Sunday, 10-18-09

This morning started out with a visit to Korazim National Park. This area contains the remains from a small town, Chorazin, along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. We read from Luke 10:13 how Jesus cursed this city for it’s lack of faith. Many miracles had been done there, but they still would not repent and turn from their unbelief. Here we saw the remains of a temple, many dwellings and a bathhouse.

Next, we went on to see St. Peter’s Primacy. This is the location where Jesus frequently met with his disciples on the shores of the Galilee. We read from John 21, and saw the location where He performed the miracle when the disciples had fished all night and caught no fish. When Jesus told them to cast their nets to the right side of the boat, they caught 153 large fish without their nets breaking. We learned that in Hebrew, the number 153 means “I am God.” This is also near where Jesus walked on the water, and where Jesus commissioned Peter and gave him reassurance of His love no matter what. We read from Isa. 49: 14-16, and confirmed that God will never forget us, and we are engraved in the palms of His hands. We had a time of individual prayer for those whom God has laid on our hearts, and we picked up stones and threw them into the Sea of Galilee as a memorial, after we’d finished our prayers.

Then we drove south along the eastern shores of the Galilee to the southern portion of the lake where the Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee toward the Dead Sea. We came to a place called Yardenit. This is a baptismal site on the Jordan River. At this location, many believe Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. We also remembered that Naaman, the Syrian, was healed from his leprosy by dipping in the Jordan 7 times.

We had a very special, and powerful spiritual time at this place, as 5 of our group were baptized by Pastor Steve. We read from Psalm 139, and sang songs of worship & praise together sitting along the edge of the Jordan River.

We all left there in awe of the experience, feeling bonded together by the love and grace of the Holy Spirit upon us.

After this, as we made our way south toward the Dead Sea, we stopped along the way at Bet She’an, a huge and amazing ancient Roman/Hellenistic city, renamed Scythopolis. Here we saw an impressive theatre with incredible acoustics. We could hear our guide whispering on the stage from the top rows of the theatre! It could seat 7,000 people! We saw extravagant columns and mosaics floors, interesting bathhouses and latrines. They even had a well developed underground water and sewage system!

We saw the temple for Dionysos, the city’s patron god, and discussed how she and other gods looked so impressive on the outside, but were full of emptiness, and disappointment, unable to perform the attributes ascribed to them. Economic collapse and a large earthquake in 749 AD caused the ruin and demise of this great metropolis.

Our last tour of the day was at Bet Alfa, where we got another look at the remains of an ancient synagogue. It was discovered in 1922 by kibbutz workers digging a drainage ditch. We saw a film about it’s history, and the making of it’s beautiful & well preserved mosaic floor. This floor depicts in 3 sections, an ark, the signs of the zodiac, and the sacrifice of Issac.

What a blessing today was! 

...enjoying the abundant life in Him!