Drive southwest from Tiberius toward coast – Caesarea Maritime. Saw Jezreel Valley, Megiddo, Nazareth and Mt. Tabor from the bus. I wonder if as a boy Jesus was in this valley. Nazareth is located on the northern side of Jezreel Valley. Did He and his buddies climb Mt. Tabor? Did they go to the springs that we call “Gideon Springs.” Did the people speak of the springs as having been the site of Gideon choosing of his army? Did the people speak of Mt. Tabor and Deborah? Did Jesus and his boyhood friends ever go off and explore? Did they ‘play act’ the stories of the Old Testament?
Nazareth was the capital city of the Lower Galilee; Sufat the capital of the Upper Galilee. Mt. Tabor may have been the site of the Transfiguration. There are several sites that “might” have been Mt. of Transfiguration.
Caesarea M. A very large and important city of the first century. No record of Jesus being there, but many of the disciples and members of New Testament church were there. A Roman Colony, but with a strong Christian history. Paul spoke before Festus, Felix and Agrippa, probably in the theatre (See photo) Philip the evangelist, and his four daughters. Peter and Cornelius met here. The first Gentile convert was Cornelius.
Many women must have heard the Christian message. Some heard it from Philip and his four daughters who were prophetesses. Women must have been on the traveling teams with Peter and Paul when they were there. The wives and women of Festus, Felix and Agrippa must have witnessed much of the birth of the new church.
Beautiful reconstructed theatre that faces the Mediterranean. Caesarea is a reminder of how God planned and purposed the Romans to be in control of the land, bringing a common language and roads that were so important is the plan of spread the message of salvation.
Read: Acts 12 Herod died after ‘making himself a God.’ and 2 Cor. 5:10 teaching on the Bema Seat. The theatre at Caesarea M. is an example of the judgment seat.
Visited the top of Mt. Carmel. On the southern edge of the Valley. Cool but fairly clear. Story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
Visited the ruins of Megiddo. Important chariot city of King Solomon. Great water tunnel to bring fresh spring water into the city during times of siege. Stone manger similar to what baby Jesus might have slept in remains. Megiddo overlooks the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley and is located on the southern side– the site of future end time events. I am always amazed when I stand on Megiddo and look out over the Valley – imagining what it will be like when the armies of the world fight it out.
Visited Nazareth and the Mt. of Precipitation. A great view of the Jezreel Valley from the north northern edge of the Valley. (See photos of Nazareth today, and the view of Jezreel Valley from Mt. of Precipitation.) I wonder if as a boy Jesus walked this valley and ‘explored’ as boys would do. Mt. of Precipitation – when the crowd brought Jesus here to kill Him, how many of the crowd were His aunts, sisters, women in the neighborhood, etc… who knew Him when growing up? Luke 4:16-30.
Mary’s Spring and Church of the Annunciation. Never mentioned in Scripture, yet the only water source for the area. Both Mary and Jesus must have been in this area.
Jo. 1:46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
We drove by Cana and the traditional site of the wedding. I had visited this site in 1990. Iddo, our tour guide, said that this is the actual site of the wedding. We saw too many things to write down. I hope I will remember them.
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