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Caesarea Maritima ISRAEL MINISTRY TRIP As you prepare for your Israel adventure, you may want to take some time each day to read some of the scriptures connected with places we’ll be visiting on the first four days of our tour. Caesarea Maritima The magnificent port at Caesarea was built by Herod the Great between 25-13 BC and named in honor of the Roman emperor. It became an important urban center and seat of the Roman representative in the area. Although Yeshua (Jesus) is not recorded as visiting here, many stories in the book of Acts take place here. Cornelius, the Roman centurion, was stationed here. He loved the Jewish people and used his income to help the Jewish community. An angel was sent to him, instructing him to send for Peter, who explained the gospel to him (Acts 10). It was home to Phillip the evangelist and his four unmarried daughters (Acts 8:32-40; 21:8-9). Herod Agrippa I died here, after persecuting the early believers (Acts 12:21-23). Paul was imprisoned for over two years after his arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 23:23-35, 24:5-9, 14-16, 24-27). He was kept under guard in Herod’s praetorium, and gave testimony about his faith before the Roman representative, Felix and his wife, Drusilla (Acts 24:27), and before the subsequent proconsul, Festus, King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice (Acts 26:4-21, 27-29). Nazareth Nazareth was the home of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Here Jesus grew up (Luke 2:39, 51). Matthew describes Joseph’s decision to return from Egypt (where they had fled from Herod), to Nazareth: But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee, and came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazoraios” (Matthew 2:22, 23). The Greek of the New Testament transliterates a Hebrew word -- a play on words. The Hebrew word” Netzer,” which means ”shoot ” or ”branch,” is used to refer to the line of David (Isaiah 11:1-2). The name of the town “Nazareth” also comes from this word. The same root can mean “the protected one”, as prophesied in Isaiah 42:6. Early Jewish believers in Yeshua were also called ”Nazarenes ” (Acts 24:5). Nathaniel’s comment: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46) shows a certain contempt for Nazareth – a small, insignificant village. Yet here God chose to place His Son (Luke 1:26-38) in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. The Church of the Annunciation commemorates the meeting between Mary and the angel Gabriel. After His ministry began Yeshua read about Himself in the synagogue in Nazareth in Luke 4:14-21 (cf Matthew 13:53- 58). Nazareth Village is a project run by local Christians – Arabs and Jews – to portray the Nazareth of 2000 years ago to Christians from around the world, as well as to local Jews and Muslims curious about Yeshua. Today about 30% of Nazareth’s Arab population is from traditional Christian backgrounds (Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic, and Maronite). A very small percentage are Protestants. The rest of the population is Muslim. The Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee is a fresh water lake is also known as: Lake Gennesaret, Sea of Tiberias and the Sea of Chinnereth (Numbers 34:11, Deuteronomy 3:17, Joshua 11:2). Chinnereth comes from the Hebrew word “Kinar” – a harp – reflecting the shape of the lake. It is 12.5 miles long, 7.5 miles wide and 120 feet to 150 feet deep. The lake itself is 690 feet below sea level. Many of Yeshua’s major miracles take place in the region and demonstrate the power of God over nature and events in our lives. Think about how Yeshua revealed His power as the Son of God in the following verses: Power to save – Yeshua calms the storm (Luke 8:22-25) and walks on water (Matthew 14:22-34, Mark 4: 35-41; Luke 8:22-25; John 6:16-24) Power to provide – Feeds 5000 (John 6: 1-15; Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 8:22-25) Power to deliver – casts out demons in the Land of the Gergesenes (Mark 5:1, Matthew 8:28- 34, Luke 8:2-39) Power to prosper our work – the great catch of fish (John 21: 1-19) Power to judge righteously – Chorazim, Bethsaida and Capernaum: unrepentant cities (Luke 10: 13-23) The Mount of Beatitudes: The traditional site of Yeshua’s ”Sermon on the Mount ” (Matthew 5-7) is located just up the hill from Tabgha. The octagonal church was built in the 1930’s to commemorate the eight