Mt. Beatitudes, Tabgha, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River

Mt. Beatitudes
The church with the black dome is near where Jesus gave the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-16) and taught on many occasions. Debbie Gibson read the Beatitudes on the other side of this church. The picture if the Sea of Galilee is the view from where she read.


Tabgha
This is where Jesus fed 5000 (John 6:1-15) with two loaves of bread and five fish. When the people were done eating, the disciples gathered 12 baskets of fish and bread. They ended up with more food than Jesus started with ... interesting. Below is a picture of Nicole and I in the Sea of Galilee in the area where Jesus fed the 5,000. It is believed that the rock you see underneath the altar was the rock that Jesus broke the bread as he was feeding the 5,000. Whether it was the rock or not, the important thing to remember is that he performed a miracle. Interesting note. Behind me also was a time when Jesus said to throw your nets on the right side of the boat. They caught 153 fish (John21:1-14). In verse 12 they dared not ask "Who are you?" since they knew it was the Lord. What is the significance of 153? Why not say "a lot of fish" or "over 100"? Well if you take the numeric equivalent of "I am God" in Hebrew, the letters total 153. Jesus answered the question without it even being asked. A coincidence, or God?


Capernaum
This where the apostles Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew, the tax-collector was from. Jesus spoke at the synagogue here. This is the place where the centurion said to Jesus that all he has to do is say the word and his servant will be healed. Jesus said he did not find anyone with that great faith in Israel (Matthew 8:5-13). Nicole also was given the opportunity to read from scripture about the synagogue. She is standing next to the synagogue. There is also a picture of a olive press amongst the ruins.


Sea of Galilee
We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus quieted the storm and calmed the water (Mark 4:35-41). This is also where Jesus (John 6:16-24) and Peter walked on the water. It was a fascinating ride. While riding, Don Shire played "It is Well". View the video which is located in the left hand column. Had a little fish once we got off. As you can see, the fish and me had a little fun. After our kiss, the fish needed a smoke.



Jordan River
Here Nicole, myself, and a number from our group got baptized in the Jordan River. A pretty moving time.