Our first stop this morning was supposed to be in Tiberius, for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. However, after filing off the bus and arriving at the dock, we discovered that all the boats were gone! Apparently the water had turned rough, so the boats had left without passengers to try their luck at the other side later, when the owners hoped it might be calmer.
So Gila, our guide, opted for Plan B, which was to visit the church of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, where there was an ancient mosaic floor from the fourth century. Gila explained that, prior to the fourth century, Christianity was forbidden, but once it had been declared legitimate, churches burgeoned all over the holy places where Christ was known to have been.
A large iron gate barred us from entering the church parking lot. A small sign, written in Hebrew and English, explained that today was the feast of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, and special services were being held until one o’clock, when the church would be opened to the public. Foiled again! But, being the seasoned guide that she clearly was, Gila reverted quickly to Plan C, making hasty phone calls to rearrange the schedule.
I reminded her of the extra beatitude, “blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape”! Not that she was, no more than anyone else on the bus. Shortly afterward, we arrived at Capernaum.
It was here that Jesus visited the home of Peter’s mother-in-law and healed her of her fever, whereupon she got up and served her guests. Ancient foundation stones of that house have been excavated, and a Roman Catholic church stands like a shallow bowl on pillars, suspended above the ruins. Just a few yards beyond this spot is the ruin of an ancient synagogue, where it is believed that Jesus read the scripture that prophesied his coming, to an astonished congregation.
Dozens of massive tour buses were parked everywhere, spewing out great crowds of pilgrims, dressed in ponchos or carrying umbrellas, who sloshed through the puddles to see the excavated section of the synagogue where the original stones were found. As rain pelted down on us, we listened to one group under the trees, singing a hymn in French to guitar music, while another listened to their guide speaking in an East Indian language, and still another chatted in Chinese as they passed by. It was wonderful to be part of such a throng, from the corners of the earth, gathered in one place to ponder its significant history.
Off we went for our rescheduled boat ride, on board a wooden replica of the types of fishing boats used by Peter and the sons of Zebedee. When we arrived near the middle of the lake, with the site of the Sermon on the Mount just ahead of us, Heather, our Craig Tour leader, read from her Bible the story of the great storm on the Sea of Galilee that Jesus rebuked, restoring calm to the waters and to the hearts of his terrified companions.
Before she began, the captain turned off the engine and we drifted, listening to Heather’s voice and then to the great silence that followed, as the sea rocked us gently and the wind blew softly and we all thought our own thoughts about the special place where we were.
Our next stop was the Church of the Primacy of Peter, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee at the spot where a resurrected Jesus offered breakfast to his disciples and asked Peter three times if he loved him, and to tend his sheep. Inside the church, the altar stands in front of a huge rock bulging up from the floor, and the air is scented and warmed by dancing flames from wax votive candles.
By this time, the gates of the church of loaves and fishes were soon to open, so we got there in time to be the first bus in line, and got in just a few minutes later. The small Benedictine church had a lovely courtyard with a gnarled olive tree at its centre, and inside we made our short visit to see the mosaic floor which, besides loaves and fishes, depicted whimsical birds and other patterns. Hordes of pilgrims and buses had come in behind us, so we made a quick getaway, heading for lunch.
Re-energized with lunch, we stepped out into better weather as shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds. Our bus took us to the Church of the Beatitudes, situated on the side of a hill where tradition says the Sermon on the Mount took place. When we were on the boat, our guide pointed out the hollow on the hillside that formed a natural amphitheatre for such an event, as well as the domed roof of the church we were now visiting.
The church is surrounded by beautiful gardens, but a fence prevents visitors from roaming on the actual hillside, which is uncultivated and covered with long yellow grass. A contingent of Polish worshipers, each dressed in a floor-length silky red cape emblazoned with a white cross and an iconic image of Christ, roamed the grounds, handing out small medals and cards printed with the same image and a lengthy Polish text on the back.
Crowds of other visitors filed slowly into the small octagonal building, where an altar stood in the centre and each of the eight beatitudes was displayed in Latin on the high arched walls above. It was moving to see hands folded in prayer, eyes closed in contemplation, and a reverent hush among so many people shuffling through.
The chaos in the parking lot broke the spell somewhat, as we marveled at our driver Rafik’s ability to swing past other huge buses with inches to spare, giving a horn blast when needed to warn wandering pilgrims or other buses nearby.
Soon we were on our way for the last leg of the day’s journey, a drive all the way around the Sea of Galilee and back to our kibbutz. Even those who had begun to doze off after our charged schedule jumped in surprise – as did both Gila and Rafik – at the sight of three adult camels and a baby camel, grazing by the side of the road! Gila joked that they had arranged the rendez-vous, but then admitted that it was a most unusual sight in these parts. An unusual ending to an unusual day.
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