Tuesday, December 19th -- Galilee and points south

It was crazy to come into the dining room of the kibbutz hotel this morning!  Yesterday it was almost empty.  This morning there must have been 100 young people all around the room.  Moti explained that Israel has an ongoing marketing campaign aimed at young Jews around the world to "come see the Jewish homeland."  The discounted price brings thousands.  And often, one of those young people finds someone here -- and never goes back.  This morning and throughout the rest of the day, we saw bus loads of young people from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia.  Mmmm.

Our first stop this morning was two minutes from the hotel lobby  -- an amazing museum showcasing "The Ancient Boat," or "The Jesus Boat."  Thirty years ago, due to the lower level of the Sea of Galilee, the ruins of a 40 foot fishing boat was found.  10 years later, the study and conservation were completed to the point of setting the boat up in this museum.  It's a 1st Century AD fishing boat, made primarily of oak, but repaired many times over many years, with different kinds of wood and nails.  A shallow, broad-based boat, it probably was propelled by one large sail and one small sail.  It's primary catch would have been the "St. Peter Fish"  -- just like today.  (It's been served at all our breakfasts and dinners so far; it's strong and tasty!)

Then we hit the road to the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.  Moti stopped briefly to show us the spot where it's possible Jesus cast the demonic spirits out of the posessed man and into the pigs, who threw themselves off the cliff into the sea.

We hopped back in the car to catch our boat ride on a modern day "Jesus boat."  The Arabian Christians who run the operation played contemporary Christian music as we dozen or so passengers motored around for 45 minutes.  I sat next to a Brazilian woman who was caught up in the experience.  She cried or silently whispered prayers most of the time.  "Are you okay?" I asked.  "Yes," she said.  "My mother and I come every year at Christmas time to Israel, and we find Jesus everywhere.  In every square inch of this land.  He is so real here that I can almost touch Him every moment.  And to be on His Sea of Galilee?  Very, very moving.  Very special."

Man, I really need to amplify my spiritual radar.  I am way too earth-bound and attuned to the physical, material, sensory world around me. I checked myself and realized what I was caught up in - immediate, sensory experiences.  I was feeling Rols' hand in mine; I was smelling the cigarette smoke and diesel fumes; I was observing the wonderful faces of the people around me; I was hearing the different languages, and I was contrasting the green belt around the water compared to the brown hills in the distance.  I did not feel the presence of Jesus so much that I could almost touch Him.  Sigh.

However, I could feel the reality of Jesus' life here. I visualized Jesus and His disciples, fishing and teaching and rowing from one side of the lake to the other.  I visualized Him walking on the water (it looked like deep, cold gun metal this morning) and calming a storm.  I prayed and thanked God for putting skin on and coming down in scale to the human level.  To live with weird, limited, selfish, mean, unimaginative creatures (like me). To laugh and cry with them, to serve and lead them, to love and redeem them.  As clouds darkened over the huge sea, I thanked Him for His power, that overcomes even the worst assaults of Nature.

The trip ended, and we headed towards a spot on the Jordan River where thousands come to be baptized. Rols and I decided to reconfirm our baptisms.  It was still early; we were the only ones there.  After our (very cold) submersions (and cold showers afterwords), the buses of Israeli tourists started arriving.  I'm so glad we were able to have our moments with Jesus in the Jordan before they all arrived!

While Moti has been very supportive and patient at all the Christian sites, he really comes alive at archaeological sites.  Our next adventure was at the ruins of a Canaanite/Roman/Byzantine/Ottoman city. Called Bet She'an, only about 2% of the city has been excavated.  The theater, baths, main avenues, shopping areas, temples and lavatories were all amazing.  I was most blown away by something very simple.  Throughout the complex were layers of both outdoor and indoor ground surfaces.  A mosaic pattern.  On top of that, plaster.  On top of that, a different kind of mosaic pattern.  On top of that, a layer of marble.  On top of that in places, cobblestone.  On top of that, sand and rock.  Whoa.

After a lunch of filled pita bread concoctions, we headed south to the traditional site where Jesus was baptized by John.  There, the Jordan River is about 10 feet wide.  On the other side is ... Jordan.  We saw Jordanian soldiers and Jordanian tourists.  Moti told us that while this is traditionally the place in the Jordan to be baptized, the water is very polluted.  Plus, there have been many times where the it was either impossible or "complicated" for Jews and Christians to come.  (When Moti says a place is "complicated," I'm guessing he often means "highly dangerous.")  The place was crawling with flies. Moti made fun of me for being "so American", but I have a short attention span when I'm being assaulted by millions of flies, including flies in my eyes and nose.  I know.  I'm a wuss.

We headed back through the hills around Jericho (the oldest, continually inhabited city in the world, going back 7000 years), up to Jerusalem.  We passed camels and Bedouins herding sheep on the rocky hills, through "occupied territory", through a checkpoint, and into the city from the east.  Probably the same, basic route Jesus took so long ago.

We're in Jerusalem.