Day 5 in Israel

Day 5 is coming to a close. Here are the places we visited and some of my observations.

1-Capernaum. This was the place where Jesus spent most of time once he turned 30. It is a beautiful location right on the Sea of Galilee. Here we saw the location where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.

2-We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. So many stories are tied to the Sea of Galilee which means it was pretty special to be out there on a boat.

3-We visited the site of the feeding of the 5000. Luke 9:10-17.

4-Magdala. This was the hometown of Mary (Magdalene). The more you reflect on the life of Mary Magdalene the more you are amazed by her love and devotion of Jesus. Jesus exorcised 7 demons out of Mary and the result was a woman who was willing to follow him wherever he went. She was there at his crucifixion and his resurrection.

Observations:

The archeology and all the discoveries strongly affirm the validity of God’s Word! I mean this has to be a huge takeaway from visiting all of these sites. No doubt about it these sites increase our faith in the trustworthiness of God’s Word.

It is neat to think about Jesus walking all over Galilee loving people and setting them free from all kinds of bondage. Luke 4:18 seems like a perfect verse to describe what I am thinking, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

Taking the last observation one step further. Jesus loves sinners. The misfits. The people who live out of the spotlight. The whole trip is really a reminder of God’s unwarranted grace, mercy and compassion for people like me.