Touching Antiquity
Today began atypical of our usual “site” seeing. We began with a trip across the Sea of Galilee. Since it is about 7 ½ miles across, we opted to take a boat instead of walking… Being on the water has always been a delightful experience for me and cutting across the sea so significant to Jesus only added to my delight. We had a demonstration of casting a net into the sea. When he came up empty handed, we suggested he try to other side of the boat… no dice. We should’ve walked. Once on the other side, we viewed a boat believed to be floating the sea in the days of Jesus. This 2,000 year old boat was a pretty amazing discovery and the challenges of preserving this find were tremendous.
Our next three stops were memorial churches of specific gospel events. The first celebrated the feeding of 5,000 along the shore of Galilee, the second celebrated Peter’s revelation of Jesus as the Son of God and our final church celebrated the beatitudes. At the Church of the Beatitudes, a few of our Asbury team members prepared a short worship service for our larger group. We read through the first two chapters of the Sermon on the Mount after a time of singing praise and prayer. Though cut short by another group needing the space, it was a tremendously powerful worship event that I will cherish.
We ate lunch at Chorazim, a 4th/5th century ruin and explored the amazing basalt synagogue and pondering the pagan symbols etched in stone. It seems our fallen nature cannot help but defile what God has intended for us for our good. I found the head of Medusa especially ironic etched in stone.
Our final official stop took us to Capernaum, the “home” of Jesus. We walked amongst the places that Jesus, Peter and the disciples were surely to have been. Though the external of the commemorating church appeared to be a replica of the Millennium Falcon of Star Wars, I am in agreement with Dr. Stone as the amazing testimony to the history of the Christian Church. The church is built over a church of the Byzantine era which has been built over an early home church, built over the “home” of Simon Peter. The message this architecture speaks is that although our church is modern, its foundation is literally built upon the ministry of Jesus Christ.
After dropping off the majority of the larger group back at Ein Gev, about 10 of us ascended a nearby tel, Mt Hippos. It was an out-of-the-way place seemingly “untouched” by the commercialism so prevalent at many of these sites and especially after a day visiting these commemorative sites. With such a smaller group and not another soul around, we were able to really explore and drawn close, touch, thus truly having experienced discovery of a time gone by. It also provided an eerie reminder of a more contemporary ongoing challenge of this Land Between. Up the tel, we passed signs encouraging us to stay upon the well secured path so as to not walk out into the mine field intended to discourage Syrians from entering Israel. Modern bunkers were also present and Sam Long and I discovered a really neat tunnel that we were unable to fully appreciate due to lack of lighting… I had just taken my flashlight out of my pocket and left it on the night stand prior to leaving! Doh! Anyway, I do not believe the bat we startled truly wanted us to proceed any further.
Another day of adventure in the hot sun deserved another day in the water. We bobbed in the waves and I got to assist some group members in digging a trench/tunnel to bring water to the moat of a massively intricate sand castle on the beach. A quick shower before dinner and another tasty meal ends another amazing day.
As I am becoming more and more eager to return home to see my family and friends, I am also saddened as I realize that words, pictures or souvenirs will never be able to capture this experience to any acceptable level. As these ruins have impressions upon the earth for centuries, this place has left its mark upon my life and cannot begin to imagine the future implications or graces that this will have in the days and years ahead. I sincerely appreciate all those who have been my prayer warriors, my encouragers or even my financial supporters. I truly believe that the seeds have been planted and through the power of the Holy Spirit, good fruit shall come. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Blessings from the Holy Land.
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