So where do Jesus followers go when we travel to the Holy Land? I just returned from a memorable trip there, and our group visited more sites and small towns around the Sea of Galilee than any other area of Israel.
Places like Bethsaida, Cana, Capernaum, Magdala, the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached his famous Sermon on the Mount, and his hometown of Nazareth where he grew up. It’s all real. It’s all still there.
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
I asked the CrossLifers who traveled with me to Israel if they could describe in one word the relationship that Jesus and his disciples had with the Sea of Galilee. I also asked the same question to the CrossLife band and tech team at our Bible study before rehearsal. Their answers are biblical, practical, and theological. Here they are, ten word pictures:
PLACE—Jesus walked, splashed, and saved us here. Jesus spent over 70% of his ministry in the northwest shore area of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus showed up. Jesus visited us. The evidence is real. Jesus was here.
INTIMACY—Jesus spent quality time with his disciples here. They grew closer to him and each other.
DEEP—Jesus used the Sea of Galilee to take his disciples from shallow faith and purpose to deeper faith and purpose. It wasn’t always fun or easy. It’s comfortable in the shallow water. Jesus has bigger plans for you than just comfort. An all inclusive vacation can do that. But Jesus can change your life, empower your passions, save you from yourself, and forgive your greatest guilt. He takes us deep, sinking our souls into him.
WALK—Jesus wanted to take his disciples to new places. He called them to trust him and follow. To move. To change. To go from an old place to a new place. Jesus calls you to leave selfishness behind and walk with him as your Savior and Lord. Where is he leading you now? What is holding you back?
HUMILITY—Jesus chose the place where he spent 3 years in small towns on the Sea of Galilee, among the poor and sinners. The Sea of Galilee is not a great ocean or a cascading waterfall. It’s a lake, and on the north shore it’s kind of a lagoon. You don’t need greatness to be right with Jesus. He’s not attracted to that. He’s attracted to the poor and sinners who humbly repent, and need him to forgive and save.
MEETING—Jesus met his disciples at the Sea of Galilee, with an agenda they didn’t always understand. Jesus gathered people at the Sea of Galilee for a purpose. He’s always up to something, even in your life today. Where do you see Jesus at work in your life?
HOME— Jesus meets people where we are. The Sea of Galilee was familiar to Jesus’ disciples, like a home base. He chose a backdrop that the disciples and the people knew well. Jesus used parallels from their daily lives to help them understand the Kingdom.
DRAMATIC—Jesus made the Sea of Galilee explode with powerful teaching and truths for life-changing salvation. Jesus turned water into wine, multiplied bread and fish to feed thousands, and commanded storms to end. Life with Jesus is never boring. If your life is boring, if your life feels purposeless, if you haven’t found true joy, Jesus isn’t the one holding back.
FAITHFULNESS—Jesus used the Sea of Galilee to demonstrate how faith in him provides for us … from casting out our nets and having faith that the sea will provide, to knowing that we can withstand any storm that comes our way. With Jesus we, too, can walk on water. He is faithful.
FISH—Jesus called his disciples to a new life and new mission, to fish for people. That’s his mission for us, too. To work and pray and be patient and work even more so that we bring into the net of Jesus’ kingdom other people. We want others, like fish, to be caught up in and connected to Jesus. The fish, even before the cross, was the symbol of Christianity. It means we are caught by Jesus, and then fish for others, too.
Now, here’s your bonus reward for reading this far 🙂 Just reply to this email and I’ll gladly send you 10 real pictures from my Holy Land trip, depicting each of the 10 words above.
PRAYER: Thank you for being real, Jesus, and not just a philosophy or fable. Thank you for walking on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and on its waters, to preach, heal and save. I want to follow you, and fish for people you want to catch in your net. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: What word do you think best describes the relationship of Jesus and his disciples to the Sea of Galilee? Choose from the above list, or come up with your own.