If today could be summed up into one word, it would be: “synagogue”.

We saw several ruins of several different synagogues in several different places and learned quite a lot about them.

Fun Fact: Most synagogues were built facing Jerusalem! Only one we saw today was not.

But before we saw all the synagogue ruins, we first went to where they believe the Sermon of the Mount was given.

Granted, the church built there was grand and the grounds well-kept. However, that didn’t much interest me.

No, I wanted to look out at where Jesus spoke. I imagined the crowd, more than likely at least 5,000 strong, listening to Him as His voice carried in the strong acoustics. I imagined them leaning in, amazed at what He spoke, not wanting to miss a word.

I imagined Him sharing what lies within Matthew 5-7.

Carly shared a portion from the sermon from memory. We had originally planned on reciting the entire sermon together as we prepared for the trip, but between our failure to memorize the whole bit and the constraint on time, what she did was what she could.

We then went to Korazim, one of the places Jesus did “mighty works” in, yet were unrepentant, and ultimately cursed (Matthew 11:20-24, Luke 10:13-15)

Here are the remains of the synagogue front, facing the east!

Decorations inside depicted different mythology, such as Medusa. Apparently, this was not seen as blasphemous back in the day.

Next was a “Jesus boat” ride on the Sea of Galilee. Minus the engine and size accommodations for bigger groups, these boats are modeled after the ones used in Jesus’ day.

We had began to “set sail” when we saw Itai on the walk. We had left him behind!

Once we got our tour guide on board, the American flag was raised and we all sang the National Anthem.

Well…not all of us. A couple in our group are English, so they stood and serenaded us with a patriotic performance of their national anthem. They did England proud.

The sea breeze was a welcome combatant of the sun, which shone much more brightly than in days past.

One of the crew members gave us a demonstration of how the fishermen used the nets in the first-century. Though present-days were made of plastic and the weights of different metal, the message was clearly communicated.

One of the crew members also taught us an Israeli folk dance, which we did on the boat! The song we are dancing to is called “Havah Nagilah” (meaning “Let us rejoice” in Hebrew).

Next was Capernaum, the hub of Jesus’ ministry (Matthew 4:12-22, 8:5-17, 17:24-27/ Mark 1:21-34, 2:1-17, 9:33-37).

We saw the ruins of a synagogue, which is built on the ruins of a first-century synagogue. This is possibly where Jesus Himself heard and taught lessons.

We then went one more place before lunch: the church of Peter’s primacy. It is here that it is believed Jesus recommissioned Peter (John 21:15-19).

Itai mentioned a correlation between the Hebrew alphabet and numbers, so when I asked him to elaborate, he wrote them down for me!

(I included a Wikipedia snapshot, in case you struggle with his handwriting)

This church is right next to the Sea of Galilee, so I stepped in for both bragging rights and to cool myself off.

Despite differences between the Catholic and Protestant faith, I found this sign to be right on point.

I especially liked the “…take risks at His Word because they trust His power utterly”. I think that’s a spot-on definition of faith.

Next was a fish lunch. Yep, with the head, fins, and all!

To be fair, I didn’t eat those, but neither was I turned off by them. Hey, tilapia is tilapia and tilapia is delicious!

I also tried my first date! The sweetness of the date countered the strength of the Turkish coffee perfectly. The only thing that made the experience better was all the Indiana Jones references. No “bad dates” here!

We then went to the Jordan River, where several people in our group were wanting to be baptized.

Along the wall was Mark 1:9-11 in all sorts of different languages! I only captured the Hebrew and English translations.

Granted, everyone in our group had already been baptized and Pastor Epps was clear that baptism is a “one and done” kind of deal. This was all for ceremony.

However, one of the coolest moments on the trip happened after all the ceremonial dunkings. And it was a sincere one.

Jason, a man from Texas, made a confession of faith twenty years ago, but had never been baptized. He didn’t come with our group, but approached Pastor Epps and asked him, tears running down his cheeks, if he could baptize him. That was a baptism I applauded, whooping and hollering like the American I am.

No shame. A genuine, public profession of a brother is worth it.

Our last destination of the day was Magdala, where it’s supposed Mary Magdalene was from.

What’s crazy about this site is that it was only recently discovered, like 2009 recent! A hotel was being built and lo, and behold, ancient ruins!

There haven’t been any artifacts that have been discovered yet that confirm absolutely that this is Magdala, but based on Josephus’ descriptions, it’s likely.

This is the only synagogue we encountered that did not face Jerusalem. No one knows why (yes, not even the all-knowing Itai).

Some of the mosaic floor was still intact! That’s an art form that I appreciate now, so imagining all that had to go into it back then is astounding!

The perfect way to end the day? More Nertz and…

…FaceTiming the fam (I promise, they’re just listening REALLY intently to me raving about my trip).

Today’s travels included:

-Korazim

-Mount of Beatitudes

-Sea of Galilee

-Church of Peter’s Primacy

-Capernaum

-Jordan River

-Magdala