The Sea of Galilee is the hub of Jesus' ministry and very special to anyone interested in walking in many of the places that He did. That said, this blog title is a little incorrect because we did take a guided tour, the Biblical Highlights of Galilee Tour to be exact - but it was not necessarily Christian focused. Our guide seemed more interested in the history of the church buildings themselves than the reason the structures were built in the first place. He was able to supply insights when specifically asked, but we were very glad that we had done our homework in advance of arriving in this area. One great resource that helped us prepare was a sermon series by our home church in Kansas City called Walking In The Footsteps Of Jesus. Additionally, we've provided breakdown of scripture passages from many of the sights you will likely to see in the Sea of Galilee area, home to much of the ministry of Jesus.
A few notes regarding what you can expect if you do take a tour to this region: The majority of the day tours cover the same places in the same order. We actually bumped into several folks that we'd met previously at multiple stops along the way, even though we were on different tours. The main differences between them are the size of the group, which fees are included, and how luxurious your vehicle is. Tours typically begin in Nazareth, touring the churches on both Mary and Joseph's homes. From there, expect to go to the church of the multiplication, Capernaum, and the Jordan River.
Not all tours run every day of the week so double check your desired dates. Any tour claiming to leave from Jerusalem will stop in Tel Aviv and pick up more passengers there, also dropping them off on the return to Jerusalem. If you're planning on spending any time at all in Tel Aviv, book your tour from there! It will save you two hours of driving on the day. We really appreciated paying a little extra for the smaller group of twelve on our tour. It meant that we could get in and out of places faster than the large buses and were able to stay ahead of the crowds at each location. Lunch will likely be at St. Peter's restaurant for a flat, expensive price, and will not be included in your ticket. It is located right on the water which is nice. Just understand that there is way more to see around Galilee than can be done in one day. Our schedule only allowed for one day so we did the best we could. You can also check out our blogs on the Via Dolorosa and the Old City of Jerusalem. We hope this blog enhances your experience in an amazingly special place.
GALILEE SCRIPTURE READINGS
Nazareth
In the 6th month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth. Luke 1: 26-38
"Today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4: 14-30
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" John 1: 43-51
Cana
Wedding at Cana. John 2:1-11
Bethsaida
Miracle of the Fish and Loaves. Luke 9: 10-17
"Woe to you Bethsaida!" If the miracles performed..." Matt 11: 20-24
He took the blind man by the hand. Mark 8: 22-26
Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." John 1: 43-51
Capernaum
Jesus to the Paralytic Man: "Your sins are forgiven." Mark 2: 1-12
"Little girl, I say to you, get up!" Mark 5: 35-43
Capernaum cursed; "Woe to you Chorazin." Matt 11: 20-24
"It is my Father who gives you true bread from heaven." John 6: 28-59
In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean...Luke 4:31-49
A woman touched the fringe of his cloak. Matt 9: 20-22
Peter's mother-in-law in bed with a fever. Matt 8: 14-15
Sea of Galilee
Suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea. Matt 8: 23-27
He rebuked the wind and the raging waters. Luke 8: 22-25
"You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matt 14: 22-33
Mount of Beatitudes
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Matt 5: 1-10
Sermon on the Mount. Matt 5, 6 & 7
Tabgha
Feeding of the 5,000: five loaves and two fish. Matt 14: 20-24
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?" John 21: 15-19
River Jordan
Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Matt 3: 13-17; Mark 1: 9-10
Caesarea Philippi
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Matt 16: 13-20
Megiddo
Armageddon. Revelation 16:12-16
Mount Arbel
"Land of Zebulon, land of Naphtali, way of the sea. Matt 4: 3-16 Isaiah 9: 1-7
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name. Psalm 89: 5-12
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