A Boat Ride On The Sea of Galilee

A Boat Ride on the Sea of Galilee

Let's go for a boat ride on the lowest freshwater lake in the world, the Sea of Galilee. Our second day in Israel began with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We got on the boat at the city of Tiberias, which is on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, and we sailed north to Gennesar.

Once we were underway, we had another lesson from Dean Hahn. But before we get to the lesson, let me give you a few facts and figures about the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is 685 feet below sea level.

This makes it the second lowest body of water in the world, and it's the lowest freshwater lake on earth. The lake is 13 miles long north to south, and it's 8 miles wide at its northern end. It's about 100 to 150 feet deep, and it's 33 miles in circumference.

It goes by several different names in the Bible. It's called the Sea of Kinneret, the Lake of Gennesaret, the Sea of Tiberias, and the Sea of Galilee. Now, it's a landmark that's well known to any reader of the New Testament.

Jesus and his disciples spent a lot of time around this lake. This is the lake where Jesus calmed the storm, where Jesus and Peter walked on the water, and it's also the lake where the herd of swine drowned after running down a hillside after the demons, which Jesus had cast out of a man, entered into them.

Stick around after the lesson, and I'll show you some more pictures and video about the lake and some of the areas around it. But for now, let's go ahead and get on the boat and hear another lesson from Dean.

Orientation to the Sea of Galilee and the Route from Nazareth to Capernaum

Well, isn't this absolutely stunning? I always use, you see this jagged mountain here, as Shraga said, that's the Arbel Pass, the Arbel Mountain, the Valley of the Doves comes through there. When Jesus was in Nazareth, and he came to Capernaum, he would have come through that pass and kept following the shoreline about six miles, and he would have made it to Capernaum.

So I always use Mount Arbel to orient myself. By the way, do you know why the Orient is called the Orient? It's because it is in the east where the sun comes up, and people would use the east to orient themselves.

So I always use the Arbel Mountain and the Valley of the Doves, that pass that goes through there, that breaks out into the Valley of Gennesaret, I use that to kind of be my orientation on the Sea of Galilee.

And again, over here toward, here's Tiberias over here, and so this is the western side of the Sea of Galilee, going all the way up to Capernaum. That would have been the Jewish side, and then over here where we are staying in our hotel, would have been the eastern side, which is the Gentile side.

The ten cities of the Capulets, so remember that, just a little quick orientation. The prophet always stood when he preached, but a rabbi would always sit when he taught. So I'm going to sit today, and if you want to join with me in the Word, we're going to look at Mark chapter 4, verses 35 through 41, of the 33 recorded miracles of Jesus that happened at and around the Sea of Galilee, ten of them took place right next to this shore or on this water.

Two of them we know of. One was in the story of Jesus walking on this very water, and when we get to Capernaum, I want to relate that to Capernaum, because right after that miracle, John says that they sailed into the port or the harbor at Capernaum.

So I want to save that particular story, but I want to turn your attention to the other story that took place here, and that is the great windstorm that arose. And I call this message today, three questions in the midst of the storm.

I don't know everybody that's on board in terms of what's going on in your life, but the chances are really good that somebody on board this boat today is going through a storm back home. Maybe a family storm, it may be financial, it may be with your job, some kind of uncertainty, it may be a health issue, and I just want you to see this in relationship.

Now this is an incredibly peaceful day, and I did not have the experience that Shraga had with six to eight foot waves, but I do remember about six or seven years ago bringing a group over here, and it started out just like this, and by the time our boat ride was over, we were going this way, because the wind picked up and it gave us just a little bit of a glimpse of what's happening in this story.

So look with me, if you will, at Mark chapter 4, beginning with verse 35. Again, the setting is the Sea of Galilee. I would mention this, there were nine cities around this sea that were inhabited during Jesus' day.

Only one of them is still inhabited today, and that's Tiberias. We don't know if Jesus went to Tiberias. It's built near a cemetery. We don't know if he actually went to Tiberias, but the Bible does say that he preached in all the synagogues around the Sea of Galilee, as well as all throughout Galilee, and so we do have that reference in Scripture.

But let's talk about this. I want you to begin at verse 35, and I just want to kind of walk through this verse-by-verse, and if you're in the study notes, let's see, it is page 54 and 55, if you want to follow along with the study notes today.

So look with me, if you will, at verse 35, and I think this is going to take on a new perspective for you now that you have been here. On the same day when evening had come, he said to them, to his disciples, let us do what?

Let us cross over to the other side. Now what side had they been on? They had been on the western side near Capernaum, which was the Jewish side. Which side were they then going to cross over to? The eastern side, remember not far from our hotel.

Remember we passed by what's called today Cursi, but also it's the only place on the sea of Galilee where there's actually a cliff that back in that day would actually run down into the water. We'll talk about that in a second, but why did Jesus say let's cross over to the other.

Side?

Let me suggest to you three reasons, and I think you can get these in your notes today. First of all, let's cross over to the other side because I need a little divine rest. What had Jesus been doing all day?

Look at chapter four, verse one. He began to teach them, and he literally taught all day long. I think the human part of Jesus, he needed some rest. I know we have three services on Sunday morning, and one service on Sunday night, and a lot of sometimes meetings in between, and my wife can attest the fact that on Sunday nights around eight o 'clock, I'm like a dish rag.

