THORSON ADVENTURES: A Day with the Man from Galilee

Greetings Friends and Family,

What an amazing day we have had here on the shores of Galilee. Our travels today focused on the ministry of Jesus and His disciples around the Sea of Galilee. It was a jam-packed day and a great way to spend our first full day here in Israel.

We left at 7am this morning and made our first stop at the 'Valley of the Winds' by Mt. Arabel. Here there is a path from Nazareth, about 22 miles away from Galilee, through the mountains to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We know from Scripture that this is the very path that Jesus walked when entering the Galilee to begin His ministry. It was a great first stop and amazing to be in a place where we know Jesus walked.

We continued our trip to the next city of Magdala (where Mary Magadalene was from). Here they discovered in the 1980s a 1st century fishing boat that would be identical to the boat that Jesus and His disciples would have used to cross the Sea. There was a great museum on the shore and we had a first 'on the ground' view of the Sea. The Galilee is teeming with life! We could see fish in the water, birds on the shore and maybe people enjoying a beautiful sunny day. We were pleasantly surprised that the whole of Galilee is not over-commercialized but rather they have tried to preserve as best they can what the area would have looked like during the time of Christ.

Ryan in front of the 2000 year old boat

Ryan and Kealy on the shore of the Sea of Galilee

Our travels then took us to the northwestern part of the lake to four different locations. the Mt. of Beatitudes, where Jesus gave his Sermon the Mount. On the Mountain there is a beautiful basilica that overlooks the Galilee and is maintained by Franciscan nuns. There are gardens and lush vegetation that gave the mountain a beautiful feel and it was incredible to stand here and imagine Jesus given one of His most famous teachings.

the Mt. of Beatitudes

After the Mount of Beatitudes we visited the 'Church of the Multiplication of Fish and Loaves' a traditional site where Jesus did His miracle. The building that housed the holy site had beautiful tile work on its floor (much better than airport carpet). We had opportunities to sit and reflect in each of these places and read Scripture that took place in these very spots.We also visited the traditional site of the location at Tabgha, where Jesus and Peter have breakfast after Jesus' resurrection. We put our feet in the Sea of Galilee and imagined what it would have been like for Peter to recognize Jesus on the shore after His resurrection. The water is warm and calm and when the wind blows it teems with life and significance.

Our guide is a Messianic Jew (a Jew who believes Jesus is the Messiah) named Pilar. She is very knowledgeable and succint and I learned more today that I did in a whole semester at Seminary (no offense George Fox Seminary). She has a passion for the Scriptures and what has taken place and the importance of understanding the social and political climate of Jesus' day and how that affected His ministry.

We also went to Capernaum, where Jesus lived during His 3 year ministry, and saw the home of Peter's mother-in-law as well as the ancient synagogue where Jesus would have taught, healed the man with the withered hand (Mark 3) and called Matthew the tax collector to follow Him.

After Capernaum we hopped in a boat and went across the Sea to lunch at a restaurant. The boat ride was hot but beautiful and surreal. I really wanted to try to walk on water, but the boat driver discouraged it. Maybe next time.

At lunch Kealy had falafel and I had St. Peter's fish...all of it...the fish eye that I ate was particularly delicious (not really).

After lunch we drove down to the Jordan River and had a special time of remembering Jesus' baptism and our own and put our feet in the Jordan River.

We came back exhausted this afternoon and went for a nice swim and had a great nap! We were thankful for time this afternoon and evening to process all that we have seen and done today.

It was amazing to me how close everything that happened around the Galilee was. It is still mind boggling to me that the God of the Universe chose to become a human being and act in such a specific way, in a specific place, at specific time, but to live a life that impacts all of Creation and all of Time. I feel like something was 'unlocked' in me today, that, in seeing the places that Jesus walked and taught and saw, I somehow 'know' Him in a way that I never would have know Him had I not come to this place.

Our group is doing well and survived the heat today. Kealy is enjoying our experience together and one of her favorite parts of today was putting her feet in the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River.

We hope all is well with you and thank you for your continued prayers. Tomorrow we visit Nazareth, Megiddo and get to put our feet in the Mediterranean Sea at Caesarea Maritima. Then, it is on to Jerusalem!

Shalom,

Ryan and Kealy