Day 5 – Friday, May 2: Arbel, Yardenit (Jordan River Baptism), Kinneret Cemetery, Magdala, Khirbet Cana, “Hill 713”
Today was another day here in northern Israel. We spent the entire day around the Sea of Galilee, with the exception of this afternoon. The weather was a beautiful, with mostly sunny skies and highs around 80. We read from Matthew 13 (the kingdom parables) as we left the hotel at 7:30 once again following breakfast.
Mt. Arbel
We drove north about 10 minutes and arrived at the trailhead that leads to the top of Mt. Arbel, a mountain on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. Five in the group choose to hike the challenging trail that ascended to the top, while the others drove around the back side and walked to the top from the visitor center. Even though it was a bit hazy, the view of the lake from the top was spectacular. As we all gathered on top, we read from Matthew 5 (the “Beatitudes”). While there is a traditional Catholic location for the Mt. of Beatitudes, perhaps the lower slopes of Arbel may have been the place where Jesus about. The kingdom proclamation of Jesus was His “go-to” message throughout His ministry! Additionally, while we can’t know for sure, it could have been the top of this cliff where Jesus met His disciples after His resurrection and shared the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28). After walking down to the visitor center, we were treated to ice cream (thanks Amiel Tour) before getting back on the bus.
Yardenit/Jordan River Baptism
Next, we drove to the southern end of the lake where the Lower Jordan begins. Here, 12 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 located further south across from Jericho (John 1). The experience was special for all of us!
Kinneret Cemetery
From the southern end of the lake we now drove north along the southwestern shoreline of the lake. We included an extra stop at the Kinneret Cemetery. This is where an early Jewish pioneer woman named “Rachel” is buried. Shlomo shared about her life. She was an Ukrainian Jew who wrote poems, some of which were put to songs. She died in 1931.
Magdala
From here we drove north of Tiberias to the Plain of Genesseret. Before our tasty fish lunch, we visited the ancient city of Magdala. This was a large Jewish city in the days of Jesus. We saw a modest 1st century synagogue here. Although the city is only mentioned once (the end of Matthew 15), Jesus must have taught here. We saw a few more ritual baths as well.
“Today was a day of adventure and hiking! The hikes included Arbel, Cana, and “Hill 713″ to end the day. The views from all of these places were incredible. The clearer skies and less haze in the air provided optimal conditions as we continued to learn about Jesus in the context of the Galilee!”
Khirbet Cana (Biblical Cana)
Following lunch, we drove back to Tiberias for those who wanted to enjoy the afternoon back at the hotel. The rest of us (22) drove west towards the Lower Galilee. We then made our way through the narrow streets of the Arab city of Arrabe to get us to the northern side of the Beit Netofa Valley. We then took a dirt road to get to Khirbet Cana. When we arrived, we climbed up to the top of this very “off the beaten path” archaeological site. The visibility was excellent!While standing in what was possibly a 1st century synagogue, we remembered the story from John 2 about Jesus turning water into wine here and the story from John 4. We were only the sixth “DeLancey group” to ever to come here. No doubt no other groups come here let alone they know where this true site of Cana is located! 🙂 It was quite an adventure!
“Hill 713” (Mitzpe Ha-Yammim)
After coming down from Cana, we drove to “Hill 713” (Mitzpe Ha-Yammim, the “view of two seas”) in the Upper Galilee (part of the Merom Range) for late afternoon hike (.8 miles one way), overlooking the entire Sea of Galilee and Lower Galilee areas. The visibility was excellent, allowing us to see the entire width of the land of Israel!
We drove back to the hotel for a late dinner and another free evening.
Day 6 – Saturday, May 3: Hippos, Gamla, Capernaum, Boat Ride
