Bethlehem

After the shepherds' fields, we went to Bethlehem. They say the oldest families here date back 800 years!

In the middle of this major city is the Church of the Nativity, which is shared by the Catholic, Armenian, and Greek Orthodox churches. Underneath the actual church is the cave where it's believed Mary gave birth, marked with a star.

The church itself was the 1st Christian church built in the world, in 400 AD. It burned down, but was rebuilt. Recently, a portion of the original mosaic floor was discovered.

The Shepherds' Fields

One day, we woke up early and travelled to Bethlehem. Before reaching the city, we stopped outside to a beautiful spot looking out over the hills all around.

Behind us, was a cave that has been made into a church. This cave is likely the place where the shepherds protected their sheep in a pen at night. They would sleep at the mouth of the cave so as to be the first line of protection between wolves and other hunters.

Inside the church, I had the honor of leading "Silent Night" for everyone to sing, then we went outside and looked at the fields all around. These were not only the fields where the sheep were grazing in Luke 2, when the angels appeared to the shepherds, but it's been confirmed that these are the actual fields of Boaz (and Ruth).

Over the millennia, the topography has changed thanks to earthquakes, but we were looking at the fields where Ruth met Boaz and eventually raised their family—ancestors of Jesus.

The tour guide also explained something very interesting to us, highlighting the fact that these sheep weren't just any sheep that the shepherds were watching. These were the sheep reserved for sacrifice at the Temple. They needed to be spotless, without blemish. This means that the shepherds would never in a million years have left the sheep except for something of the upmost importance—something like the birth of the Lamb of God just over the next hill.

Barren Mount Gilboa

After Saul killed himself in a battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa in 1 Samuel 31, David cursed the mountain in 2 Samuel 1:21, saying:

"O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings of grain.”

More than 3 millennia later, except for the patch where the Jewish National Fund planted some trees, the mountain is still bare. The picture above shows this. clearly

Capernaum

When we went to Capernaum, I was struck by how small it was. It made me imagine what it was like when Jesus and His disciples were there.

Unfortunately, the batteries in my headset died during that part of the tour, so I was unable to hear all of my tour guide's teaching. But I was close enough to hear that the current church is built over where it's believed Peter's mother-in-law lived. There's a glass floor in it so people can see through and imagine Jesus and the disciples there.

From the town, it's a short walk down to the shore, which is full of shells. You can stand there and listen to the water lapping on the shore and almost see a 2000-year-old boat out in the distance.