Sunday on the Sea of Galilee

What a glorious morning!!! But no, Whitney and I decided to turn that mean alarm off....indeed we slept an extra hour with no guilt. However we do plan to get up early in the morning. This morning started with a quick breakfast and then off for a crossing of the Sea of Galilee. It was a perfect morning to fellowship together as Pastor Polson read from Mark 4 and our new friend Daniel led worship on the boat as we soaked in the beautiful landscape of Tiberias and the Golan Heights.

Our boat "Faith" on the Sea of Galilee

Fellowship before the launch.

Cindy Reynolds is the woman in charge of all the details, and the group whip. She always stays in the back and whips them along when she hears Hezi say, "hubba, hubba!"

Hezi brought bread for us to feed the birds once we cleared the docks. I felt like I was in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds!

Jessica, Alexis, Sean, Guyer & Ruth catching the warm morning rays as we head across the lake.

The Sea of Galilee is 16 X 9 miles wide and 150 feet deep. It is a fresh water lake and is mentioned many times in scripture. David Ben-Gurion, first prime minister of Israel, said to "use the lake to make the desert bloom." Generations later it indeed is used to make this land productive. It is so much more beautiful than I could have imagined. It really is like a garden in spring. The boat below is referred to as "the Jesus Boat." In the mid-80's brothers walking along the sea found nails and wood that looked like a boat. After much gentle excavating, the boat was removed from the mud. It dates back 2000 years according to carbon dating. It may not have been the boat Jesus was on when he calmed the sea, but it would have been one just like it.

The Jesus Boat

Mountains as we drove to upper Galilee to the highest peak in Israel, Mt. Hermon. I have never seen such rocky soil or so many mountains made of solid limestone.

The water of Tel Dan. This water feeds the Jordan River.

Hannah and Joey at Tel Dan.

We walked up to the city gate of Dan. This city is referred to in Ruth and II Kings.

This water was so clear and cold. It is the beginning of the Jordan River.

Guyer stands at the high altar or high place in Dan mentioned in scripture.

City gate at Dan. The King of Israel would sit here and judge the people as they entered.

The land around Dan is very fertile because of water from the Hermon Mountains.

As we continued our drive north, we crossed into land that Israel won from Syria in the war of 1967. Our group picture was taken at Caesarea Philippi which is where Jesus brought some of his disciples and asked them, "who do you say I am." Peter said, "you are the son of the living God." This was an area with many pagan temples to many different gods. The cave in the back of the picture is where sacrifices to Pan, god who was half man and half goat, were made. This city sits at the base of the Hermon Mountains.

Our group picture of the day at Caesarea Philippi.

These niches housed idols of the pagan gods worshiped here.

The water here at the very base of the mountains was as clear as glacier water in Switzerland. It was simply gorgeous!

The snow covered mountains in the very back of the picture below are the Hermon Mountains. Yes, you can snow ski in Israel on Mt. Hermon and a few hours later be swimming in the waters of the Sea of Galilee.

Below is the yummy "Peter Fish" and fresh dates that we had for lunch. The coffee was very unique. It was not sweet but was flavored with cardamom.

Yes....head, tail and fins...but it was tasty!

 After lunch we visited the Mt. of Beattitudes where there is an amazing natural amphitheater. Jesus could be easily heard as he spoke here. Paul read Matthew 5 to us as we sat on the rocks in the garden. The views of the Sea of Galilee were breath-taking.

 

Not only would the views take your breath away so would the wind.

This is the beach where Jesus showed himself for the third time after his resurrection. The disciples had returned to fishing but that night they had caught nothing. Jesus was on the shore cooking breakfast and told them to lower their nets on the other side where they caught 153 fish....their nets were bulging! Pastor Polson read to us from John 21. Peter was restored in his faith here. What a promise to us. It was a truly moving place to visit. Thanks to Hezi for adding it to our itinerary.

We had a few minutes to walk down to the shore and reflect on the mercy of our God.

 The last major stop for the day was Capharnaum where many of Jesus' miracles were performed. He healed the paralytic, he healed the woman of bleeding problems, he healed Peter's mother in law and raised Jairus' daughter from the dead. This is also the city where Peter lived.

Ruins of the house where Peter lived.

 We ended the day by seeing the cliffs where Jesus drove the demons out of the man into a herd of pigs and stopping by a diamond cutting & jewelry store to view their wares. We were so tired that not much was purchased. Tomorrow we leave Tiberias and head to Jerusalem! I will have lots to share tomorrow for sure. Goodnight from a very tired group from Tennessee.