june 4: galilee field study, day 3

Today was a good day—full of places I’ve at least heard of before, stories about Jesus, and challenging hikes.

Only moments after climbing onto the bus, we arrived at the kibbutz just next door to our accommodations, where we boarded a fishing boat. The boat took us to the middle of the Sea of Galilee, where the captain stopped the engine so we could have a lecture about fishing. The beautiful foggy views of the surrounding hills were pretty serene, and I loved it.
At some point, we made a stop at Qasrin, which was described as a mirror village to Capernaum. The advantage of visiting this particular site is that it has been restored so that visitors can more fully understand life during Jesus’ time. After moving through a reproduction of a common house, we discussed the typical structure of the village. Extended families lived together, and when a son got married, the family would construct a small (5- by 6-foot) room attached to the house for the new couple. This relates directly to the metaphor of Christ and his bride and how Jesus is going to his Father’s house to prepare a room for us. This kind of lesson was very hands-on and practical and very helpful.

Later we made a quick stop at the Jordan River, just north of where it runs into the Sea of Galilee. Dr. Wright simply wanted to give us an opportunity to see the river, and feel the water. However, there was a group of skinny dippers enjoying the cool water just as we stopped. How unfortunate!

At Capernaum, we had another mini-lecture in the shade and discussed the structures on site. There exists remains of a church supposedly built over Peter’s house, where Jesus may have stayed while in Capernaum. I need to borrow Ruthie’s notes about Capernaum to read over the big concepts. Dr. Wright provided some good thought-provoking ideas, and I know I didn’t catch them all.

The last two sites for the day included hiking. After driving to the top of the Mount of Beatitudes, we walked down the hill towards the Sea of Galilee. It was a fairly un-adventurous hike, nothing but blue skies to look at. The very last stop of the day was the big hike, straight down the rockface at Arbel, a pass in the cliffs along the Sea of Galilee. The 360° views from the top of the cliff were a little bit breath-taking, as were the large gusts of wind. We hiked along until we came across the path down, along a fissure in the rock. And down, down, down we climbed, holding on to bars and rocks and ropes. Even after descending this, the rest of the hill was just as difficult—a steep slope of loose gravel, where it was easy to twist your ankle.

The day concluded with a bonfire on the Sea of Galilee—a special treat from Dr. Wright. We roasted Israeli s’mores (the marshmallows are strawberry flavored) and enjoyed silly games and good conversation.