(Opened with a video of me singing “Amazing Grace” at St. Anne Cathedral in Jerusalem)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3adHtDj6tA4
What we’re going to do tonight is visit two cities in Israel – Jerusalem and Capernaum. What you just saw was my singing “Amazing Grace” at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Jerusalem. And we’ll talk more about that church in a few moments.
As I was preparing tonight’s lesson there was something that caught my attention. I noticed that Matthew Mark and Luke paid virtually no attention to Jerusalem for the first 2 years of Jesus’ ministry. It isn’t until the last week of His life before His crucifixion that Jerusalem gets any focus in their Gospels.
Most of what we know of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem during those first 2 years comes from the book of John… and even then there’s very little focus on things that Jesus DID. Most of what John focuses on are the things that Jesus taught.
It’s in the book of John that we read these statements Jesus made in Jerusalem:
I am the bread of life (John 6:35)
I am the light of the world (John 8:12)
Before Abraham was I am (John 8:58)
I am the gate for the sheep (John 10:7)
I am the good shepherd (John 10:11)
I and the Father are one (John 10:30)
I am God’s Son (John 10:36)
I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25)
The way the truth and the life (John 14:6)
I am the vine, you are the branches (John 15:5)
Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins (John 8:24)
And most of these statements are meant to goad the leadership in Jerusalem to oppose Him because of His overt claims. It’s kind of like what happens at a bull fight. The toreador will gore the bull with sharp sticks in order to madden the bull and make him angry enough to fight. From the very beginning of Jesus’ teaching in Jerusalem that’s His objective: to draw the religious leaders into opposition that will ultimately lead to the crucifixion 3 years later.
But there are at least 3 incidents that occur in Jerusalem during the first year of Jesus ministry: He meets with Nicodemus, He clears out the temple, and he heals the man at the pool of Bethsaida.
(Showed two artists’ renderings of what Jerusalem would have looked like in the days of Jesus)
http://ac21doj.org/contents/bibleStudy/theGospelAccordingToMark/images/Jerusalem.jpg
http://allwallpapersnew.com/wp-content/gallery/jesus-in-jerusalem-pictures/jerusalem2.jpg
These are artists’ renderings of how Jerusalem may have looked in the days of Jesus. In the first of these you see how the city was laid out (I pointed out some interesting highlights). In the 2nd you’ll notice that the Temple (the white building at top center) dominates the city and Jerusalem is teaming with life.
(Showed two graphic of the “Pool at Bethsaida”)
http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101-photos/pool-of-bethesda/bethesda-1.jpg
http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/bible-images-the-life-of-jesus-christ/miracles/pool-of-bethesda-949739-print.jpg
This first slide shows a scale model of the temple area in days of Jesus. The two pools of Bethsaida are highlighted with a pink roof line. The 2nd slide is a movie still that depicts the event in question.
(Showed a few slides of St. Anne’s Cathedral)
This first slide shows the Priest who oversaw the Cathedral at St. Anne’s. He was a very friendly and funny man. When our tour leader (having asked me to sing there) asked the priest if we could sing there, the priest replied “I don’t know… can you?” After I began to sing Amazing Grace, this priest graciously handed me a sheet of paper with the words written on it (apparently this is one of the songs visitors often sing there).
(Slides of the present day pool of Bethesda)
As you can see, the archeological dig is much deeper in the ground than the original pool would have been. Over the centuries layers of soil have covered the site and so the pool is much deeper into the ground than it would have been in Jesus’ day.
(Slides of stairs going down to Crusader age cistern and pictures of the cistern)
http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101-photos/pool-of-bethesda/arches-pool.JPG
http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101/51-bethesda-pool.html
Often I like to go “walk-about” - and when I saw this set of stairs leading down into the ground, I just couldn’t help myself. No one knew I’d gone down there… so if something had happened to me, I might still be down there to this day. Fortunately the destination of the stairs was innocent enough – a cistern dug in the days of the Crusaders to supply water in case there was a siege of the city.
Jesus visited this pool in His first year of ministry for a specific purpose. The mythology of the day was that when the water was “troubled”, the first person who stepped into the pool would be healed. Of course, that wasn’t true, but it was so strongly believed by people that the disabled would camp out at the pool in the hopes of being first to step in and be cured.
