Galilee Day 3

Hippus, on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, was our first stop of the day. This site is positioned east-west, which makes the main road the Decumanos, instead of the Cardo. Here we discussed Matthew 15, the Prodigal Son story. In Judaism there is the idea that one must come back to God through a mediator. The prophets have always been considered the mediators between man and God. One of the interesting aspects of Jesus' story is that there is no mediator between man and God. The Father always represents God, and the son is man. Here the son goes directly to the Father, and the Father runs to the son with forgiveness. Jesus is identified with the Father; therefore, He is identifying Himself as God and saying He is both God and the mediator.

Next, we took a boat ride onto the Sea of Galilee. We looked at different ways people used to fish. Ancient people were not used to interacting with water. Crossing the sea, even Galilee which is relatively small, was not something they did. Most people did not know how to swim, though fishermen probably knew enough to survive. Therefore, even four foot waves would have been terrifying to them. No wonder the Disciples were so afraid when the storm came and surrounded their boat.

From the Sea of Galilee we travelled to Chorazim. Here we viewed an Insula, which is a type of house that is bigger than the four room houses more common to Israelite architecture. The insula would house approximately three generations of a family. It was built so that when the oldest son married and brought back his wife a new room would be added to the house. This is what Jesus is referring to when He says my Father's house has many rooms.

At Chorazim we also looked at a synagogue. No one actually knows when the practice of using synagogues started. Synagogue is much different from the Temple. Synagogues are for the people, where as the Temple is for God. The Synagogue is used to study Torah, and teaching it to the next generation. This is why it would house a school in the building. Synagogues are also used all week long, for different things like school, feasts, and housing people in need. Early synagogues would have their main doors facing Jerusalem, so that the main source of light would come from Jerusalem in a sense.

We next went to an area traditionally known as the Mount of Beatitudes. Of course, no one can pin point exactly where Jesus was standing when he gave the Sermon of the Mount. But this general area would fit nicely both with Luke's flat place and Matthew's mountain (because it is sort of a flat place on a mountain). We also got to walk down the hill and see the small cave which is traditionally said to be where Jesus went for solitude. From here walked down to the Sea of Galilee. I was able to find a net weight, which is a stone with a hole drilled into it. I was excited.

Our next to last stop for day three was at Capernaum. This was Jesus' home base, after He left Nazareth. Jesus is putting Himself right in the middle of different cultures and people. This is a city right on the sea; the sea connects three different political areas and therefore connects a wide range of people. Matthew was also from this area. Capernaum is a great place for Jesus to launch His ministry due to its strategic location.

Our last stop was at the cliffs of Arbel. We got to climb down and around them. Some people went and looked into the caves located on the side of the cliffs. Though, I figured I had a good view from where I was. Climbing down and back up was challenging, but really fun.

~Jennilee~