blessings (“beate” in Latin) recorded in Matthew 5:3-11. Reflect on some verses from Yeshua’s teaching: Matthew 5:1-12 (The Blessings….) Matthew 5:16 (Let your light shine…) Matthew 5:17-18 (Yeshua affirming the Law and fulfillment of scripture…) Matthew 6:5-8 & 9-13 (Teaching on prayer and the Lord’s Prayer…) Matthew 6:19-23 (Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven…) Matthew 6:24 (No man can serve two masters…) Matthew 6:33 (Seek first His kingdom….) Matthew 7:12 (Do to others what you would have them do to you…) Matthew 7:14 (Small is the gate and narrow….) Matthew 7:16 (By their fruit you will recognize them…) Matthew 7:24-29 (The wise and foolish builders….) Tabgha (from the Greek name “Hepta Pegon” – seven springs), is located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee just to the southwest of Capernaum and below the Matthew of Beatitudes. The water from the warm springs not only irrigated the land, but also attracted schools of fish. It was possibly here, after the resurrection, that Jesus encouraged the disciples to try again by casting their net on the other side (John 21:1-19). Capernaum: The town was situated on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee, adjacent to an important road to Damascus. It became the hub of Yeshua’s ministry after the imprisonment of John the Baptist (Matthew 4:12-13, Is 9:1-2). On one Sabbath, Yeshua went to the synagogue and amazed the people with His teaching and healed of a demon possessed man (Luke 4:31-37). On leaving the synagogue, He went to Simon Peter’s home and healed Simon’s mother-in-law, as well as many others (Luke 4:38-44). An octagonal church was built over this site in the fifth century. Many of the demons acknowledged Yeshua as the ”Son of God ” (Luke 4:31). Yeshua healed a paralytic who was lowered through the roof (Mark 2:1-2). Yeshua called Simon Peter, Andrew and Matthew the Levite to be disciples (Mark 2:13-17). Yeshua also raised the daughter of Jairus (the synagogue ruler) (Mark 5:21-24 and 35-43). The synagogue in Capernaum has a basalt rock base dating to the 1st century AD and an upper structure from a later period (~4th century AD, Byzantine period) built with limestone blocks (probably brought in from a distance). Some interesting artifacts to see in the yard: olive press, a relief from the synagogue showing a portable ark for Torah scrolls, a Roman mile stone, and a pillar capital with menorah, shofar and incense shovel. An ancient boat ( ”The Jesus Boat”) was discovered in the mud of the Galilee near Kibbutz Ginosar during a drought in 1986.In 2000, 14 years after its discovery, it was moved to its current location in the Yigal Alon Center. The boat has been dated to the 1st century BC-AD and would be similar to fishing boats used by Yeshua’s disciples. It is 26.9 feet long, 7.5 feet wide and 3.9 feet in height. The boat is made mostly of cedar but a total of 12 different types of wood have been identified in its construction. Magdala was an important town for pickling and smoking fish for export. Roman historians speak of the delicious fish from Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. Mary of Magdala was one of Yeshua’s followers. Recent excavations have unearthed a prosperous city from the time of Yeshua, including a small synagogue with frescoes and a beautifully carved stone table. The Sources of the Jordan Tel Dan The Dan spring is one of sources for the Jordan River, together with the Hermon (Banias) and Senir (Hazbani) streams. All three springs come from the precipitation that falls on Matthew. Hermon (about 9232 feet above sea level). The ancient Canaanite city of Laish (Genesis 14:14), sometimes called Leshem (Joshua 19:40-48), was established adjacent to the spring. While the tribe of Dan was waiting to become strong enough to drive out the Canaanites from the inheritance God had given them (in today’s Tel Aviv area, Joshua 19:40-48), they sent spies to explore the area of Laish and then conquered the city. The Danites set up an idol there (Judges 18:1-2, 8-13, 27-31). The boundaries of Israel were described as from Beersheba to Dan (2 Chronicles 30:5). After the Kingdom was divided in two (~930 BC), Jeroboam of Israel made two golden calves and set them up in Bethel and Dan. People traveled as far as Dan to worship the golden calf (1 Kings 12:25-30), thus repeating the sin of the Israelites at Matthew Sinai (Exodus 32:1-8).
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