On the Sea of Galilee

We had to get up pretty early today to be aboard a bus by 7:00 AM to take us to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. One of our first stops was the Basilica of the Annunciation, where tradition says Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel, who explained her divine destiny to her. This place has some of the most amazing stained glass windows I've ever seen. Also remarkable are some beautiful mosaics contributed by many nations all over the world. (See my pictures.)

Later we went to the Church of the Multiplication, commemorating the gospel incident where Jesus fed the multitudes with two fish and five loaves of bread.

Where a few fish and a few loaves were transformed into many shekels
At the suggestion of our local driver, we ate lunch at what amounts to a tourist trap on the Sea of Galilee. Our waiter insisted that we should all get the specialty of the house--the "St. Peter Fish." It came intact, head, gills, tail, scales--every single part of the blessed fish. And then we got the bill: nearly 800 shekels, which I think comes out to about $35/person for not a whole lot. At least we got some good pictures of us with fish skeletons & carcasses.

Jesus' Neighborhood
Of this entire trip, one of the best true "pilgrimage" sites for me was Capernaum (which our guide insisted Americans cannot seem to pronounce properly: It's copper-NOWM) and the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus really did carry out His Ministry. Unlike all the other "fetishized" sites (most of which were established in the 4th or 5th century AD or later), we know this territory is the real deal. And even where most "authentic" pilgrimage sites are actually 15 to 20 feet below today's ground level, the sea remains the sea.

"Peter's House" and the archaeological work being done all around it is fabulous to behold. You really get to travel back in time about 2,000 years. And what I liked about Galilee is just how peaceful it is. The environment still resonates with something serene and divine. I took some very pastoral shots there. I hope you like them and I hope they convey some of the sweet, gentle feeling of the location.

Blessed are the...Muskrats?
We also saw the Mountain of the Beatitudes where (allegedly) Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Actually, biblical scholarship would likely support that He gave that sermon on this site...as well as probably many other sites as well. (Itinerant rabbis would teach the same key lessons in different locations.) Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" supports this notion; however in that gospel, Jesus doesn't just list the "Blessed are the so-and-so's" -- He also spells out the "Cursed are the so-and-so's."

Next and final stop was the purported "Jesus' Baptism Site" on the Jordan--which doesn't entirely jibe with the "Bethany Beyond Jordan" site mentioned in John. Or as Pastor Nelson put it, "This place is totally bogus. It's a tourist trap."--made all the more obvious by the very large and ineluctable Gift Shop you had to walk through before you could leave.

One thing that cracked us up, though. Pastor Mark has relayed to us a story about when he was here years ago and saw a rather determined looking muskrat hassling some hapless baptizees. Well, the muskrat (or his offspring) came back today! We have video to prove it, which I hope I can post to this blog entry.

All for tonight (our last full night in Jerusalem)!