Today was my favorite day so far of our Galilee field study. We started off with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was cloudy and rainy, which helped me appreciate the story of Jesus calming the storm.
From there we traveled to Gargesa, where Jesus sent the demons into the pigs (Mk. 5:1-20).
Here we paused to reflect on the nature of discipleship according to Mark 3:13-21: “And he called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him” (13). The first requirement for being a disciple is: Jesus wants me. “And he appointed twelve…so that they might be with him” (14). The second criteria for being a disciple is simply that you be with Jesus. It’s so simple, yet I still need to be reminded of it. I am a disciple of Jesus because he wants me to be with him. How easy it is for me to add on all kinds of other requirements and lose sight of the simplicity of grace. “…and he might send them out to preach” (14). Ministry comes after we realize first and foremost that Jesus has chosen us and that we are to be with him, in relationship. Later as we went to Capernaum, I also reflected on who the disciples were (Mark goes on to list them in verses 16-19). Capernaum was a New Testament fishing center as well as a garrison for Roman soldiers and a border-crossing point. Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Fishermen were the bridge between the Gentiles in the Decapolis (on the eastern side of the lake) and the Jews in Galilee (on the western side of the lake). They were the carriers of international news and ideas, and were well-acquainted with the different cultures around the lake. It was from Capernaum—an open, international cultural center—that Jesus first launched the gospel. He recognized its open potential for ministry and its strategic importance. Furthermore, it was a place where his kosher Jewish disciples were confronted face-to-face with the world around the sea—a world that they would later meet on a much larger scale when they launch the gospel to the Gentiles from Caesarea. The Sea of Galilee was their training ground for reaching the nations.
Another site that really helped me better understand the cultural background of the Bible was Qasrin, an fully-excavated and beautifully-restored Talmudic village. As we sat inside the type of house Jesus would have lived and ministered in, I began to understand some very well-known Bible stories in a whole new way.
However, the most meaningful thing I thought about was the use of wedding imagery in the Bible. In Bible times, four to five generations of a family lived together in a house. When a son got married, the father built on another 2x3 meter room for his son and his bride to live in. The wedding began with the son going through the village to get his new wife and making a joyous procession back to his father’s house. Once inside, the whole family celebrated with a big banquet in the common room, and later the couple enjoyed their honeymoon in the recently-built addition. Knowing this, Jesus’ words in John 14:2-3 make so much sense:
In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come gain and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
Immediately the disciples would have pictured a wedding celebration, where the husband goes to get his wife and brings her into his father’s house. This biblical image is found throughout the New Testament, and in Revelation, the history of redemption concludes with the same idea: “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready…” (19:7). The Church is the Bride of Christ. Jesus pursues us, brings us into His family, and is preparing a room for us in heaven. Amazing.
We ended the day with a stop at the Jordan River, and a beautiful hike down the cliffs at Arbel (some places were so steep we had to hang onto a rope to avoid falling!) As I enjoyed the view from the cliff, I felt amazed that Jesus has chosen me to be his disciple, and that I get to be in relationship with Him. I’m amazed by how he has chosen me to be part of the Church he pursues as his Bride. And I’m looking forward to heaven, where I will have a small, specially-prepared room in my Father’s house.
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