Our plan for the day was to visit several of the major sites important in the ministry of Jesus around the Sea of Galilee. We planned to have lunch while out and about, and then return to the apartment to change for the evening church service. Christian churches here meet for praise and worship on different days, not always on Sunday because that’s a regular work day in Israel. Tonight the service will be preceded by a couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary by renewing their wedding vows.
Our first stop was the Mount of Beatitudes, the traditional site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Such a beautiful, peaceful site with a great view of the Sea of Galilee below. Groups of pilgrims from many countries were gathered at different spots on the grounds, some singing or listening to a speaker. [Carol: Tears came to my eyes while walking around the grounds taking it all in—I felt like the worldwide body of Christ became more real to me at that moment.] The Beatitudes were emphasized throughout the grounds in pieces of art and displays. [Carol: One funny thing: A pretty plaque next to a small pool read, “Jesus said, I am the living water,” and right next to it was a sign stating “Do not drink the water.”] A church was built on this holy site at least as far back as the late 4th century AD. The current church was built around 1937 (Benito Mussolini helped to fund it, but the plaque honoring him for it has been removed). It’s a beautiful structure, with a gold dome and the beatitudes in separate glass windows all around the interior. When we were ready to leave, Awesome Matt recommended the fresh pomegranate juice at the snack stand—really refreshing!
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| Enjoying the view from the Mount of Beatitudes |
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A sign reminds us that the verse saying “come and drink the living water” was only a metaphor.
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Next, we headed to Tabgha, the traditional site of Jesus feeding the 5000 with five small loaves and two fish. Located at the foot of the Mount of Beatitudes, it is also the site of a Catholic church, called the Church of the Multiplication. The first church on this site was built around 350 AD (Byzantine) and was enlarged about 480 and floor mosaics were added, but then it was later destroyed and forgotten about for 1300 years! It was rediscovered in the late 1800s and they found the floor mosaics from the 5th century. The current church was built to the same floor plan as the 5th-century Byzantine church and some of the ancient walls still survive. The ancient floor mosaics were restored—they are the earliest examples of Christian floor mosaics in Israel. Many of them depict flowers and birds in wetlands, and the mosaic in front of the altar shows two fish flanking a basket of bread. Under the altar is a large natural stone, supposedly where Jesus placed the bread and fish. Also, the foundations of the original 4th-century church can be viewed under a glass panel near the altar. Very impressive church and restoration project!
Close-up of altar over stone said to be where Jesus laid the loaves and fishes.
From Tabgha we drove the short distance to Capernaum, a place associated with much of Jesus’ ministry. Many of the places mentioned in the Bible are located within Capernaum National Park. The park has impressive ruins of the ancient town, including a synagogue where Jesus probably taught. Here is where Jesus recruited several of his disciples. Peter’s house is in Capernaum and the book of Matthew suggests that this is where Jesus lived for a while. In fact, the likely site of Peter’s house was discovered by archaeologists underneath a Byzantine octagonal church, a type that was often used to commemorate an important site. The original house was simple, like many others in Capernaum, but archaeologists found that its function changed dramatically in the years immediately following Jesus’ death. The changes showed that it no longer functioned as a house but as a communal meeting place, and they found graffiti written in Greek, Syriac, and Hebrew scratched into the walls saying stuff like “Lord Jesus Christ help thy servant” and “Christ have mercy,” along with etchings of crosses and a boat. So, why would a common little house be used for meetings and ultimately commemorated with a church on top of it? Circumstantial evidence that it was Peter’s house where Jesus lived. [Carol: I’m convinced!] In one glass-covered section of the archaeological dig, you can see the foundation of the simple house under the ruins of the octagonal church structure. Another fascinating place!
Awesome Matt wanted to show us the nearby Greek Orthodox church and monastery, because of its amazing interior. This church was completed in 1931, but was redone in the 1980s. The gospel scenes in the interior were painted by Greek artist Konstantin Dzumakis. Jaw-dropping! See the photos. Pretty exterior too.
Interior of Greek Orthodox Church.
We were getting hungry by this time, and Carol’s Aunt Ruby had offered to buy a lunch for the group as a belated gift for Carol’s birthday back in June. So Awesome Matt took us to Magdalena Restaurant near Magdala synagogue (another site that we wanted to see today). The restaurant was fancy and fabulous—we shared several local dishes that were all delicious. We agreed that the kibbeh nayyeh (raw lamb mixed with spices) was the favorite.
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Our “Lebanon Experience,” including raw kibbeh and Arak,
a licorice-like liquor made from anise.
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| Sashimi was another delicious shared dish |
After lunch we headed to Magdala synagogue, which turned out to be a favorite site of us all, due to the kind and knowledgeable volunteers who showed us around. This is an archaeological site of an ancient (1st century) synagogue, one of the oldest ever found in Israel, and a likely site where Jesus taught. The Magdala stone was found inside the ruins depicting the 7-branched menorah from the Second Temple, which has great importance for Jewish antiquity. This synagogue was actually found in 2009 on the site of new hotel construction. Many ruins also were found from the first-century town of Magdala, the traditional birthplace of Mary Magdalene. A beautiful building has been constructed on the site that honors all the women in the Gospel, with gorgeous mosaics of different aspects of Jesus’ ministry. This whole site has a lovely, peaceful, welcoming vibe. [Lauren: The church at this site honored women too, so a lovely volunteer led a prayer over Carol as my aunt and over me as a mom to Henry at home.]
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| The church at Magdalena looking out on the Sea of Galilee |
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| Posing with our Magdalena guide from Washington, D.C. |
We came back to our apartment to freshen up and change before the church service, which was in the nearby village of Tur'an. The church is one of the Arab Baptist churches that is supported by Awesome Matt's foundation (CHLF). Before the service, we planned to attend the wedding vow renewal ceremony of Rose and Elias (married 40 years). The ceremony was very sweet, with the couple's family all around them. The church service started a little later (on "Arab time," as we call it!), and people kept coming in after it had started. It was similar to many Baptist informal worship and praise services, beginning with singing several songs with the lyrics presented at the front on a screen, accompanied by keyboard, drums, and bass. We all were given little digital earphone devices that played an English translation for us. After the service, several of the younger people came up to talk with us, and ordered hamburgers for those of us remaining. It was a good time of fellowship and making new friends. (Awesome Matt knows them all already because he's worked with them for years.)
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| Celebrating a vow renewal at the church in Tur’an |
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