Week 4…The Sea of Galilee…

This week we "check into" Ein Gev, a kibbutz on the eastern shore of the Lake of Galilee with the Golan Heights at our back and the Sea in front of us! Here we will stay for several nights. The peacefulness of this place and the memories it evokes are powerful enough to simply make us want to stay here and be still! We are in the region of "The Galilee", a term that means "circle" or "circuit", perhaps a reference to a ring of Canaanite cities from the pre-Israelite time. The Galilee receives little attention in the Old Testament, given the Judean bias of most of the biblical writers, but for us, the spotlight here shines on the lone man who leaves Nazareth to be about his Fathers business here.

At the time of Israel's settlement in the land, during the period of Joshua and Judges, this region of the Galilee was occupied by the tribes of Naphtali, Zebulun, Dan, Issachar, and Asher (see your atlas!). The region is more generally divided into "Upper Galilee" and "Lower Galilee" referring to elevation rather than direction. The "Upper Galilee" (north) is higher in elevation and so receives much more rainfall. This overflows into several springs and rivulets that come together to form the precious Jordan River. It snows on Mt Hermon! Seeing this will enlighten the words of Ps 133: "Like the dew of Hermon that falls on Zion's heights" (Hermon is rich with rain and Zion is semi-arid). Such is the beautiful image the psalmist uses to convey the blessing of unity. Oh! How easy it is to get off track! But, we can understand the word of God so much better when we understand the land!

See Isa 8:23… reference here to the "land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali … the seaward road…the district of the Gentiles". Knowing what we said above orients you. The "seaward road" is the Via Maris that passes through this region. Here was the route of traders and of armies. It was a more cosmopolitan area even in the days Isaiah wrote (8th C BCE). Many cultures converged here because the highway crossed the land in this place. This was even more evident in later centuries when Hellenistic influence was accepted more readily here than in Jerusalem. Adoption of Greek ways by many Jews in Jerusalem gave rise to the Maccabean Revolt (2nd C BCE). What was more easily accepted in "Galilee of the Gentiles" was resisted to the death in Jerusalem by the Maccabees and their followers. Later still, after the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, many Jews fled for refuge to the Galilee and here Rabbinic Judaism compiled the Mishnah and the Talmud (3-4 C CE). Here is another observation: there is nowhere in this land that you can step and not become aware that there are multiple layers of the past under your feet. Keeping them straight requires some bit of thought!

Knowing the words of Isaiah 8-9, sheds light on what the Gospel writers want to say about Jesus who begins his ministry in this place. The people in this region, due to the diversity of population and the richness of the land, were the target of invaders. Isaiah refers to the Assyrians who degraded this land. He then speaks of the longed for promise of God's intervention to put down their oppression. These people who walked in the darkness have seen a great light (Isa 9:1). How aptly do these words apply to Jesus who brings the hopes Isaiah expresses to full meaning! Here we are in this land of Nephtali and Zebulun. The Via Maris passes through Capernaum. There was a toll station there where taxes were collected! (Jesus calls Matthew from his tax booth!)

Jesus seemed to have left Nazareth and relocated to the more cosmopolitan city of Capernaum. It is the place where he returns "home". It is the hub of his Galilean ministry. The Church of Peter is an unusual structure built over the remains of Peter's "house" a well documented archeological site. There is also a synagogue from a later period than the time of Jesus, but built over what likely was the synagogue from the time of Jesus where he performed so many miracles. There is so much to see here! The rocks and remains of the village demand an active imagination to envision what life was like when the Word of God became human and lived and worked and taught and related with his disciples here. Here, the fact of the Incarnation takes on flesh and blood and calls us as it called Peter and Andrew, James and John. And this reminds us of the overflowing love of God for us.

We will walk the road from Capernaum to Tabgah. There are 2 Churches at Tabgah: one is the Church of the Primacy where the beautiful story from John's Gospel (Ch 21) is remembered. The other is the church that commemorates the multiplication of the bread and fish. The Church of the Beatitudes on the hillside above Tabgah affords us a view of the Lake but more importantly, a time to recall the stunning demands placed on those who wished to follow Jesus (Read Matthew Ch 5-7). It is not so important that we walk in the place where Jesus walked but that we walk in the ways he taught us. One of these lasts a few days …one of these will take your lifetime and all your energy! We will walk down the grassy hillside just to experience being here. A 4th C Spanish pilgrim whose name was Egeria, writes extensively of her travels to the Holy Land. Here, at this place, she tells of a cave. We will pass this cave on our way down the hill. It was given the name "eremos" meaning "solitary place". Tradition says it is the place where Jesus would spend the night in prayer. Who knows if this is THE place where Jesus prayed? What is important for us to consider is that Jesus experiences the need to spend the night in prayer to his Father.

I sometimes think we could spend all our time here on the northern shore of the Lake of Galilee! It is so central to the Galilean ministry of Jesus. As a pilgrim, it is important to prepare oneself for the encounter with such places.

Read the first 8 chapters of Mark's Gospel and note how many places are mentioned.
Read Matthew's Gospel 3-10

Attend to Jesus teachings (Ch 5-7 and Ch 10)

Attend to his ministry and works (ch 8-9)

Attend to the geography:

a. How often does he return to Capernaum?

b. How does the "Sea" figure into the story?

c. Choose one point from the Sermon on the Mt (ch 5-7) that you would reflect on

while walking down from the Mt of Beatitudes

d. What would be your prayer at the Eremos cave?

3. While reading the accounts of Mark or Matthew, you cannot help noting how Jesus

causes conflict. Who takes exception to his words and work and who accepts his

teachings?

4. Why does Jesus begin his ministry in "Galilee of the Gentiles"?

5. Which place seems to draw you and why?