christ. I’m not perfect by a long shot but still His call comes from Galilee “Come, follow me.” If I can diligently do my best to follow Him throughout my life then He has already made up the rest of what it takes through His Atoning Sacrifice. Megiddo Forever in my mind when I think of Megiddo will be Dr. Chadwick quoting Thutmoses III in a deep, serious voice: “The conquering of Megiddo is the conquering of a thousand cities.” Megiddo is the guardian of the Megiddo Pass through the Carmel mountain range which intersects the main traversable route between Mesopotamia and Egypt. I am not turning into a tour guide I promise…that is key information. 25+ strata on the tel illustrate the effects of more battles fought here than anywhere besides Jerusalem. Megiddo is another form of the word Armageddon so history may continue to unfold in this place. Crazy to think about! Hazor First city conquered by Tiglath-Pilaser III in 732 BC. Important because this is where the Assyrian deportation of the northern kingdom of Israel began. By now I am accustomed to the fact that I am walking in places where my Israelite ancestors may have lived. However, Brother Jackson added a new dimension to that train of thought when he said “You are standing in the place of the beginning [of the scattering of Israel] and you are a part of the end [the gathering]” Doesn’t that just give you chills!! Dan View of Lebanon and an old rusted Syrian tank from the War of 1967. Great trench photos as well although it was a bit weird to pose for photos knowing that this was a real battle zone. Also at Dan sits Jeroboam’s high place. Dan was the northern border of Israel. Jeroboam built high places on Dan and Bethel (the southern border) because he didn’t want his citizens to go to Jerusalem to worship at the temple for political reasons. There was a huge altar that some people took “golden calf” photos on—since we’ve spent time at the beach at Ein Gev it is a photo that can be pulled off well. Dan’s location is based on springs that seep up from the ground and form a river, making everything green, wet, and beautiful so this stop felt more like a nature walk than an archaeological dig. Syria Overlook Modern rather than ancient significance. This was a more heavily fortified trench/bunker hill during the War of 1967. The weather seemed to be working against us but we were blessed with a small miracle. When we arrived we were engulfed in fog. I took a picture of “Syria” that is straight-up cloud in the right direction. The wind was blowing fiercely and we could see the clouds moving over and around us. Just when we were about to leave there was a break in the clouds. For three minutes Dr. Chadwick quickly pointed out what we were looking at and how this area of the Golan Heights has switched between Israeli and Syrian hands. I’m sure we didn’t get nearly all the information he could have shared but it was a neat experience to have the clouds part just for a moment and let us have a view of Syria. Akko-Crusader stronghold on the Mediterranean. Haifa-Cemetery where two missionaries are buried. Mt. Carmel-Judd class rendition of Elijah and the priests of Ba’al Caesarea Picture-perfect day. Ever since making a mosaic picture of an aqueduct in junior high I have wanted to see a real one. My dreams were met and surpassed near Caesarea. Thank you Herod. Despite his faults he was quite the kingdom builder. Caesarea is so beautiful now as archeological ruins extending into the sea that I can’t imagine how splendid it must have been in its heyday. Dr. Judd taught us about Peter and Paul and their experiences here. I’m not as familiar with these NT stories. I think I started missing Galilee the moment we drove out of sight. “Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” doesn’t happen without a bit of heartache I guess. I’m already dreading saying goodbye to Jerusalem in a few weeks. Everything is starting to have a finality feel to it.