Sea of Galilee

Our waitress, at our favorite breakfast spot in Jerusalem, told us of a Christian Guest House, called Beit Bracha, with beautiful views of the Sea of Galilee. Her mother volunteers and helps run the place. She hooked us up with a day-of reservation. We arrived from Nazareth the night before and were greeted by a tremendous sense of peace. It was a little haven from the conflict and tension we had felt most everywhere else. (Despite a bomb siren going off during Geoff's call to reserve the place and the ladies pausing to see if they needed to head to a bomb shelter or not. Can you believe people live like that?!) There was only one other guest there, and the volunteers who ran the place spoiled us with breakfast and overwhelming kindness and love. Truly, these were the women of Jesus' day right there before us.

The sunrise over the Sea of Galilee was spectacular, and we were sort of regretting that we had used up our extra day in Galilee. We had one day to see two days worth of things. What would we cut out? A few BYU students, who had just returned from a field trip to this area, talked about their favorite place being Magdala (near present day Migdal, and where Mary Magdalene was from). Our guide book barely mentioned it, but we decided to go check it out. It ended up being one of the top, if not the top, favorite places we visited in the Holy Land.

Several years ago a Catholic Father wanted to build a guesthouse where pilgrims could enjoy a peaceful retreat on the shores of Galilee. In 2009 they began construction and were amazed to discover a 1st century synagogue, as well as an entire Jewish town just below the surface. Only 10% is currently uncovered. Ruins don't usually help me envision a time in history, but there was a strong spirit about this place. We all felt it, strongly.

Magdala was a prosperous fishing and boat-making village at the time of Christ. Mary Magdalene herself was quite affluent, as she associated with the wives of city officials and other high-ranking men. Christ came here often. He would have walked these streets and taught in this very synagogue.

We had a female guide who walked us around the synagogue where there is The Magdala Stone, as well as beautiful mosaics.

Our guide's approach was quite different. She asked us to close our eyes and imagine ourselves inside the synagogue. Imagine Jesus, this teacher and healer you have heard about, walk up to you and look you in the eye. How would you feel? What would he say? What would you say to him? Etc. She brought a very personal application to what we were seeing and feeling.

Near the archeological site is a Women's Atrium. It is painted inside with the exact, matched color found on the stones in the synagogue. Imagine how beautiful it must have been! This atrium is to honor all of the faithful women in the New Testament. Each pillar has a biblical woman's name on it. One pillar is left blank, so that we can put our name on it. It was so stunning and reverent. We wished we could stay longer, but we had an appointment for a boat ride. Next time we'll allow more time for this site!

We rushed to Tiberias where we met up with our private boat tour with Galilee Sailing, Ltd. The boat is a replica of a 1st century fishing boat. It was a 45 minutes ride, warm and sunny, and quiet (once the tourist boat with bagpipes moved on out of earshot!) We read some of the events that took place on the Sea of Galilee (there are many!) and then enjoyed the rocking and swaying of the water.

Geoff and Ceci had swimsuits and decided to cool off.

And again!

It was perfect.

We made our way to Capernaum where Jesus lived after withdrawing from Nazareth. It became the center of his activity for 18-20 months. More of Christ's miracles were performed here than in any other city. Capernaum possibly had a population of 10,000 people, was near the international highway, a customs station, and the residence of the high Roman officer. The commander of some Roman soldiers built a synagogue for the Jews here. Excavations have uncovered a beautiful synagogue, although it was built sometime between the 2nd and 4th centuries.

Between the synagogue and the sea is the town of Capernaum, and apparently in 70AD someone pointed out the location of Peter's home. Several churches have been built over the home site over the millennia, and a bit of each church still stands.

We sat on the sea shore for a long time. Some of us sketched, some of us explored, and, of course, Geoff read us relevant scriptures.

Modern day fisherman!

Our last stop of the day was the Mount of Beatitudes. We could have picked any ol' hill near Capernaum, but we drove to the church site and designated location for ease, as the sun was going down quickly. We watched the sunset from the hill and contemplated Jesus' teachings.

We found a restaurant serving "Peter's fish" and Geoff and I ordered some. The girls played it safe and ordered something familiar. At this point in our trip we ate two meals a day and were pretty darn hungry by dinnertime!

The next day was a travel day. We said goodbye to our beloved hostesses and took a parting picture.

Our time in the Holy Land had come to an end. It will take a long time to process all that we saw, heard, learned and felt. My testimony that Jesus lives has been strengthened, and my appreciation for his teachings and life has grown. It was a gift to be there as a family. We've reflected on our experiences as we've sung Christmas carols read the nativity this Christmas season.

Come let us adore Him!