Our first two days were spent in and around the Jezreel Valley. Day one, we stopped at Caesarea Maritima, which is on the coast. It was BEAUTIFUL. Caesarea is where Paul gave his defense before Felix, and eventually appealed to Caesar. The ruins there are really neat; especially the theatre and the hippodrome. We actually did a human chariot race in the hippodrome, which was so much fun. Later in the day, we visited the spot where Elijah had his showdown with the prophets of Baal, and then went up to Haifa University Tower to get an overlook of the Plain of Acco. After a full day, we stayed at a hotel in Nazareth, which was a really weird feeling. The little town that Jesus grew up in wasn't little or quaint at all. It was actually a pretty big and modern Arab city.
The last stop of the day was the Leaping Mountain. When the synagogue at Nazareth rejects Jesus, they take him to a high hill and want to stone Him. Jesus, however, passes through their midst. According to Muslim tradition, Jesus jumped off the cliff and was miraculously not splatted into a Messianic pancake at the bottom of the mountain. Hence the name. The view of the Jezreel Valley was incredible, and the wind was so strong that I could lean into it and be held up for a few seconds at a time. After that, we headed back to the hotel. A group of us walked through Nazareth to a small grocery store to get some snacks. On the way back, I stepped in what I thought was some mud with my flip flops on. I paused, corrected my course and moved on. But then I noticed that my shoes were getting heavier. I looked at the soles of my flip flops to find that I stepped in concrete. Thankfully I scraped it all of before my flip flops were ruined, but then I realized that my footprint was permanently set in Nazareth. I have forever made my mark in Israel! Once we got back inside the hotel, there was music in the lobby, and a lot of older couples were dancing in one of the other rooms. Not wishing to disturb them, we decided to have our own impromptu dance party in the lobby. We taught a bunch of people to swing dance and waltz, and had an all around wonderful time of it. Several of the guests were pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of young people waltzing with each other barefoot in the lobby.
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
My parents stayed at Ein Gev when they came in the 90's. My brother stayed here last year for chorale tour. At last, I would experience the paradise that is Ein Gev for myself. The second I dropped my bag in my room, I dug out my swimsuit and ran off to the shoreline. Everyone else had the same idea. As I ran into the waves of the lake, I couldn't help but feel like I was home on the shores of Lake Michigan. The only difference was that there were mountains behind me, and the waves were a LOT bigger. And Jesus walked on these waters. The disciples fished on these waters. I've never seen a group of people swimming having so much fun before. Usually people just hang out in the water, or talk to each other, or whatever else. Each one of us was laughing, splashing, grinning from ear to ear just playing in the waters of Galilee. I've never had so much fun just swimming in my life.
That evening, after a wonderful feast at dinner, I took a solitary evening stroll along the shoreline. After a while, I grabbed a beach chair, staked out a spot and sat down to read John. I ended up in John 21:15-19. The disciples go out fishing one night. A night probably much like the night I was experiencing. As I read that, I looked up. I could see some light from some really small fishing boats out on the lake. The next morning, Jesus stands on the shoreline. Jesus tells the disciples to thrown their nets on the other side of the boat, so they do. Then one of them (I think it's John) recognizes the LORD. Peter jumps into the water and swims to Jesus on the shore. Jesus has a fire and breakfast waiting, and they grill up some fish they just caught. Then Jesus takes Peter out on his own and asks him three times, "Do you love me more than these?" Peter replies, "Lord, you know that I love you." "Then feed My sheep." I would read sections and then think about them. When I read the Lord's question, I stopped to pray. More than these. More than the disciples was all I could think of. And then I thought, "more than the IBEXim. More than all the people here and everywhere else. I have to love God more than I love everyone else. More than I love 'these.' The last thing I thought in my head word for word was, "Lord, you know that I love you." Then I looked down and read Peter's response, and it was the same!
