Israel Day Three

[Well, for some reason I can't upload any pics, so I will do that when I get a chance...]

We got into Tiberias last night, which is on the Sea of Galilee, and woke up to this view:

After a breakfast buffet once again, we headed north around the Sea of Galilee to a place where we got into Jeeps for an off-road ride up into the Golan Heights, which overlooks the Huleh Valley. The weather has been perfect so far and the area is just beautiful. Everything right now is so green and lush and the temperature is in the 70s and 80s.

[jeep pic]

The Golan Heights area is where the 1967 Six-Day-War took place between Syria and Israel. It was interesting learning the political history of the area from the people who actually lived through it, and it turns out that it was over water. Our Jeep driver was 23 years old and had already served in the Iraqi army at 18. These people are tired of war…

[mines sign pic]

From there we went to the area of Caesarea Phillippi:

[cave pic]

This was a very pagan area with many shrines and temples built to other gods, and it was here that Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” It was here that Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The Living God – Jesus is the son of the God who is alive and interactive with his creation! He comes in the flesh and walks into pagan cultures and says, “Upon this rock (see the picture!), I will build my church.” Jesus’ word is so strong that it has no fear of the pagan culture around it. We know who will triumph in the end! The question is not will we worship, but whom will we worship?

From there we went to a tourist attraction where they had dug up a 2000 year old boat from the Sea of Galilee. It was pretty impressive the way they restored it and it is kind of fanciful to think that Jesus may have ridden in it. (But of course, there is no way to verify that…)

Finally – I had laffa for lunch today: crepe-like bread, goat cheese, and olive oil. Here is a pic: