Day 5

Once again we awoke to rain. But as yesterday, the rain ended before breakfast and the sun was shining as we left the hotel for our first day around the Galilee. The clouds made for a beautiful sunrise.

First on our agenda was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Several people mentioned when they first saw the Sea that it seemed smaller than they had imagined from reading in scripture. However, after getting out on the water in a boat it became much bigger than they first thought. The view of the western shore was beautiful at 8 AM and the waters were smooth. Half way through the ride we stopped the boat and Rabbi Matthew taught then served a covenant meal (bread and grape juice). It was a very spiritually meaningful time of worship, prayer and reflection.

Our boat ride ended at the Galilee Museum, the home of the Ancient Boat, a first century fishing boat. The boat was found buried in the mud along the shore of the Sea of Galilee in the mid 1980’s. After a painstaking process of removing the boat from the mud it was moved to a facility where it was restored to the condition in which it was found. The boat, nicknamed the Jesus Boat, is the centerpiece of the museum. (They do not claim that Yeshua actually used the boat but it is from the same time period.)

From there we ascended the Mount of Beatitudes, the mount where Yeshua gave His “sermon on the mount” which included the Beatitudes. The way the mountains and hillside is formed, it makes an almost perfect amphitheater which allows for great acoustics. Speaking from high on the hillside, Yeshua could have easily spoke to a multitude of people and they would not have had trouble hearing him.  This gave a fantastic view overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

It was then off to Capernaum, the city where Yeshua made his home during His Galilean ministry years. He stayed in the home of Shimon Kefa (Simon Peter). (It was actually his mother-in-laws home.) Ancient churches have been built on the site where that home stood. Yeshua spent a lot of time in the area and lived at this house. Not more than a stone’s throw away is the synagogue that Yeshua would have attended and taught in. Rabbi Matthew took time to walk in the footsteps of the Master by teaching in the same synagogue.

Finally it was time for lunch at Kibbutz En Gev, on the eastern shore of Galilee. Saint Peter’s fish was the meal of choice. This was as WHOLE fish, of the type that is native to the Galilee. (By WHOLE I mean: head, tail, fins, eyes…but no innerds.) Most of the group went with this choice, but two or three chose something “safer.”

Our last stop of the day was the Kol Shofar shofar factory. Here we heard the owner and master shofar maker about the process of making a shofar. This seemed a natural place to visit. After all, we are Ministry of SHOFAR. While explaining the process, Shimon also pulled out a few examples of various shofars causing a three or four of us to drool. After he opened his little store, several shofars were bought, so Shofar services will be filled with the sound of MANY shofars!

A wonderful day in which we, once again, saw the Hand of YHVH at work in pushing away the rain and allowing the sun to shine on us. It truly is humbling to think that the God of ALL creation cares enough about this small group of people that He WANTS to bless us with great weather so we can experience all He has in store for us. Everywhere we go we have the opportunity to show our love for YHVH, His people, His land and our Messiah.

 It has always been our goal not to be just another tour group. We come to Israel to experience the Land of the Bible, that is true. But while doing so we seek to deposit something of ourselves in Eretz Yisrael and the people. We also pray we will receive a deposit from YHVH that we can take back home and share with those we come in contact with.

Tomorrow we get to plant our trees (one way we make a deposit into the Land), then it is off to JERUSALEM! ! ! We are all anxiously awaiting the moment when the bus comes around the bend and we see Jerusalem for the first time. Jerusalem – the Holy City, the Eternal Capital of Israel, the City of David, the Heart of the Jewish people and the Nation of Israel.