Week 2.5 – Excursions from Lake Galilee
Thursday 4th March Up and out early this morning form our hotel for our daytrip. Quick breakfast of flatbread, hummus, olives and pickles, and then on board the coach please!
Today we’re heading to Banias. Where on earth is Banias, you ask? It’s under an hour, almost due north, in a corner of Israel close to the Lebanese and Syrian border. It’s at the foot of Mount Hermon.
It’s better known to modern Christians as Caesarea Philippi. It is a site associated with paganism, specifically the god Pan. (Arabic has no ‘p’ sound and substitutes ‘b’, therefore Banias for the old name Paneas, city of Pan).
Above, you’ll see a rocky cliff face with a cave called Pan’s Gate. The water is from Pan’s Spring. Pan was thought to be half man, half goat. His cave was believed to be the gate to the underworld, a place associated with death and darkness.
Why is this pagan centre of worship on our itinerary? And why on earth was it on Jesus’?
Here’s the story of Jesus’ visit here. As you read the familiar words, bear in mind this location: the rocky cliff and gates of Hades.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16: 13-19 (NIV)
What does Jesus mean? The pagan location would suggest the church will be an international community, i.e. people who are pagans (Gentiles, meaning most of us) will be included in God’s people.
Sometimes in our part of the world, various groups appeal to Old Testament stories like the siege of Jericho, defending Jerusalem’s walls, taking possession of a Promised Land and defending it against other would-be occupants. But the Christian narrative in Jesus’ teaching different, about God’s people transcending any national or cultural identity, and we today should be extremely careful about using these stories as if one side of our own community is like Israel and the other like Canaanites or Palestinians.
Or is Jesus referring to the ‘rock’ of Peter’s confession that Jesus is Messiah? Our answer to the question ‘Who do you say that I am?’ is the biggest decision we have to make in life.
Maybe a bit of both, I think.
After confirming his own identity, Jesus states what the church is. Built on a sure Rock. International, diverse, including people with a dodgy background! And with a huge privilege and responsibility: holding the keys of the kingdom.
No matter what happens, though, even those Gates of Pan/Hell will be no match for Jesus and his church.
Friday 5th March As our travels in and around Galilee come to an end, it’s time for some reflection.
This is where Jesus began his ministry. Not in the capital, not in the temple, but in the region where he grew up.
He lived out his vocation among family and friends, although they found it particularly difficult to accept him. (Remember how they tried to throw him off that mountain we climbed outside Nazareth?)
Remember as well how small houses were in fishing villages like Capernaum? Jesus was close to people. And by the same token, he knew when to get away to a lonely place to pray. A rhythm of service and prayer, the one flowing into the other. Jesus was not so heavenly minded as to be of no earthly use (a criticism sometimes made of clergy!). Neither was he so agenda driven that he became a workaholic who would lose sight of the vision behind his activity, or who would burn out early.
And Jesus was adventurous. He had his base, but crossed lots of boundaries. He got a bad reputation for fraternising with undesirables. He was open to people of other cultures and faiths, yet secure in his own beliefs.
All of this makes Jesus very unpopular with religious leaders. His teaching is threatening their identity and legitimacy. With conflict smouldering, it’s time to leave Galilee now, to set his face towards Jerusalem.
Sunday 7th March Join us live from @CastlerockDunboe at 10am for worship. On Monday, we’ll start our journey south, through Samaria on our way to Jerusalem for Holy Week.
Greek this Week 