"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Feed My lambs.' He said to him a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?' He said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.' He said to him, 'Tend My sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to Him, 'Lord, You know everything; You know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed My sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.' (This He said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this He said to him, 'Follow Me.'"
Wednesday, we started studying the area directly around the shoreline of the lake. Our first stop was Capernaum. This is where Jesus made His home during His Galilean ministry. The whole place had a very peaceful feel to it. After we checked out Peter's house (with the octagonal church over it), the synagogue, and had a small lecture, Bill gave us some time to wander around the site and take pictures. I went down to the shoreline and spent the whole time thinking there. Several people skipped stones into the water. There was something enchanting about the place that I still can't lay a finger on. Next, we went to Corazim, then to the Mount of the Beatitudes, just above Tabgha. We read the Sermon on the Mount before heading to Tabgha below and the Primacy of Peter Church. Behind the church is a nice pebbly beach. This was a wonderful spot to picture the story in John 21. We read the passage there; the passage that I read on the shore at Ein Gev. I could picture Jesus making a little fire and cooking fish over it. I could picture Jesus walking with Peter. For a moment, I thought I could feel what Peter felt when Jesus asked him those three questions. I don't know what Peter actually felt, of course, but I imagined some of it. After lunch in Tiberias, we checked out the Ginnosaur boat, which is the remains of a boat from the time of Christ. Just after that, we took a boat ride across the lake. It was wonderful. My inner Michigander was in heaven out on that boat. Once we arrived at Ein Gev, several of us went off to walk back to the resort and explore the kibbutz. We stopped at the dairy farm, since we have two dairy farmers in our group (Wes and Lindsay). As we were walking, Wes spotted a momma cow that was calving. After quite a while, some of the farm hands noticed and took her into another pen. They tied ropes around the baby's protruding legs and started to pull. The two farm hands, however, couldn't get the baby out. The older man turns to us, looks at Wes (who is 6'5"), and says, "Hey tall one!" and motions for him to come help. Long story short, Wes, Caleb, and James, along with the two farm hands, ended up delivering a baby cow. It was one of the most random adventures.
Friday we went back to the Jordan (this time the Lower Jordan) and jumped into the water from a super sweet looking tree. There was also a rope swing. It got pretty slippery, but it was a lot of fun. After we returned to Ein Gev, James, Amber, and Lizzy were baptized in the Sea of Galilee. We had lunch out in front of Bill's cabin, and then had a relaxing afternoon. Later that night, after chapel and dinner, I went rafting on the lake with Jared, Mishaela, and Jill. Once we got pretty far out, we started to talk. Suddenly, one of us (I don't remember who) said, "How creepy would it be to see this shadowy figure walking towards you on the water?" All of us instantly knew it would be terrifying. We get so used to Jesus' miracles. We read over then like they're commonplace, as if these things happen every day. Being there floating on the lake really put things in perspective. It humanizes the stories. Heck, being in any biblical place in Israel brings the stories back into reality. These are real people in real places, interacting with a very real God. It's so cliche to say that about Israel, but I can't begin to communicate how true it really is.
The day everyone was dreading: the day we left Galilee. I slept in a bit, packed my things, and finished reading the Gospel of Mark. It was so neat to sit on the shore, read that Jesus went to Capernaum, and be able to point to it. After one last stroll along the shoreline, I said goodbye to Ein Gev and the lake that I had utterly fallen in love with.
I now understand why Jesus spent so much time in Galilee. It's as close to paradise as you can get on earth. I also get to cross over several sweet things off my bucket list.
- Swimming in the Sea of Galilee - check
- Tubing down the Jordan River - check
- Falling down a waterfall - check
- Reading a whole Gospel in Galilee - check
- Play go fish on the Sea of Galilee - whoops. Totally forgot.
- Live at Ein Gev during the Millennial Kingdom.
Actually that's more like post-bucket list.
Anyway, if you run into anyone that's been to Galilee, ask them if they found my heart. I lost it somewhere along the shore.