I think that my image of Jesus is much more robust than before - after visiting Galilee. It is truly a breadbasket for this country, with fruit tree orchards (including bananas), fields of grain and vegetables, a semi-tropical climate with water provided by gentle rains and the Jordan River. It is a beautiful land.
We started our visit at Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea - extensive ruins from Herod the Great's buidling fervor. Actually it is Paul that scriptures connect with this place (Acts 10). It is one of Israel's top tourist destinations because of the extensive ruins -
Then we went to Sepphoris - which you may not have heard of (it is not mentioned in the Bible) - one of the Greek cities of the Decopolis - within eyesight of Nazareth - which also happened to be in a building boom during Joseph and Jesus' lifetimes. Do you think they knew about the Greek culture there? How could they not? We ended Monday, April 19 by arriving at our German guesthouse/hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee...and reflections on the day.
Tuesday we saw several ruins: Capernaum and Caesarea Phillipi - places that Jesus walked and taught - and shared the Lord's Supper by the Sea and then lunched on fresh (whole, head and all) fish. I can honestly say that it felt like Jesus was with us in the eating. I was so hot when we got back to the guesthouse, that I went floating in the Sea - and a turtle came up to tickle my toe. The next day there were rock badgers - 3 adults and 5 youngsters - feeding along the shore. The bird songs were phenomenal. And pretty wildflowers too....you get the picture when you add gentle, sloping land down to the sea - and across the lake, the Golan Heights (cliffs). That's where we headed the next morning.
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