“And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali” (Matthew 4:13 ESV).
We’re back from our summer sabbatical and preparing to preach this coming Sunday! We are so excited and full. We can’t wait to share with you!
As we return to our work together, many people have been asking, “What’s the most meaningful thing you learned this summer?” That’s a pretty huge question to answer when you’ve spent the entire summer in Turkey, Greece and Israel walking in the footsteps of John, Paul and Jesus. There were so many things that we learned that it’s difficult to narrow it down! But I thought I’d begin with some learnings from Israel, specifically, the ancient city of Capernaum.
Why Capernaum? A couple of reasons. First, visiting the ancient ruins of Capernaum was very moving and brought several insights into Jesus’ earthly ministry. And second, I’m preaching from John 6 this coming Sunday and its setting is Capernaum.
A cursory reading of the four gospels will show that Capernaum was an important center of ministry for Jesus. While He grew up in the rather obscure hill country of Nazareth to the west of the Sea of Galilee, after beginning His public ministry, He soon made Capernaum his home base. Located on the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, it was a prosperous fishing center as well as a crossroads for merchants traveling the Via Maris (Latin for “Way of the Sea”), an ancient road connecting Egypt with what today would be Syria, Iraq and Iran. This made Capernaum a very strategic location for Jesus, as well as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the region (Read Matthew 4:12-16).
The ruins of the synagogue and even the house of Peter’s mother-in-law have been discovered at Capernaum. We’ve stood in the place where Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, raised Peter’s mother-in-law from her sick bed, and made the first of His seven “I AM” declarations after feeding the 5,000, saying, “I am the Bread of Life!”
Standing in the ancient ruins of Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, we could 
feel the breeze blowing off of the great fresh water lake. We could see the cliffs of Mt. Arbel and the town of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene, in the distance. And as we read the Scriptures concerning Jesus and His ministry in Capernaum, we were overwhelmed with emotion as we could almost hear Him saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
What we have learned this summer is almost too deep for words to describe. For we have been to Capernaum, where Jesus lived by the sea.
Hi Gary, awsom words and a nice reminder of what we experienced there.keep them coming.heaps of blessings, your brother in Christ.
Hey Shane! Great to hear from you. Thanks for reading my blog. Hope you and Liz are doing well. Blessings!
Gary
Having walked these steps with you, I couldn’t help being transported right back there while reading your Capernaum post. I don’t know why, but there was something about the certainty that Jesus walked and preached and healed right there (not maybe there or “traditionally” there but right there) that made Capernaum special. I look forward to all your upcoming Israel posts. Welcome back to the pulpit.
Oh, and I am not sure about that picture at the front gate but whoever took the shot inside the synagogue has clearly got amazing photographic skills. Hope to see more of those.
Hey Scott, Great hearing from you! Yes, we hired a professional for that shot in the synagogue. Fortunately, he worked cheap (I think we had a verbal contract, as in, “you take mine and I’ll take yours”). I hope you’ll keep following my blog. I’m hoping to unpack a lot of my summer learnings over the next weeks. BTW, I hope I have approval to use the photos you took. You pretty much took all of the ones of Robin and I together. 🙂
Gary, I’m looking forward to all your posts. Oh, and you are hereby authorized to use any photos you would like. Of course, my bill’s in the mail.