Today was a fantastic day. The focus of our journey was to begin our tour of the Galilee region, the places where Jesus spent the first 2 ½ years of his ministry, not to mention that he lived and grew up in the town of Nazareth.

 

Today, we journeyed in a boat across the Sea of Galilee; visited Capernaum, the village where Jesus lived during the first years of his earthly ministry; to the hillside where he fed the 5,000; to Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked the Disciples who they thought he was; to the actual road to Damascus where Paul was converted to Christianity.

 

I had an epiphany moment today. I always thought it was unusual for the bible to record that Jesus took the disciples to Caesarea Philippi. Today, I learned that it was not a city, but a religious and pagan site in upper Galilee (in modern day Golan Heights) which contained three temples to the gods of Pan, Zeus, and Nemesis. As I listened to our guide explain the significance of the temples and the ruins, as well as the spring which is the actual source of the Jordan River, it hit me. Jesus brought the disciples to Caesarea Philippi because he knew that this was the regional center for pagan worship. So it was here in the backdrop of those temples that he asked the disciples who they thought he was (Matthew 16:1-20). In answer to this question, Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ. 

 

The epiphany thought for me was that Jesus was very intentional in taking the disciples on such a long hike from their homes. There was no other reason for them to be there except for them to receive the revelation from God that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah in Greek).

 

It was a great moment. 

 

Tomorrow, we will end our tour of the Galilee region, with two emersion baptisms in the Jordan River. God is Good All the Time and All the Time God is Good.

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