Day 8 – Saturday, January 17: Yardenit/Jordan River Baptism, Kinneret Cemetery, Magdala, Chorizim & Trail Hike to Capernaum, Tabgha, Peter Primacy, Ancient Boat, Sea of Galilee Boat Ride
Today was another beautiful day. We enjoyed mostly sunny skies again, with highs in the 60s. It was a day of a complete focus on Yeshua/Jesus as we spent time around the lake and on the lake at the end of the day. We even enjoyed a brand new walk from Chorazim to Capernaum. We read from Matthew 13 (about the kingdom parables) as we left the hotel at 7:30.
Jordan River/Yardenit
We began the day by driving to the southern end of the lake and to the place called Yardenit. A total of eight in the group reaffirmed their faith as they were immersed in the waters of the Jordan River. There was one who was baptized for the first time! The water was a bit cold, but the experience warmed our hearts. Praise be to God for setting us apart for His kingdom purposes!
Kinneret Cemetery
From the southern end of the lake we now drove north along the western 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. She was an Ukrainian Jew who wrote poems, some of which were put to songs. She died in 1931.
Magdala
From here we drove to the Plain of Genesseret. Here 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 (at the end of Matthew 15), Jesus must have taught here. We also saw qa few ritual baths. We then walked over the chapel and saw wonderful mosaic murals of scenes from the life of Christ, including the Luke 8 story of the woman healed by Jesus. We sounded like angels as we sang a few worship songs in the rotunda. The acoustics were amazing!
Chorazin
Driving to the northwest corner of the lake and located up on a hill is Chorazin. The visible ruins from this archaeological site are primarily from a 3rd century AD. We saw a wine press as well as the synagogue. During Covid, archaeologists excavated below the 3rd century level of the synagogue and exposed most likely the 1st century level. Chorazin was one of three cities condemned by Jesus because of their unbelief (Matthew 11). We also read from Matthew 23 about the Moses Seat found here about 75 years ago.
“Our focus today was complexity on the life and ministry of Jesus. It was an incredible day of connecting with many of the locations where Jesus served. We ended the day with an incredible boat ride. The sunset and the calmness of the water was amazing.”
Chorazin-Capernaum Trail Hike / Tabgha, Peter Primacy
Since last year, a brand new trail that connects Chorazin with Capernaum was made. This is the very first time one of Pastor John’s groups tried it. The first half was incredible, with the trail (downhill pretty much the whole way) well marked. Then we encountered a barb-wire fence. We safely all went under the fence, however, the trail sort of disappeared after this (overgrown and not used). So the 2.5 mile hike turned into about a 3.5 mile hike as we used dirt roads the rest of the way. However, we all enjoyed the walk through the mango and citrus orchards. We made it to Capernaum in about and hour and forty minutes.
Those who did not hike the trail to Capernaum visited Tabgha and Peter’s Primacy with Shlomo. These are traditional sites established by the Byzantine Christians. Tabgha preserves the story of the Feed of the 5,000 (John 6), while Peter’s Primacy marks the post-resurrection narrative of Jesus meeting Hs disciples on the shoreline of the lake (John 21).
Capernaum
Both groups converged at the ruins of Capernaum. This was the “home base” for his ministry here in the Galilee. Sitting in the late 4th / early 5th century synagogue, we read from Mark 1, 2; Luke 7; and John 6. We also saw many 1st century house structure ruins dating to the time of Jesus. Before we left the site, we spent some time down on the shoreline of the lake where we read the tender passage recored in Mark 9. The miracle of John 4 also involved a royal official from Capernuam as Jesus heals his son from a “distance” ( namely, from Cana 13 miles away). We also remembered it was along the shoreline here where Jesus called His first disciples (Matthew 4). Here at Capernaum Jesus also called Matthew/Levi (Mark 2). In Hebrew, Jesus said “Come, follow me!” (Lech Acharai – (לֶךְ אַחֲרָי) – literally meaning, “Walk after me/imitate me.”
Ancient Boat / Boat Ride
We ended the day towards sunset to Nof Ginnosar. In the museum here we saw an ancient 1st century wooden boat that was discovered in 1986. We then walked out to the dock for our own boat ride. We enjoyed a time of worship and the reading of Mark 4 and Matthew 14, the two storm narratives. We keep our eyes on Jesus! He is the One who brings peace to our lives! The experience was ideal, with calm and quiet waters, and a beautiful sunset over Arbel. We also enjoyed the lights of Tiberias as we docked here.
We drove back to our hotel rooms for dinner and another free evening of leisure. It was another great day with a wonderful group!
Day 9 – Sunday, January 18: Gamla, Qatzrin, Syrian Border, Caesarea Philippi, Dan, Misgav Am (Lebanon Border)
