Day 3 – Tuesday, March 22: Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Precipice of Nazareth, Tiberias
Today was our first full day here in Israel. The weather was perfect, with sunny skies and highs in the low 60s. We left the hotel at 7:30 following breakfast and negative Covid test results. We read from Psalm 44:8 as we departed.
Caesarea Maritima
Our first site to see was Caesarea. We drove about 20 minutes north and arrived at this city built by King Herod over a 12 year period in 22-10 BC. In the theater we read from Acts 10 (Peter & Cornelius), 12 (Agrippa 1), 21 (Philip), and 26 (Paul, who spent two years here). The Good News of Christ was proclaimed by these men. Leaving the theater, we saw the palace area (protoreaum), the hippodrome, and the later Crusader part of the city. This was where the massive harbor was located (Paul sailed in and out of this harbor a few times).
Mt. Carmel
Driving across the Sharon Plain, we began our ascent up the Carmel Range. Arriving at Muhraha (a Carmelite chapel), we enjoyed a great view of the Jezreel Valley below. The visibility was outstanding! Looking west and south we could see Caesarea and even Tel Abiv in the distance, Looking north and east we could see Mt. Gilboa (1 Samuel 31), the Hill of Moreh (Judges 7), Mt. Tabor (Judges 4-5), and the Nazareth Ridge (Luke 4). It was somewhere on Carmel that Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). The Carmel Range is also mentioned in Isaiah 35, Song of Songs 7, and Amos 9.
Megiddo
After a great lunch at a Druze restaurant, we descended from the Carmel Range to the edge of the Jezreel Valley. Megiddo, an strategically-located city in the Canaanite and Israelite Periods, was our next stop. After seeing an impressive model of this archaeological site, we climb the tel (ancient mound). We saw three different ancient gates, the possible stables and palace of Solomon, a rounded sacrificial altar (from the Early Bronze/Canaanite Period), and a grain silo (from the Israel Period). We exited the site by descending down into the water system that was designed to bring the spring water into the city. Wow, what an engineering accomplishment!
“What a great first day here in Israel. The weather was perfect and the sites we visited connected me to so many stories from the Bible. It’s hard to believe I learned this much just on the first day! The rest of the trip is going to be wonderful!”
Nazareth Precipice (or Nazareth Village)
Crossing the Jezreel Valley took us to Nazareth, the home town of Jesus. Gordon Govier’s group were dropped off at the Nazareth Village, while Dr. John’s group continued to the Precipice of Nazareth. Those who visited there Nazareth Village enjoyed the reconstructed synagogue and other displays of 1st century life in the days of Jesus. For those who visited the Precipice, the view of the Jezreel Valley was spectacular, with clear visibility! We read from Luke 4 and John 1. We also enjoyed a time of reflection and song.
Nof Ginnosar
From Nazareth, we drove through the modern city of Cana (John 2, 4) and past the Cliffs of Arbel en route to Nof Ginnosar, our “kibbutz-hotel” on the western shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. We are here for three nights! We followed an amazing dinner with a short walk to the lakeshore. The evening was beautiful!
Day 4 – Wednesday, March 23: Hippos, Qatzrin, Syrian Border, Caesarea Philippi, Dan
