Day 8

This is our last day in Israel.  We are covering most of the far north and Galilee region.  The farther north you travel in Israel, the more beautiful it becomes.  The mountains are greener with more flowering trees and many types of plants.  There is also much more farmland and almost no desert.  Soil in north Israel is very rich.  It is one of only four countries in the world that exports more produce than it consumes.

Our breakfast this morning in the convent was cream cheese pastries, oranges, and bananas.

Weston and I rode with Dan and Sandra to Tiberius, a town on the Sea of Galilee.  They are very interesting and sweet people, and I am glad I have gotten to know them on this trip.  Holy Land Boat Tours took us out on the sea!  We sang praise songs and looked around at the scenery that Jesus saw many times while in a boat.

The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake only 13 miles long and 8 miles across, but wind funnels down from the mountains making large waves and storms.  Our guide demonstrated how to cast a net like they did in the time of Jesus.

Next we went outside of Tiberius to a very high cliff called Har Arbel.  From the edge you can see most of the region of Galilee, all the way to Jordan.

On the north side of the sea is the ruins of Capharnaum.  You can't go into Capharnaum without your legs covered.  Weston, Sam, and I all forgot pants.  Luckily the girls had some extra skirts!

Capharnaum had great ruins, and a partially rebuilt synagogue.  So many important events have taken place right here!  Jesus lived here during his ministry, as well as Peter and Andrew after moving from Bethsaida.

A church was built over the ruins of what Tim believes is probably the actual house of Peter.  It was built in the say way that his house was described in early accounts, and on the wall they found "Jesus is Lord" carved.  His house was made into a gathering place for the Capharnaum church.

A Roman Catholic priest from Europe talked to us.  He was a professor before he moved to Capharnaum.  He knew many languages and was very friendly.

We stopped on the side of the road, and Tim pointed at this sign and said, "This sign says don't walk on the bridge.  But I don't read Hebrew."

We then proceeded to get out of the cars and walk on the bridge.  Some cars honked at us and waved telling us to get off.  It was a good place to look at the Jordan river though.  The Jordan is small, but flowing well.  Some rafters waved to us.

Thanks to Amy, we went to the Mt. of the Beatitudes where Jesus gave His sermon on the mount to a multitude of people.  Amy really wanted to go and begged Tim who was going to bypass it because of time.  Thanks Amy!  It was a beautiful place overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  It was cool to think about Jesus having this view while giving the sermon.  The church had eight sides, one for each of the beatitudes.

Next was the Tel Dan nature reserve.  It was the most green and lush place we have been to in Israel.  It is also the furthest north.  The tribe of Dan settled here after their sinful act of slaughtering thousands of natives.  The second golden calf fiasco took place here as well.  There were city wall ruins and bunkers from the Six Day War in the 60's.  In fact, on the road to Tel Dan there were signs that said "Danger! Mines!" on the fences.  Apparently there are still unfound mines out there.  The large springs at Tel Dan feed the Jordan river, in addition to snow that melts off the top of Mt. Herman.  There is winter skiing in Israel!

 We had tuna-filled pitas for lunch.  Yum.

Banias is the city of a people who worshipped the god Pan.  Arabic doesn't have a "P" sound, so Pan was changed to Ban, or Banias.  Romans occupied the town at one time.  We went to a cave where many pagan sacrifices took place.  The sign said that the victim would be stabbed and thrown into the the cave's abyss.  If there were signs of blood in the river below, Pan had rejected the sacrifice.

Our last tour stop was Nimrod's fortress, a crusader castle on Mt. Herman.  This is about as far north as you can go in Israel, close to the border of Lebanon.  It was a steep drive to the top of the hill.  The top had a great view of the Golan Heights.  There were creepy staircases and lots of rooms.  We didn't have time to explore all of it.

We sat in one of the rooms and reflected on our time in Israel.  Starting in far south town of Eilot, crossing through the Negev and Dead Sea region, all through Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Caesarea, and Nazareth and Galilee to the north.  We have been to so many places of great history.  Walking where Jesus walked has helped me feel closer to Him, understand the times in which He lived, and learn how they relate to the times in which I live.

Tim told us that though Mt. Herman is not the traditional sight of the Mt. of the Transfiguration, the Bible says that it took place on a very high mountain.  This is the only very high mountain in Israel.  He said that some other scholars agree with him.  He had us imagine what might have happened right here.  Jesus in His glory with Moses and Elijah.  Peter terrified.  Sometimes we get anxious because miracles don't seem to happen like they did in the Bible.  But miracles were not emphasized in Genesis, only in Exodus with the greatest Jewish Rabbi in history.  The next time they were emphasized was the time of Elijah and Elisha, great miracle prophets.  They were not really an emphasis or a theme again in the Old Testament.  God wants us to recognize Him, and He gives us His creation and His word as plenty.  It is all we should need.  But sometimes God gives people signs of His presence and power.  Blessed is the man, doubting Thomas, who believes without seeing.  But how cool is it when God decides to show them to us!  And maybe we just aren't looking close enough for the miracles happening every day in our lives (His blessings, relationships, life).

What an awesome display of glory, perhaps right on this mountain.  With the two great miracle prophets, here is Jesus in His fulfillment of the law and the prophets.  He is the key, the completion of the great story of the Bible.  Thank you Tim for these ideas.

On our way back south to Nazareth, many people (cough Laura) were pushing for a McDonald's stop.  Adamantly.  Tim had stalled on this request successfully up until now.  Everything was about the same, except it was in Hebrew.  It's amazing how the taste can be the same on the other side of the world.  Except for the McFalafel and McKabab.  We made fun of Lanette and Weston's tiny shot glass sized McCafe Coffees.  That wouldn't fly in America.

We needed to get back to Nazareth fast because we had a tour with sister Stephania at 6 for the ruins under the convent where we are staying.  Even with traffic, we got back perfectly at 5:47.  The tour was great.  I think she was Italian.  I love nuns so much.  She took us under the convent and showed us the ruins of a church that met in a cave during the Byzantine era.  It had an alter, a skylight, and running "living water".  There was also a first century tomb of one of the first ever Christians!  It had a rolling stone.  When it was discovered and they removed the stones, they were apparently hit with the smell of incense that had been airtight in the tomb for almost 2000 years.

 At the end of the tour she asked each of the college kids what they were planning to do when they grew up.  She then told us that at a very young age, Jesus knew His job was to be about His Father's business. So, in whatever we do, we are to be about our Father's business.  She taught the lesson so much better than me.  What a great witness she is, with committed devotion to living for her Savior.

For our last supper in Israel, we ate out in Nazareth again.  This time I went with my Parents, Sarah, Kent, Linda, Dan, and Ms. Lanette.  We had something different than Falafel and Shawarma.  Yay!  Israel's third favorite food, Kabab.  You can pick a skewer of lamb, beef, or chicken.  Then you get all you want of the weird things that go in a Falafel.  I had lamb.

Tasty tasty.