Where Jesus sent the demons into the pigs

When I saw Kursi National Park on Google Maps while I was in the Galilee, I thought it just had some cool ruins of an old church. I didn't think it was a Biblical site.

And to be fair, these ruins really are cool, mostly because I love arches. And some of the original floors from this church from the 5th century. 

I mean, who doesn't love original floors?

But what I didn't realize until I started exploring is that this national park is in the Gerasenes, where, in Mark 5:1-20, Jesus healed the demoniac and sent the demons into the herd of pigs, who then ran over the cliff. 

The freed man then went into the area of the Decapolis to tell of what Jesus had done). I checked googlemaps, and Beit She'an is actually pretty far from there...almost 40 minutes driving. But Mark's account speaks of the local people being angry and afraid, telling Jesus to leave the area, and Jesus telling the man to go far away. So maybe he went to the city of the Decapolis that is at the foot of Beit She'an. It's also likely he went to Susita (Hippos), which was also one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis. That is closer to Kursi National Park, and I hope to go there soon).

Either way, this is the traditional location of that cliff! 

As I've said before, the Sea of Galilee has shrunk a lot over the years. Right now it's about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide at its widest point. There's actually a trail that goes up from the left to just before the actual cliff face, and the remains of an old chapel are there as well.

The cliff from directly below it:

The location of the water makes it reasonable to think that it could have touched the edge of this mountain, as the Sea of Galilee has shrunk a lot since the first century.

So fun!!!

What do Korazin, Beit Tsaida, and Capernaum have in common?

When I was in the Galilee, I went to the national parks of Korazin, Beit Tsaida, and Capernaum on the northern shore. These 3 towns represent the 'ministry triangle' of Jesus, where He spent 80% of His ministry.

Yet in Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus says:

"Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “'Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.'”

Wow, talk about sobering. Heartbreaking, actually.

Korazin isn't mentioned specifically in the Bible other than in this passage, but we know that Jesus travelled throughout the Galilee, spent time with people, spoke, and healed people. He calls it out in His curse because of the amount of time He spent there. 

A town known for its grain, Korazin was settled in 1st century AD. The remains here are actually from 3rd-4th century, as is the synagogue. However, we know that in Israel, things are built on top of their original location, so it's reasonable to believe that the original synagogue remains are below this one. 

What got me, though, was seeing a carving of Medusa in the synagogue wall. I can't even imagine how that was allowed to be in the town, let alone the synagogue!

Beit Tsaida is the 'wild card' in this group, because as I reported in November, a different possible location has been found. It will take more time to determine if this is the actual Beit Tsaida, and there is strong evidence for the traditional location being the real one. It later was renamed as Julius, a Roman town, so the presence of both ruins is a strong identifier.

The town of Philip, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, Jesus and the disciples often came here to rest. He healed a blind man outside the city gates in Mark 8, and when Jesus walked on water, it was likely in front of Beit Tsaida, because He'd sent the disciples on ahead to this town. There are the remains of a fisherman's house as well (soil/fossil samples present the confirm this). However, the Sea of Galilee has shrunk so much that the shore is now 2km away. But why would there be a fisherman's house so far if the lake didn't actually come up to that village? 

Capernaum is the town of Peter's mother-in-law, where Jesus did many miracles. This is where He called His first disciples, who were fishing. This is where He spent a lot of time.

The current synagogue remains are actually from the 4th century, but the foundations of the previous one are clear. So we know exactly where it was and can envision that as well.

My favorite part is the shoreline, where I sat for an hour, read my Bible, prayed, stared across at Magdala, and imagined Jesus and the disciples coming in from a long day on the lake.

WOW!!!! It was so incredible to be in each of these 3 towns, and since there weren't any tourists still in Israel, there weren't a lot of people around. I was able to read my Bible, pray, and basically have 3-D devotions, which was amazing!

Still, the reality of these places are impossible to miss. 

Walking the streets of Magdala- finally!

In 2020, I wrote about the incredible discovery at Magdala and how I wanted to go the next time I was in Israel. It has been a dream of mine for years! So when the semester ended last week, I headed out to the Galilee. 

WOW.

It was Shabbat, an unusually warm January day, and because of covid-19, there still weren't any foreign tourists allowed in Israel. So there I was, pretty much alone, strolling through Mary Magdalene's former hometown, a fishing village.

There, you can see the old market, with the main street, 

the residential area, 

the port (the Sea of Galilee, which is only about 7 miles wide at its widest point and 17 miles long) shrinks every year, so the port is much higher than one might expect, 

a beautiful chapel commemorating Jesus' ministry in the Galilee, and...

the synagogue, where, according to Matthew 4:23, Jesus spoke. 

As I talked about here, this is one of those places where we can place Jesus not only in the town or walking the main street, but in an actual room. I about lost my mind. 

After exploring this incredible place—you can still see pigmentation on the remains of columns and walls, and part of an old mosaic—I sat down and began to read from Matthew. There, on Shabbat, in front of the synagogue where Jesus spoke on a Shabbat millennia ago. It was incredible!

There are so many small treasures that have been found and are still being unearthed in Magdala, like brick ovens, mosaics in other places. It's all so interesting, but this was the crown jewel for me. 

However, did you hear about this? Recently there's been another INCREDIBLE discovery in Magdala:

A SECOND SYNAGOGUE!!!!

This one is in a residential area, which I didn't see. I think it is still being uncovered. But, how incredible! The articles I read say that this sheds a lot of light on thought and culture in the first century. I hope to go back and explore it one day!

Also, here's one more photo as a bonus, as seen on the way to Madgala: Mount Hermon covered in snow!

Traveling in Elijah's Footsteps: Muhraka and Stella Maris

Ending the year with the trip to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Jafa was the perfect way to close 2021. And the perfect way to open it was to go to the highest point of Mount Carmel—where Elijah had the showdown with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah!

Though not my first time to this place, it will also not be my last!

Unfortunately, thanks to GoogleMaps, I got turned around a few times. Normally that wouldn't matter, but it was Sunday, January 2, and the monastery closed to visitors at 11:45. I was supposed to arrive at 11:30, but it was 11:42. Thankfully, they still let me in until 12.

This time, I saw a little bit of the beautiful garden on property before going up to the overlook with the 360-degree view of the Jezreel Valley and the hills to the south. Though sunny, it wasn't a completely clear day. Still, the view was breathtaking! And even though the winter rains started in December, the Jezreel Valley is already turning green. I can't wait to go back in a few months and see it in vivid color!

I mean... WOW!

I thought my 'Elijah' adventure was done for the day after that, but then a friend and I went to Stella Maris, which is the look out over the Mediterranean Sea. That was something I never realized before coming here in 2017—the geography of the Land, that Mount Carmel is actually a mountain range, and this area is on the coast. Stella Maris is supposed to be where Elijah stood to see the rain cloud coming from the distance. 

We got there just as the winter sun was beginning to set, and saw a beautiful sunset.

Then, we went to the church said to be built on Elijah's cave where he was fed by ravens sent from God. To be fair, there are other sites claiming to also be built over the cave. So this is just one of them. And the Christmas decorations were still up, which was fun!

(also, I might have giggled at seeing the Coca-Cola in the plastic bag on the altar on the far left).

What a fun way to start of 2022!