My suspicion is that this belief began with someone stepping into the pool in years past and believing that the troubled waters “healed” him. The story spread and those who yearned for miraculous cures flocked to the pools… but it didn’t seem to work as promised. Then someone told someone “I think it’s only the first person” who touches the water that’s healed.” And how could you prove otherwise?
Now Jesus comes to the pool and finds a man who’s been waiting for 38 years to be the first in the waters. And Jesus asks him an odd question: “Do you want to be healed?”
Why ask the question? I suspect it was because Jesus was making sure this man really wanted healed. There may have been others at the pool who had long since given up hope and only came day after day, week after week, year after year because it was “what they did” now. So Jesus asks “Do you want to be healed?”
When Jesus heals the man it serves as an instant proclamation that a true healer was in their midst. From this day on, people flocked to Capernaum from Jerusalem. And Jesus healed hundreds. But the healing was only a draw intended to gain the crowds’ attention to the “real” message Jesus had come to preach.
My point is this: Jerusalem did not play a significant role in Jesus’ ministry for the first 2 years. That role was reserved for Capernaum.
(We showed two artists’ renderings of Capernaum)
http://www.1journey.net/stdavids/SD/BookStudy/22/TheTimes/21-Capernum-Reconstruction-CourtyardHouse.jpg
https://gospeldevotions.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/photo-20-capernaum.png
The first slide shows an artist’s conception of what life must have been like in Capernaum in that day. Capernaum was a small fishing village in that day. Note how the artist shows fish drying on the roofs of a couple of the homes.
The 2nd slide gives an idea of how the docks may have looked in that day. Docks where fishermen could have kept their vessels tied up and safe.
Capernaum was small. Estimates hold that the population was somewhere between 1000 and 1600 residents. But it was also a prominent village.
(We showed a map of the “Via Maris”)
http://saffold.com/israel/myimages/galilee.jpg
This is a map of the “Via Maris” – or “Way of the Sea”. This was a major trade route of the day. Merchants would carry their wares from Egypt all the way up to Syria and beyond by use of this thoroughfare. Capernaum was a major stop on that road and it held a “custom house.” Do you know what a “custom house” was? It was the place where merchants would be forced to pay their taxes as they made their way to their destination.
One such tax collector would be someone we know from Scripture. Do you know who that might be? That’s right: Matthew. It was Capernaum that Jesus approached Matthew to follow Him and become His disciple.
(Slide showing the miracles Jesus performed in Capernaum)
Capernaum was Jesus’ base of operations for the majority of His ministry. Here’s a list of the miracles I found in just a short search:
• Cast an evil spirit from a man in the local synagogue on the Sabbath and the demon confessed “I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.” (Luke 4:34)
• The daughter of Jairus (the ruler of the synagogue) had died, but Jesus raised her from the dead.
• Simon’s mother-in-law instantly healed on the Sabbath of a serious fever and immediately helped serve Simon’s guests (Luke 4:38-39)
• All the sick of Capernaum came to Simon’s house and were healed by Jesus (Luke 4:40-41), as “all the city was gathered together at the door” (Mk 1:29-34)
• Demons cast out of many people, and the devils confessed that Christ is the Son of God (Luke 4:41)
• Paralyzed man let down through the roof and instantly fully healed (Mark 2:1-12)
• Jesus caused four of disciples to catch fish in a miraculous way (Luke 5:1-11)
• Through a fish, Jesus supplied tribute tax money needed by Peter (Matthew 17:24-27)
• Healing of the centurion’s servant afflicted with palsy (Matt. 8:5-13)
This last miracle is one we’re going to focus on in just a moment.
(Showed aerial views of the ruins of Capernaum)
http://www.biblewalks.com/Photos123/CapernaumAerialView.JPG
https://biblescienceguy.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/capernaumsynagogue.jpg
These are aerial views of the present day ruins of Capernaum. Notice the prominent building in the center there. That’s the remains of a 4th century synagogue that was built over the synagogue of Jesus’ day.
https://theosophical.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/capernaum-synogogue-basalt-stones21.jpg
Here’s a photo that reveals how the original flooring of that Jesus’ era synagogue must have appeared. The 4th century building was mostly limestone, but the synagogue of Jesus’ day would have been constructed of basalt rock.
The Jews were apparently too poor to build this worship are with their own money, so the Centurion in a nearby Roman encampment paid for its construction from his own monies. Shortly after Jesus began His healing ministry in Capernaum, this centurion approached Jesus and begged him to heal his servant who suffered from paralysis and pain.
