Why the Sea of Galilee?

The Jordan River empties into the Sea of Galilee, dividing the creeds of its peoples. On the west Capernaum began the Jewish territory, ruled by Herod Antipas. On its eastern flank Bethsaida started off the Diaspora, meaning all Jews living in the pagan lands outside of the Land of Israel, ruled by Antipas’ half-brother Philip.

Access by land from one side to the other wasn’t convenient – in those days, bridges weren’t quite so easy to build, and people from pagan lands may have been hesitant to enter Jewish territory. The best route was by boat, which Jesus and the disciples often took advantage of.

(‘Sailing to the Diaspora is temporarily in both this and Jesus footsteps.) By preaching in Bethsaida, on the eastern side of the Jordan River’s mouth, Jesus drew from pagan areas including the Decapolis, the tribes of the eastern desert and lands further north. Preaching in Capernaum reached the Jewish population, and people came from the southern desert, the northern mountains and the gentler hills of central and coastal Israel/Samaria to be healed of their ailments and hear this man speak.

Jesus also crossed the Sea of Galilee’s religious divide easily when he exorcised the possessed man in the tombs of the Gadarenes/Gerasenes, and sent two thousand demon-filled swine into the depths of the Galilee. This man, you might recall, wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus told him to go and tell how much Jesus had changed him. What’s unstated is that for him ‘to go and tell,’ meant to spread the Word of God to the Gentiles - pagans.

A quarter of the twelve disciples, though raised Jewish in at least Peter and Andrew’s case and quite possibly Philip’s, called this Gentile place named Bethsaida home. Jesus stated that more miracles had been done in Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida than anywhere else, making a third of his top-priority towns part of the Diaspora. These two factors make a strong statement regarding his, and God’s, desire to call all peoples into the arms of His heavenly Father.

The ability to reach both pagan and Jewish lands may have been part of why Jesus chose the Sea of Galilee for his ministry. In addition, people living in lands closer to other religions and races are often more tolerant than those living in isolated areas.

Mark 3:8-9:
When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.

Judea and Jerusalem were both part of Israel. Idumea was not. Northern TransJordan was pagan; central Transjordan was Jewish to an arguable degree, southern TransJordan was pagan, Tyre was pagan and Sidon was pagan. All this in addition to Galilee, where Jesus preached. (Keep in mind that many or all of them presumably had Jewish populations as well, and vice versa.)

A Bit of Prophesy
Isaiah 9:1-2:
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan - The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were in Galilee, which was largely pagan in Isaiah’s time. “By the way of the sea [of Galilee], along the Jordan [River] – The people [i.e., pagans] walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death [i.e., Galileans surrounded by pagan nations] a light has dawned.”

Galilee, I should point out, appears to have been quite Jewish in Jesus’ time; however, it was a great location from which to spread the word to the surrounding pagan areas.

Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, where the brothers found the boat and where it is displayed. The rocks in the lower left are part of the pier I'm standing on, which may have been here since Jesus' time. (Many of the harbors on the Galilee date from that time.) Piled rocks such as these formed many of the harbors Jesus sailed in and out of, including those in his hometown of Capernaum.

So What?
Since paganism isn't too rampant in modern America, I relate it to all of the people that don't really care much about God. And God cares so much about them. They reject him and reject him and reject him, yet still He shows them His majesty every day. Our sin doesn't blind us to the beauty of this world He created; He shows us Himself, His glory, His creation no matter how much we reject Him.

I mean, think of it! How many times Jesus preached to Capernaum, that he made his home there and taught and healed again and again, even though they rejected him?

I wonder what my world would look like if I had that much love inside of me? What if the people that have screwed me over the most, I just turned around and gave and gave and gave to, no matter what they did?

I don't know, because I can't do it. I'm not even close. But it sure inspires humility. Who am I, that I should be so lucky to walk on holy shores, shores the Son of God tread?

More Information
For more information on the fish in the Galilee, see my entry on the The Temple Tax Fish, which held a coin in its mouth for Peter to pay the annual half-shekel Temple tax for him and Jesus. (I'd love to have a photo of the expression on the tax collectors face!) For more information on the piers and harbors this boat would have used, see my entry on the post-Resurrection breakfast.