Week Two: Galilee
Monday 22nd February Our first stopover on the way to the Lake of Galilee is Nazareth. Today, it’s the ‘Arab capital of Israel’ with a mixed population of Palestinian Christians and Muslims.
Can you see the big basilica (church) dominating the city? That’s the Church of the Annunciation. In Jesus’ time, the whole of Nazareth was not much bigger than the floor plan of this church! A far cry from the bustling city it is today.
You might remember how people viewed Nazareth. Nathaniel asks ‘can anything good come from Nazareth?’ (John 1: 46). Any time Jesus is referred to as a Nazarene, it’s probably said with a bit of a sneer.
To get this lovely panoramic view, the best vantage point is Mount Precipice (above). Jesus launched his ministry in Nazareth, at the synagogue. For years, there was no evidence of a synagogue in Nazareth and it was such a small backwater it seemed unlikely it would have had more than an outdoor gathering place for Sabbath worship. But recently a small synagogue has been discovered, quite possibly where Jesus read his ‘manifesto’ from Isaiah:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
Luke 4: 18-20, quoted from Isaiah 61: 1-2
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.’
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
For the people in Jesus’ hometown, he’s just the carpenter’s son. They know him; he knows them. How dare he talk like this? They drag him up Mount Precipice here, overlooking the city, with the intention of throwing him off.
They don’t succeed, of course, and later this week we’ll visit Capernaum where Jesus made his home after this incident.
But of course for most of us Nazareth is associated with Jesus’ infancy, more so than his adult ministry. This is where Mary and Joseph lived, where a miracle took place, and where the boy Jesus grew up.
According to tradition, this basilica is built over Mary’s home where the angel Gabriel appeared to her with the amazing news that she would bear God’s Son. (Tradition is probably right, bearing in mind the size of the church and the size of Nazareth back then!)
This definitely is one holy place where I get the feeling, it matters that this is not just an idea but a historical reality in time and space: the Word was made flesh – and God entered our world here, in this place!
And this is where Mary the Mother of our Lord accepted God’s call: May it be to me according to your will.
Tuesday 23rd February A new day, a new location. Today, we’re on the shore of the Sea (ie Lake) of Galilee, in a village called Capernaum.
Jesus used this place as a mission base after he was chased out of his hometown Nazareth. Look at these black stones. They are remnants of the same houses that Jesus walked past, entered … and one like this had its roof taken off to lower a paralysed man down in front of Jesus!
Can you see how small the houses are? These were occupied by fishers, farmers, tax collectors and Romans, all living cheek by jowl. Each family had an ‘isola’, basically a room with maybe a cupboard added on. In ancient life, there was nothing like our concept of privacy! When the Bible says that Jesus came and lived among us …
One very famous resident in Capernaum was Peter. We can be fairly certain about the location of his house because there’s graffiti on the wall. It seems very, very early Christians wanted to make sure we knew who lived here – and they weren’t too concerned about carving into the rock!
The modern church built over St Peter’s house is meant to resemble a boat on the Lake. Personally, I think it looks more like a spaceship! This is where Peter’s mother-in-law was healed from a fever.
As you wander around Capernaum, there is a real sense that Jesus stood here. Nowhere is this more so than the synagogue. The ‘White Synagogue’ is later, but the black foundations are the very stones where Jesus stood in 1st C Palestine.
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Mark 1: 21-22
After worship in the synagogue, Jesus and his disciples would walk the short distance to Peter’s house, or more often down to the shore or along the lake to a neighbouring village.
So, more exploring in Jesus’ footsteps in the coming days!
Wednesday 24th February Join us tonight for a short Lenten prayer service at 7.30 pm @CastlerockDunboe on Facebook.
Greek this Week 