Those standing nearby urged Jesus to honor this man’s request: "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." (Luke 7:4b-5)
When Jesus offered to go the man’s house to heal the servant, the Centurion refused saying that “I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it."
(Luke 7:7-8)
Jesus marveled at this man’s faith and declared He had never seen such faith in all of Israel.
(Artist’s conception of what the synagogue at Capernaum in Jesus’ day might have looked like)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jh1TaHFd9mo/U4kHudKxttI/AAAAAAAAU-E/F4apfBwrCqo/s1600/the+Synagogue+at+Capernaum.jpg
The purpose of the synagogue in that day was to be a place of prayer and Bible reading. You’ll notice how the audience sits on steps facing the speaker. To the side of the speaker would have been the urns holding the various scrolls of Scripture to be read. One commentator I read noted that the synagogue would have held the highest ground in the community and would have faced toward Jerusalem – where the “real” worship was done.
http://www.biblewalks.com/Photos3/capernaum2s.jpg (ruins of common house)
Surrounding the synagogue were ruins of homes. This particular set of ruins represent a “common house” or something akin to our present day apartment complexes. There was one entrance and various “bedrooms” and a common cooking center.
Just beyond these ruins you’ll notice a modern building dominating the scene. Does anyone know what that modern structure might be? It’s a church.
Do you remember my saying that, they build church buildings in Israel just about everywhere Jesus did or taught something they build a church building? This particular church is built over the home of what they believe belonged to the Apostle Peter.
(Two slides showing two different looks at the ruins of “Peter’s house”)
http://cdn.biblicalarchaeology.org/wp-content/uploads/house-of-peter-in-capernaum-416x329.jpg
http://www.netours.com/images/stories/galalee/capernaum-peters-house_1.jpg
This is what the archeological site looked like before the church was built over it. The reason many scholars are convinced that this is indeed Peter’s home is that the early Christian community in Israel believed that. Inscribed on the walls of this building are references to Peter, to Christ and Christian emblems such as crosses, a boat, and a referenced to the “Eucharist”.
http://progressivespirituality.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Simon-Peters-house-Capernaum.jpg (Church glass House)
This picture shows the focus of the modern church building built over Simon Peter’s home. This glass covering allows visitors to look down on the ruins without the danger of anyone disturbing the site.
(Slide showing the ministry of today’s Christian Holyland Foundation in Galilee)
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zhpCmNLIYj28.kFgLdHZhuTnY
As I noted earlier, as central as Jerusalem was to Israel, it didn’t get nearly the attention of Christ in His first 2 ½ years of ministry as Capernaum and the surrounding Galilean countryside did. The area of Galilee was looked on with disdain by many in the Jewish religious community as being a backwater and unimportant to God. But Jesus worked there almost exclusively.
Christian Holyland Foundation (CHLF) is attempting to follow Jesus’ pattern in ministry. You’ll notice the yellow and green highlighted areas in the Galilee area – these are churches and Bible Studies that are their present focus. The yellow spots indicate either established churches or the homes of present ministry teams and the green spots indicate Bible studies.
(Slide showing the teams in Galilee)
http://www.chlf.org/#/about-the-team/4571831458
This page shows pictures of the 6 married couples who minister in Galilee. Initially CHLF employed only one preacher in that region… but he passed away and left them with no one who knew the people of the land to take over. At about that same time, these couples pictured here had been abandoned by a Baptist church denomination who felt they should spend their money as a denomination someplace else. CHLF spoke extensively with these ministers and found that they agreed with much of our Restoration principles (Churches of Christ/Christian Churches). The problem was, CHLF only had the funds to finance one family.
John Samples (one of CHLF’s leaders) was sent to Israel to interview each of the couples to decide which of the couples they could underwrite… but when he arrived he found that the first arranged meeting was attended by all the families. John was uncomfortable with this because he feared a competitive atmosphere that would undermine any future efforts for Christ. Instead the couples put him immediately at ease, explaining that they had no intention of competing for the support of CHLF. Instead they assured John that whoever the organization chose to support, the other couples were prepared to support and encourage with all their abilities and effort.
John was so surprised by their generous and gracious attitude that when he returned home he pushed the organization to support all the couples as much as possible.
(Closed with slides showing the building and worship one of these churches has at Cana)
