Galilee: Monday 3/30

The first stop we had today was at Sephorius. There was a theatre from the Roman period, which would have been around during the time of Jesus. Jesus mentions in the gospels people that are hypocrites. Hypocrite was the same word as an actor; a person with a mask on, being someone who they are not. There were also some large mosaics, one of which was a Roman dining room that depicted the Roman god of wine Dionysus. There was another large mosaic that was Byzantine depicting the Nile River and Alexandria

We then went to Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle. As we saw that Dionysus was the Roman god of wine which was a big thing in the area because it is fertile ground and there would have been vineyards in the surrounding area. Jesus shows in His first miracle by turning the water into wine and in doing that He was condemning Dionysus by proving that the Lord is the One who gives true joy. We can see here that the Divine is working among the mundane as Jesus is in this small city of Cana.

From Cana we went to the Arbel Cliff where we were overlooking the Sea of Galilee. From here we read the Great Commission, and as we looked across the Galilee region we could see, even if unknowingly, where Jesus spoke these great words. Or we could have been standing on the same cliff He was when He spoke to the disciples.

Our last stop was in the Upper Jordan area. We were standing on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee on a hill where the pigs ran into the sea and drowned. The place where this happened could also be all the way down on the southern end of the sea. When Jesus casts out the demon from the man in this area it is the first time Jesus goes into Gentile territory, and those who greet him are the outcasts. Jesus releases the man from the power that Satan had over him, and this should remind us that Jesus has released from the power of Satan too.