Today was a very exciting day! We got to go on a private tour of the areas near Nazareth.
Our first stop of our tour was a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee.
It was amazing to get in a boat and dunk our feet into the Sea of Galilee. Our boat driver, David, played “Oceans” while we floated along. Every story of Jesus sailing and being in a boat took place on this one body of water and we were there! It was green and you could see from shore to shore. It seemed so small and still. It was inspiring to me that Jesus could accomplish so much and have an impact on the whole world from such a small place. Even though it’s a small sea, the waves can still get as big as 18 feet! What a terrifying night that must have been for the disciples, yet here we were in the light of day as peaceful as ever.
We then went on to the place where Jesus fed the five thousand with two fish and five loaves There was a mosaic in the church where this was to have happened. There were only four loaves, they say that Jesus was the bread of life and was the fifth loaf.
We left this church and went to a different church where they housed the rock that Jesus fed his disciples after he was resurrected.
When I was writing my dissertation for my doctorate I focused a great deal on John 21 where Jesus served his disciples breakfast post resurrection. Theologians like St. Augustine and myself, very much believe that this was Jesus giving the Eucharist. This belief was supported by the fact that a church is built upon the rock that Jesus cooked on, its right in front near the altar! I was so excited that this wonderful church supported my thesis!!! It was here that Jesus cooked over a charcoal fire. The only other mention of a charcoal fire in scripture is when Peter denied even knowing Jesus when he was warming his hands over a charcoal fire. It was on this rock that Jesus reinstated Peter. Jesus turned Peter’s fisherman’s hook into the shepherds crook. I just had to sing “Holy Ground,” Jack was embarrassed, but of course the acoustics in this stone church were amazing!!!
After leaving the church, we went to a cave that was said to have been Jesus’s solitary place and the actual spot where Jesus delivered the sermon on the mount.
Following the tiring hike in the 98 degree heat we went to lunch at tourist trap that was actually pretty good.
Wendy and Jack ate fish with their heads on! We all toasted to Pops because they only served Pepsi in a bottle.
We ended our tour by visiting Capernaum. the town where Jesus lived as an adult. Young life has a ministry to kids with disabilities called Capernaum because it was here that Jesus healed a disabled person. We got to go to a young life camp outside of Palestine where Capernaum kids were having a gathering. They greeted us with hugs and laughter and then we went to club where they proceeded to love on us during the club talk. During the talk one of the Capernaum kids hugged my whole arm and giggled and whispered in my ear, “Jesus is so good.” He is so right and if Jesus were walking the earth, I know for sure that he would be dancing with the Capernaum kids in Nazareth!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
