The Sea of Galilee Boat or The Jesus Boat was an ancient fishing boat from the 1st century, the time of Jesus, which was discovered in 1986 on the north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The remains of the boat, which are 27 feet (8.27 meters) long and 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) wide and with a maximum preserved height of 4.3 feet (1.3 meters), first appeared during a drought, when the waters of the Sea, actually a great fresh-water lake, receded.
The remains of the boat were found by two fishermen brothers, Moshe and Yuval Lufan, from Kibbutz Ginnosar. The brothers were amateur archaeologists with an interest in discovering artifacts from Israel's past. It had always been their hope to one day discover a boat in the Sea of Galilee, where they and generations of their family had fished. When the drought reduced the water-level of the lake the two brothers examined the newly exposed beach and stumbled across the remains of the boat buried in the shore.
The brothers reported their discovery to the authorities who sent out a team of archaeologists to investigate. Realizing that the remains of the boat were of tremendous historical importance to Jews and Christians alike, the secret archaeological dig that followed was undertaken by members of the Kibbutz Ginosar, the Israel Antiquities Authority, and numerous volunteers. Rumor spread that the boat was full of gold, so the site of the dig had to be guarded night and day.
Excavating the boat from the mud without damaging it, and quickly enough to extract it before the water rose again, was a difficult process which lasted 12 days and nights. The boat was then submerged in a chemical bath for 7 years before it could be displayed in the Yigal Allon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar. (Summary taken from wikipedia)
As we walked to the boat dock for a ride on the Sea of Galilee, there was a sense of excitement. While on board our story tellers told stories from Mark 4:25-31 -- Jesus Calms a Storm: Luke 5:1-11 -- Jesus Calls the first Disciples; and Matthew 14:22-33 -- Jesus walks on Water.
As we set sail, my mind quickly shifted to the class so many of you participated in: John Ortburg's book: If you Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. As I mentioned earlier, the first night we stayed in Tiberias, along the Sea of Galilee, the winds were strong and the waves on the water were evident, even from a distance. we also learned that this storm arose suddenly and that another group did not get to go on the choppy waters for their boat ride.
We were no more settled on the boat when the American flag was raised and we broke out in song. While a moment to be cherished, it seemed so out of place. I wonder if the raising of a national flag is done with groups from other countries.
Christian contemporary songs were then played and in time we floated ever so quietly in the Sea of Galilee. Looking to the shoreline, a point of interest was the Valley of the Doves, the main road Jesus would have taken to this area from Nazareth.
Today we walked where Jesus walked. Today we set sail where Jesus was. It was breathtakingly awesome. A sense of sereneness; a sense of being in time and in place with the Lord.
That had to be the best boat ride EVER!
ReplyDelete- James & Monica