Jesus’ Miracles around the Sea of Galilee

!!!SHALOM!!!

     Hello everybody.  My Holy Land Pilgrimage is still going successfully.  Today was an awesome yet exhausting day.  We basically circled all the way around the Sea of Galilee to see the places where scholars, and ancient writings, have determined or suggested that Jesus performed specific miracles there.  Pretty awesome!!  Let’s just start off by saying that Jesus had to be in shape.  Everywhere you look are hills and then mountains and then large valleys with more hills!!  And Jesus did some traveling.  The Sea of Galilee is a beautiful place and would be a great vacation residence for a season or two.  

     There is so much history and significance from the Bible around this sea.  At first it is a little difficult to fathom that you are looking at the place where Jesus feed the 5000.  You might say to yourself...self “How can they really know where Jesus was standing 2000 YEARS AGO!?! Let’s just read the scripture and appreciate the fact that Jesus was in this area.”  If I thought like this then I would completely miss the fact and the reason why I came to Israel in the first place.  So I listened to the reasoning and facts behind why this site is really the place.  Here is the conclusion I came to, “JESUS WAS A BIG DEAL!!!”  The reason they know some of these sites is because 1st century Judeo-Christians would tell stories of the events and then build churches on top of these boulders and hills.  The churches would be destroyed and other churches would be built and so on depending on different battles and earthquakes.  The Church of the Heptapegon is shown in the picture to describe how this site came about though different archaeological digs and such.  If we really think about it, we make monuments every year to signify war heros and tragic events and president’s faces.  Is it so hard to believe that the Son of God made so much of a big impact when He came to Earth that people would make monuments to remember.  So when I tell you about some of these sites and what happened here, try not to distance yourself from the reality that Jesus walked this land and did miraculous things here in Israel.  

     First things first, Matthew 4:12-25, Jesus went all over this region to preach.  I guess the first thing that hit me when I was remembering this scripture is that when Jesus had “good news” (Mark 1:15) He spoke about it and told everybody.  Even when these “everybodys” already had their Jewish customs and strange interpretations and stubborn hearts.  Do you have “good news” that you could tell to people...anybody...one person?  I know I do.

     The first place on todays journey was The Temple of the Beattitudes.  This is where the scholars say would have been the location for Jesus to give His infamous Sermon on the Mount.  This hill is big enough to fit thousands of people and is shaped in a nature-made amphitheater.  We read the Beattitudes here and had a small lesson from one of the Pastors. It was Very cool!!  We then went to the Church of the Heptapgeon.  This is said to be the very rock and place that Jesus multiplied the bread and the fish to feed the 5000 people in Matthew 6:30-44.  In verse 33 it says they people saw where Jesus and His disciples were sailing to and ran ahead of them.  This is very possible.  On a clear day you can see all the way across the Sea of Galilee.  The boats were not motorized, so the people had ample time to get to the other side of the lake by running a long way around the shore.  Next we drove by the cliff where they believe the pigs ran into the sea and drowned from the Demon(s) Legion.  That is just a funny story to me.  Then we went to the place where Jesus appeared after His death.  We read from scriptures and were reminded of the fact that Jesus appeared to His people after He arose from being dead!!  This particular church was said to be the place where Jesus reminded His fishers of men (apostles) how to fish.  He told them to cast there nets onto the right side of the boat in John 21:1-14.  This is where they drug in their net of 153 fish and Peter has his Life Purpose reminded to him.  This story can be sooo very significant to Christians today.  Peter had sinned against his Lord and felt that he had disqualified himself from Christ and His mission here on Earth.  In doing so he reverted back to his original life style as a fisherman with the rest of the disciples.  Thank God for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that is able to take away all of our sin when we return and seek forgiveness from Him!!  Peter showed his love and repentance by jumping out of the boat and then confessing to Jesus that his heart is still for Christ.  I see two choices that come from sin...Peter’s and Judas’.  One sought the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness was given.  The other chose to reject God’ mercy and his sin led him to his self-condemning death.  Do not do the latter.  Repent and turn to the glorious cross of Christ for forgiveness because “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

     In speaking of Romans, I have learned much about the extravagance of King Herod the Great.  He was a powerful man that built cities everywhere.  John the Baptist and Jesus really were brave men to stand up to such a ruler as this.  Today we saw a city named Bet She’an or also called Scythopolis.  Amazing place that even had a large public unisex bathroom inside the city when large events were taking place.  You can see the picture here.  This King built incredible cities with amphitheaters, horse racing events, and coliseums for gladiators.  This city particularly had the streets built at angles so that the rain water would drain to the side and flow out into the valley to water crops.  Not to mention his aqueduct system that he built, again, to bring water from miles away.

     Finally we went to the Jordan where to a possible spot that John the Baptist baptized Jesus.  There are many possible locations for this occurrence.  Here there is a baptismal area set up for anybody who wanted to be baptized in the Jordan river.  Amazing feeling as crowds gathered around, like back in the biblical times, to watch and encourage the believers who were participating in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

   

  That is all for todays ventures!  Until next time, Shalom!