Galilee--Days 2 and 3

Let's dive right in, shall we?

The first full day at Galilee was very nice. We kind of had an every-other-day schedule worked out with our field trips in Galilee, so half of the students would go to class one day while the other half went on a field trip, and then we'd switch the next day. My group had class the first day, so after going to New Testament that morning, we pretty much had the whole afternoon free to nap (which I definitely did! I was so tired!), play around in the water, walk along the beach, and basically just relax. It feels like we've been on the go so much this semester with field trips and classes and exploring the city, so this free time was a much appreciated novelty for us.

The next day, we went on the best field trip ever! It was packed, but it was sooo good! Basically it went down like this:

Sea of Galilee
The first thing we did was go out on a boat into the Sea of Galilee. There, we talked about Jesus walking on the water, and Jesus calming the storm, and we sang "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me" and "Master, the Tempest is Raging". The Sea of Galilee is so interesting to ponder about. It bore witness to so many beautiful miracles during Jesus' life and was the source of several of the apostles' livelihood, but at the same time it was also the source of trials and terror for the Lord's anointed. Sometimes I wonder what the apostles thought as they looked out over the Sea of Galilee, and what it might have represented to them. Anyway, it was a great opportunity to think about Christ, and the challenges in my own life, and how looking to Him can help me overcome them.

Mt. of Beatitudes
There was a beautiful spirit to this place--almost like a temple. Some members of our class put together thoughts on some of the beatitudes, and one of them particularly stuck out to me for some reason: "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." It's probably because my desire to learn more about the Gospel has become more of a hunger and thirst-type feeling as I've been here, and when I've gone searching for it, I really have been filled. I don't know, that's what was on my mind while we explored this beautiful place.

Tabgha
This was a pretty short stop, but it was the location of the loaves and fishes miracle, and it has this mosaic there that's featured in souvenirs all around the Holy Land--mugs, coasters, wall hangings, you name it. So we talked about that miracle, and then we took pictures of the mosaics, and then I took pictures of the candles because I'm weird like that. Moving on.

St. Peter's Primacy
This was a church dedicated to Peter, though I can't quite remember the significance of its geographical location--maybe you can Google it. Anyway, the acoustics of the church were great, and we sang several hymns there, including "Abide With Me", "We Thank Thee, Oh God, For A Prophet", and "How Great Thou Art". An older couple came in while we were singing "How Great Thou Art," and I guess they knew the hymn because they started singing with us. I wanted to stay there longer, but too soon we were moving on...

Capernaum
...to Capernaum. And it turns out that Capernaum was my favorite place we've ever been to, ever, so I was okay with that. It's interesting, because it visually wasn't that distinct from anywhere else we've been--Capernaum's not inhabited anymore, so pretty much there were a lot of old rocks, and I'm afraid that by this point old rocks have kind of lost their charm. But I just remember us sitting in that ancient synagogue where Jesus gave his "Bread of Life" sermon, and imagining the scene in my head as my teacher described it to us. Just the day before, Christ had fed the large multitude with only a small number of loaves and fishes, and I'm sure he and his message had never before been so popular and well-received. However, he soon perceived that many of them were following him for the wrong reason--they wanted him to be around to take care of their physical needs, and he was sent to fulfill a much higher purpose. He must have known how hard the next day would be, when he would have to disappoint them and let them know that he brought spiritual relief, not temporal--he spent much of that night in prayer. The next day, he taught them. He taught them in that very same synagogue in which I sat of how he was the Bread of Life, sent from heaven to bring everlasting life to all who would believe on his name... and they rejected him. One by one, they got up and left the synagogue, because they were looking for a physical Messiah, not a spiritual one, and they couldn't handle his words. In the end, only a small group was left. I imagine Jesus must have felt somewhat despondent
when, in the end, he turned to the twelve and said, "Will ye also go away?" Then Peter--faithful Peter--answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life."

Capernaum made me ponder, because really, his question is addressed to all of us: "Will ye also go away?" Something about that story just tugs at my heart, and makes me want to be a little bit better in my life, so someday I may be among the ones who didn't abandon him. The experience I had at Capernaum is one of those that I'll be able to look back on and draw strength from for the rest of my life, and I'm so grateful to have been there.