HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE Thursday -- 2009

From Holy Land Tour Day 3 feb 12 2009

From Holy Land Tour Day 3 feb 12 2009

Thursday, February 12, 2009


Today was spent driving around the region of Galilee, and taking a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee.We read Matthew 4:12-that talks about how Jesus went and lived by the Sea of Galilee, and Capernaum.


We began learning about olive presses. Did you know that 2/3of the oil comes from the pit? who knew--the extra virgin oil comes from the pressing of the olive pit.



We began the day at Tabgha, the site of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fish. Matthew 14:13-ff. There is a church where tradition has it that Jesus fed the 5,000.


We then journed to the Mount of Beatitudes, the traditional site of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. We read Matthew chapters 5-7.


Our next stop was at Korazim.
This comes from Matthew 11, it is the unrepentant city. Here we saw the remains of a village at the time of Jesus which also had a synagogue. We saw Moses seat (see Matt. 23) a preaching stand and a table in a house (it's just rocks)



We proceed to Caapernaum, the center of Jesus' Ministry in the Galilee. We saw Peters house (which has a church on top of it--literally over the top).


The weather was great so we sailed across the Sea of Galilee (8 miles X 16 miles) on a reconstructed wooden boat similar to the one used by Simon Peter. We stopped in the center of the lake and read (about Jesus calming the storm, walking on water and the big catch of fish.) Then we continued to the other side for lunch. Lunch was St. Peter's fish (Talapia with head and tail-reminded me of Africa).


On the way home we stopped at Gerasene (Mark 5). It was here that Jesus cast out demons into the pigs. This was a land of Gentiles-so it was probable that pigs could ahve been in the area. The church that was built, decided that the crosses in the floor were too holy to walk on so they took them out. Not unsual, they were nornally replaced with a fish symbol. They did not replace them--but just filled the holes in with a cement like subastance.


The next stop was the Jordan River. We stopped at the Banias Springs and waterfall (the source of the Jordan River), also named Caesarea Phillipa. I went into the river and remembered my baptism. I also bottled some water to bring back for our baptims. It was cold water.


The last stop of the day was at a boat that was discovered in the mud that comes from Jesus time. They have preserved it. This is a small boat for the sea of Galilee. You can see why the disciples were afraid in a storm.


Dinner and overnight at your kibbutz

A Kibbutz is like a communion, where people live and work in community. They pool everything they have. We are staying a very nice hotel complex. It seems that tour groups stay at these places. I know they have great service and spectacular food.


After supper we went back into Tiberas to a Dimond whole saler. It was nice to look, but didn't buy anything.

Overnight: Galilee, Israel