From Bet She'an to Nazareth to Cana - The afternoon of January 27

Bet She’an to Nazareth was a short jaunt. Nazareth, the home of Joseph and Mary, is the town where Jesus grew up as a child. In Jesus’ day, Nazareth was a small agricultural village where it’s estimated 2000 people lived.

Since we were running late our schedule changed, so we didn’t visit the Church of the Annunciation, the site where a Byzantine church was built over the place where it is believed that the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary. In 1966 the Roman Catholic Church began constructing a new basilica over these remains and today this church is the largest church building in the Middle East.

Viewing the church from the bus, we headed to Nazareth Village, a Williamsburg historical site that pacts a lot of history into its setting. Based on solid New Testament scholarship and the most up-to-date archaeology, Nazareth Village brings to life a farm and Galilean village, recreating Nazareth as it was 2,000 years ago.

As we entered the village, almond trees were just beginning to bloom along the hillside. Shepherds were herding goats and a donkey was grazing on the hillside. Our village guide discussed how Jesus would have learned Joseph’s trade as a carpenter and then elaborated on how several of Jesus’ stories, lessons taught, used metaphors and images related to constructing a building.











While at Nazareth we heard the story of when Jesus’ birth was first foretold (Luke 1:26-38), how Jesus was rejected in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30), and Jesus’ call of Philip and Nathaniel (John 1:43-51. Hearing the stories told, not read, adds depth to the experience. The Word of God indeed becomes the living Word of God.

After visiting Nazareth we headed to Cana. Cana was the home of Nathaniel, who asked Philip: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:45). Cana is also where Jesus performed his first miracle – turning water into wine. The church we visited had Byzantine foundations, topped by Crusader ruins, and rebuilt by the Franciscans.





A first century stone wine jar was excavated and is believed to be the size of the one referred to in the story of the wedding at Cana as recorded in John 2:1-11(Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.) If you look carefully at the picture with the 6 jars behind the altar, you will notice how much smaller those jars are when compared to the one excavated.



As we moved into the courtyard under lemon trees, the story of the wedding at Cana was told. Then Dennis, one of our biblical storytellers, invited couples journeying together on this sacred journey to come forward and renew their wedding vows. He then asked all those who are married, but here without their spouse on the trip, to step forward and remember the words that were shared in years gone by. Finally, those whose spouse had died were invited forward. The group encircled them, and with raised arms waving like palms to shelter them, a prayer was offered. The ceremony was very moving.

Our final stop for the day was at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Tiberias, Israel, along the Sea of Galilee. Here, Internet access is expensive, but there is free wine and beer.