Day 5 – Monday, August 8: Arbel, Yardenit, Kinneret Cemetery, Magdala, Capernaum, Mt. of Beatitudes, Ancient Boat, Sea of Galilee Boat Ride
Today was another sunny and hot August day, with temps in the afternoon around 100. There were many biblical connections today, specifically with the life and ministry of Jesus. We left our hotel at 7:30, reading the first part of Matthew 13 on the way to our first site.
Arbel
We began the day by visiting Mt. Arbel, a mountain on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. Eleven in the group choose to hike the trail to the top, while the others drove around the back side and walked to the top from the visitor center. The view of the lake was spectacular. Even Mt. Hermon was barely visible far to the north 35-40 miles! It could have been the top of this cliff where Jesus met His disciples after His resurrection (Matthew 28).
Yardenit/Baptism
We drove to the southern end of the lake where the Lower Jordan begins. Here, eight in the group reaffirmed their faith in baptism in the Jordan River at a place called Yardenit. Jesus Himself was baptized at Bethany Beyond the Jordan further south across from Jericho (John 1). The experience was special for all of us! We were the only group here and had the place to ourselves.
Kinneret Cemetery
Near by is the Kinneret Cemetery. Many Jews who were pioneers to the land in the late 19th and early 20th century are buried here. This includes Rachel Bluwstone, an Ukrainian who wrote many poems. As we sat in the shade, Shlomo read, sang, and even played (on recorder) some of her poems now put to tunes. She died in 1931. Her picture appears on Israel’s 20 shekel bill today!
Magdala
We drove back through Tiberias to the northwest side of the lake where we visited Magdala. Here, we saw an impressive but simple 1st century synagogue. There are only about seven synagogues that date to the time of Jesus in the country. Magdala is only mentioned once in the Gospels (Matthew 16). We also saw a few ritual baths (mikveh or mikvot, plural).
Capernaum
After a great St. Peter’s Fish lunch in Magdala, we visited Capernaum. This Jewish town served as Jesus’ “home base” for His Galilean ministry. In the 5th century synagogue, we read from passages such as Mark 1, 2; Luke 7, 8; and John 4, 6. We also saw the Byzantine church, octagonal in shape, that dates to about the same time period. This ancient church surrounds a 1st century house structure suggested, by tradition and archaeology, to be Peter’s house. Down on the lakeshore by the harbor of the city (one of 16 now identified around the lake), we read from Mark 9. Serving in Christ’s kingdom requires a heart of humility and servanthood.
“Today we focused on Jesus. We made many connections with His ministry – where he taught and healed, what he shared, and even how he taught. From the morning hike up Arbel to the end of the day boat ride, it was a great day!”
Mt. of Beatitudes
Further up the hill from Capernaum is the traditional location of the Mt. of Beatitudes. We gathered on the lower slopes of the hillside where we heard Matthew 5:1-9 read in both Hebrew and English. The kingdom proclamation of Jesus was His “go-to” message throughout His ministry!
Ancient Boat / Boat Ride
We end the day visiting Nof Ginnosar. When the shoreline was very shallow in 1986, this is where a 2,000 year-old boat was discovered. It was a boat that was apparently repaired multiple times with 12 different kinds of wood. From here we boarded our own modern boat for a time of worship and reflection out on the water. The water was peaceful as we read from Mark 4 and Matthew 14. We return to our bus and drove back to our hotel in Tiberias. We enjoyed swimming in the lake (and pool) and dinner. It was a great two days up here in the Galilee!
Day 6 – Tuesday, August 9: Beth Shean, Jericho, Qumran, Dead Sea
