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MOUNT OF OLIVES

On the night of our Lord's betrayal He left the city of Jerusalem,
probably passing through the Golden Gate, and crossed the Kidron
Valley and entered the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36; John
18:1). It was here that His sweat became as great drops of blood,
and where Judas Iscariot betrayed Him with a kiss.

The Garden of Gethsemane is located on the Mount of Olives. The
word Gethsemane means "olive press." In this quiet garden today
you will find twelve enormous olive trees still capable of bearing
fruit. The roots of these trees date back to the time of Christ.

Within the garden today is the Church of All Nations, which was
designed by architect Antonio Barluzzi, and dedicated in 1924.

For more than 2,000 years Jews have been buried on the Mount of
Olives to await the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom. It is sad
to think that when the Messiah was here in the first century, "He
came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11).

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WAILING WALL IN JERUSALEM

People from all over the world come to pray at the Wailing Wall in the city of
Jerusalem. This wall was not a part of the Second Temple itself but rather it was
the retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Throughout the generations Jews have come
to this wall to shed tears and grieve for the Temple that was destroyed in 70 A.D.
by the Romans. Cracks in the wall are often stuffed with written prayers. The
Wailing Wall is also known as the Western Wall.

THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE IN JERUSALEM

The photograph above is of the Golden Gate in the walls of the city of Jerusalem. The photo was
taken from the Garden of Gethsemane. Between the Garden and the Gate lies the Kidron Valley.

On the night of His betrayal our Lord left the city of Jerusalem and crossed through the Kidron
Valley and into the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36; John 18:1).

It is probable that when Jesus entered Jerusalem on "Palm Sunday" that He went through this
gate (Matt. 21:1-11). The Golden Gate or "Gate of Mercy" was sealed many years ago by the
Turks.

It is believed in Jewish tradition that the Messiah will come from the East, pass the Mount of
Olives and continue through the Kidron Valley before arriving at the Temple Mount. They
believe the dead will rise on that day and escort Him into the city. Jews from around the world
often request to be buried near Jerusalem -- they believe they will be among the first to greet
the Messiah.

Christians realize the Messiah has already come, and at the resurrection "all who are in the
graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of
life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation..." (John 5:28-29).

LILIES OF THE FIELD IN ISRAEL

In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord told His disciples to "Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these" (Matt. 6:28-29). The "lilies of the field" are not the flower
we call a "lily" in this country, for they are not found in Palestine. The "lilies of the field" are
the scarlet poppies which bloom from a bulb after the spring rains.

Lilies bloom for only one day and carpet the plains and hills of Palestine with colorful
blossoms. In their brief life they are clothed with a beauty which surpasses the beauty of the
robes of kings. Yet, with all the glory of the lily, when they died they were used for nothing
better than for burning in order to raise the temperature of a clay oven (Matt. 6:30).

If God gives such beauty to a short-lived flower, how much more will He care for man, the
crown of His creation?

The City of Nazareth, Israel

Our Lord grew up in the insignificant village of Nazareth, located in the Galilean hills. After our
Saviour's birth, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt, and remained there until "those who sought the young
Child's life" were dead (Matt. 2:20).

When Joseph "heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee" (Matt.
2:22). Matthew tells us that Jesus "came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophets, 'He shall be called a Nazarene'" (Matt. 2:23).

Today, Nazareth is a town of 80,000 people, composed of both "Christians" and Arabs. The skyline of the
city is dominated by the Franciscan Basilica of the Annunciation.

Jericho, the City of Palm Trees

Jericho is the oldest fortified city in the world. From the lofty heights of Mount Nebo,
Moses had a marvelous view of this ancient city. "Then Moses went up from the plains of
Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord
showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and
Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the South, and the plain of the
Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar." (Deut. 34:1-3).

Jericho was also the home town of Rahab the harlot (Joshua 2:1). Rahab is later listed in
the genealogies of both King David of Israel and of our Lord (Matt. 1:5). The Hebrew
writer tells us how that "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled
for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe,
when she had received the spies with peace." (Heb. 11:30-31).

Our Lord's teaching concerning the Good Samaritan tells us about the man who "went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves" (Luke 10:30).

Sepphoris In Galilee
by David Padfield

Sepphoris, also known as Zipporis, is the traditional birthplace of Mary and is located in
the center of Galilee. The area is surrounded with olive groves, pomegranates, grape
vines, and fig trees -- items often mentioned on the pages of the Bible.

"The village is identified with the Second Temple-period Cana of John 2. Here Jesus
reluctantly performed His first miracle of turning water to wine at a wedding feast, and
thus emerged from His 'hidden years' to begin His three-year ministry in the Galilee."
(Fodor's Israel, p. 260).

Though our Lord's hometown, Nazareth, is located just four miles to the south,
Sepphoris is never mentioned in the New Testament.

A theater which seated around 4500 people (see photo above) has been dated to the first
century. In the second century Sepphoris became a center of rabbinic learning, and it
was here that Rabbi Judah the Prince codified the Mishnah.

Sepphoris In Galilee

Capernaum, The City Of Jesus
by David Padfield

The city of Capernaum was built on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee,
about two miles west of the Jordan River. Though this ancient town is not
mentioned by name in the Old Testament, it is referred to as our Lord's "own
city" (Matt. 9:1), for it became the center of His Galilean work and ministry.

Early in his account of the gospel, Matthew points out that Jesus began His
Galilean ministry here in order to fulfill Old Testament prophecy. "And leaving
Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the
regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: the people who
sat in darkness saw a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and
shadow of death light has dawned.'" (Matt. 4:13-16).

Prior to His ascension back into heaven, Jesus gave the Great Commission
after "eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus
had appointed for them" (Matt. 28:16).

