THE HOLY LAND - GALILEE II

Galilee is a beautiful countryside with fertile plains and rolling hills. As we traveled from site to site, I can imagine Jesus and his disciples trekking the hills from one village to another. We visited Capernaum, and view the ruins of ancient synagogue. It is believed that Jesus preached here and also drove out an evil spirit from a man. (Mark 1: 21 - 25). Near the synagogue was Peter's house. Here Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8 :14-15). After the death of John the Baptist, Jesus made Capernaum his home (Matthew 4:12-13). Jesus performed many miracles here. Besides the two mentioned above, he also healed a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12) and the centurion's servant ( Matthew 8 : 5-13) and the raising of Jarius's daughter (Mark 5:38-42).

The building to the right was Peter's house. A synagogue has been built over it. (Below) Remnants of an ancient synagogue. It is believed Jesus preached here and delivered a man with an evil spirit.

After that we went to Nazareth, the town where Jesus was brought up. We visited the Basilica of the  Annunciation. That was where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary of the virgin birth although she was not yet married (Luke : 1:26-38) This part of the Christian faith has been a puzzle to many and a stumbling block to others. It is often used by Muslims to discredit Christianity. But it's in the Bible, no matter how weird and we can't change it to suit people's preferences, can we? I was surprised that Mary's house was actually a cave. Our guide explained that  Mary's parents, Joachim and Hannah were originally from Jerusalem. As Israel was under the Roman rule, the Roman garrison was stationed there. The Roman soldiers would often kidnap/snatch the Jewish girls for their pleasure.(Think of the Japanese occupation of Malaya) Thus many Jewish families fled to the hills. Joachim and Hannah also hid in the hills in Galilee.

 We had to walk down into the cave to get to Mary's house

Mary's house. (It is now a shrine)

Joseph's house was not too far away. It is now Church of St. Joseph's Workshop. Above an endearing statue of Joseph with the young Jesus and a painting of Joseph teaching Jesus carpentry. I am sure Joseph was a loving father.

Next we visited Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle - turning water to wine (John 2: 1-11). Our guide took us to a small farm run by a Christian Jew. There we bought dates and some bought wine from Cana.

Lunch was at Dalia Kibbutz at Mt. Manessah. Kibbutz were formed by Jews from Eastern Europe who had fled racial discrimination and persecution. The members of the kibbutz first worked on the land. It was hard word as the soil was poor. They were under constant attack from the Arabs. Golda Meir, Israel's former prime minister first lived and worked in a kibbutz when she returned to Israel. It was hard life and dangerous too. Sheer tenacity pulled them through and today kibbutz have become very prosperous enterprises, venturing into hotel industry and even military hardware. I believe the hand of God was upon them. 

"The dessert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. .... they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God." (Isaiah 35 1-2)

In the Dalia Kibbutz - a big business enterprise. (R) Lunch served by the staff. We were limited to one meat only - fish, beef or chicken. Unlimited servings of salads and fruits.