Five men from Capernaum (Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew) were
called by the Lord to be His apostles. Jesus had often stayed in Peter's house
in Capernaum and preached in the synagogue there which had been built by a
Roman centurion (Luke 7:5).

The city was important enough to have a tax office, over which Matthew had
presided (Matt. 9:9). A detachment of Roman soldiers was stationed in the
town.

The Way Of The Sea
The greatest roads of the ancient world passed through Galilee. The Via Maris
led from Damascus through Galilee down to Egypt. The Road to the East led
through Galilee away out to the frontiers. Jesus could not have picked a
better city in all of Israel to symbolize the worldwide implications of His
redeeming gospel. One writer said, "Judaea is on the way to nowhere: Galilee
is on the way to everywhere."

"Observing how the Jewish leadership and Herod treated John the Baptist,
Jesus strategically launched His own ministry in Galilee of the Gentiles, at
Capernaum, which was 'by the sea' (Matt. 4:12-16; cf. Isa. 9:1-2). It was not
without reason that the Lord had indicated to Abraham that he must settle on
this narrow strip of land that joined three continents. For thousands of years
travelers from Africa to Europe, from Asia to Africa passed along the via
maris, the 'way of the sea.' Right by the locale of Capernaum they passed,
and they continued to pass by throughout the days of Jesus. By inaugurating
His public ministry in Galilee of the Gentiles along the major international
trade route, Jesus was making a statement. This land would serve as a
springboard to all nations. The kingdom of God encompassed a realm that
extended well beyond the borders of ancient Israel. As Paul so pointedly
indicates, Abraham's promise from a new covenant perspective meant that he
would be heir of the cosmos (Rom. 4:13). All nations, lands, and peoples
would experience the blessings of this benevolent rule." (O. Palmer
Robertson, Understanding the Land of the Bible, p. 11).

Our Lord's Ministry
After calling James and John to follow Him, Jesus "went into Capernaum, and
immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught" (Mark
1:21). Those in the synagogue "were astonished at His teaching, for He taught
them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22).

Jesus also demonstrated His power to heal, for "in the synagogue there was a
man who had a spirit of an unclean demon." Jesus rebuked the demon and he
came out of the man "and did not hurt him." Witnesses of the miracle "were
all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, 'What a word this is! For
with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come
out.'" (Luke 4:31-36). As a result of this miracle a "report about Him went out
into every place in the surrounding region" (Luke 4:37).

After this miracle Jesus entered Simon's house and found "Simon's wife's
mother was sick with a high fever." Our Lord "stood over her and rebuked the
fever, and it left her" (Luke 4:38-39).

Jesus performed other miracles while preaching in Capernaum, including the
healing of "a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him" and "a certain
nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum" (Luke 7:1-10; John 4:46-53). It
was on the beautiful Sea of Galilee "toward Capernaum" that Jesus walked on
water (John 6:16-21).

It was at Capernaum that Jesus paid the temple tax by having Peter "go to the
sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have
opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them
for Me and you." (Matt. 17:27).

Woe To You
Though Capernaum had been privileged to serve as the center of our Lord's
earthly ministry it was still doomed to destruction. After the great revelation
to the disciples at the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36), Jesus
"appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into
every city and place where He Himself was about to go" (Luke 10:1).

Jesus pronounced doom upon the inhabitants of the cities who rejected His
message. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty
works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented a great while ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be
more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you,
Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be thrust down to Hades." (Luke
10:13-15).

"Capernaum was the center of Jesus' ministry and had witnessed more of his
mighty works than any other town. Although He was joyfully received by the
common people, the Pharisees and scribes consistently rejected him and his
message. These three neighboring towns were the hub of the circle in which
Jesus worked in Galilee. Not only had they definitely rejected him, but they
were also representative of the nearly total rejection by the Jewish religious
leaders in Galilee." (Ray Summers, Commentary On Luke, pp. 131-132).

Capernaum was under the judgment of God and destined for destruction and
degradation.

Capernaum Today
In Capernaum today you can find the beautiful remains of an ancient
synagogue. "The synagogue at Capernaum is not the one where Jesus
preached, but is likely to lave been built on the same site. There is now
considerable controversy over the dating of the reconstructed synagogue.
Since its discovery it has been accepted as being late 2nd or early 3rd
century, but the more recent discovery of coins from A.D. 383-408 embedded
in the mortar suggests that the building was actually erected in the late 4th
or early 5th century." (Jenny Roberts, Bible Then and Now, p. 129).

Among the excavations at Capernaum you will find a house which some claim
originally belonged to Simon Peter. "The house of St. Peter, often mentioned
by the Synoptic Gospels in relation to the activity of Jesus in Capernaum, and
recorded later on by pilgrims, was rediscovered in 1968 under the foundations
of the octagonal church some 30 meters south of the synagogue. The history
of that house where Jesus lived, can be summarized as follows: (1) the house
was built in the Late Hellenistic period; (2) in the late first century A.D. it
was changed into a 'domus-ecclesia', i. e. became a house for religious
gatherings; (3) in the fourth century A.D. the same 'domus-ecclesia' was
enlarged and was set apart from the rest of the town through an imposing
enclosure wall; (4) in the second half of the fifth century A.D. an octagonal
church was built upon the house of St. Peter and remained in use until the
seventh century a.d.; (5) the identification of the house of St. Peter is based
on the combination of archaeological data and literary sources which run side
by side in a wonderful way." (Stanislao Loffreda, Recovering Capernaum, p.
51).

Just north of the synagogue is a Roman milestone from the time of Hadrian
which was discovered in 1975. Other items of interest at Capernaum include
an oil press, a flour mill and a wine press.