She doesn't have to put me to bed yet, but it's really close. It's really close. It is exhausting and tiring. It's a joy, but it's still exhausting, so I think Jesus said we need to cross over to the other side because guys, I need a little rest.

Here's another reason, though. Waiting on the other side was a divine appointment. Who were they going to meet on the other side of the lake? Legion, the man of Gadara, the man that we talked about this morning when we passed by the cliff, the man that was filled with multiples of demons, the man that was so wild that he lived among the tombs.

He would cut himself. He was causing all kinds of havoc. He was totally uncontrollable. He had been forced out of the village or city of Gadara, forced to live in the cemetery, the graveyard. Let's cross over to the other side because not only do I need a little divine rest, I have a divine appointment waiting on us.

Isn't it great that Jesus cared enough about this man to cross over to the other side and let this man have a life for the first time in his life? But I think there's a third reason why he said let's cross over to the other side.

He was about to teach his disciples a divine lesson, a divine lesson. I want to teach you that you must trust me even in the midst of the storms of life. So did you get those three reasons? Why do we cross over to the other side?

Well first of all, I need a little divine rest. Second of all, there's a divine appointment waiting on us on the eastern side of the shores of Galilee in the Gentile side. There's a man that needs to be delivered and released from his bondage.

But what's the third reason? A divine lesson. I'm going to teach you to trust in me. Now look at verse 36. Now when they had left the multitude, they took him along in the boat as he was. How many of you know what it means to be worn slap out?

Not just worn out, some of you say, yeah, last night I was worn slap out. They took him in the boat as he was. Now notice this little phrase, and other boats were also with him. Don't ever forget that as you are going through the storm, there are other boats that are going right along with you.

There are others that are going through the storm just as you are. Verse 37, a great windstorm arose. I think this was a super storm like Shraga was talking about today. These men, some of these men who were his disciples were experienced fishermen.

They lived on this lake. They fished at night on this lake. But this was no ordinary storm. This was like a super storm on the Sea of Galilee. A great windstorm arose and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling.

What can we say about this storm? Let me just give you three things, and some of you preachers and teachers maybe can take this and talk about this storm, the storms of life. First of all, it was unexpected.

They certainly did not think that this was going to happen. We've crossed this lake dozens and dozens of times. We're going to cross over to the other side. It was totally unexpected. But notice it was also unrelenting.

Some of us are going through a storm that just, it doesn't seem to stop. There's a man and wife in our church right now whose son is addicted to drugs. And for the last 11 years, it has been a living hell for them.

I mean, absolutely. They tell me stories all the time and I just can't even imagine what they are going through. The storm in their life just seems like it will never stop. It is totally unrelenting, totally unexpected for them.

And it was also unsettling. It was unsettling. And where was Jesus? Church, look at it at the end of verse 38. Where was Jesus when this windstorm arose? He was sleeping. Why was He sleeping? He was war slap out.

He was tired. And so He was in the back of the boat and He was sound asleep. Now look at the three questions in the midst of the storm. And I submit to you that all of us have probably asked these questions before when we go through the storms of life.

Look at the first question that's found at the last of verse 38. Rabbi, do you not care? Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? You ever ask the Lord that? Lord, don't you care what I'm going through?

Are you like asleep in my life? Where are you, Lord? I mean, don't you understand the pressure that I'm under? Don't you understand the stress? Don't you understand this storm that I'm going through? Lord, where are you?

There's question number one in the midst of the storm. I'm going to be honest with you. There are times that I have gone through storms and when I'm going through them at the time, I'm saying, Lord, I do not understand this.

Where are you? When are you going to deliver me from this? So there's question number one in the midst of the storm. Rabbi, do you not care that we're perishing? Here's question number two. Look at verses 39 and 40.

Then He arose. Teacher, don't you care that we're perishing? He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Can you imagine that? But He said unto them.

Here's question number two in the midst of the storm. Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? You know what I've discovered? Fear paralyzes us. I like to define fear as false evidence appearing real.

It paralyzes us. But trust helps us to go on in the midst of the storm. Question number one. Lord, do you not care that we're about to perish? Why are you afraid? Why don't you trust in me? Why don't you believe in me?

And then look at question number three in the midst of the storm. Look at verse 41. And they feared exceedingly and said to one another, Who can this be that even the wind and the sea obey Him? We know who He was.

He was Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. I'm saying to somebody here on this boat today, whatever storm that you're faced with, the Lord is going to see you through. And you can trust in Him. Does He care that you're going through the storm?

Certainly He does. And only He can calm that sea. Maybe He's just going to calm your heart. Maybe He's just going to bring the peace that passes all understanding to your heart, to your soul. What does this help us to conclude?

This is no ordinary man. This is my Savior in whom I'm trusting. I'm putting my whole life in His hands. I want you to also understand that by this whole miracle, it fulfilled prophecy. I've asked David if he would read.

He brought, by the way, the Tree of Life version, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew text. He brought that. I want you to hear Psalm 89 verse 9. Listen what Psalm 89 verse 9 says. And I believe it was fulfilled by Jesus right here on this sea.

Adonai Elohe, etzalot, who is like you, mighty Adonai. With your faithfulness all around you.

Keep reading.

You rule over the swelling of the sea. Its waves mount up, you still them. Crushed, rehabbed like a sling. All right, that's enough. It's a fulfillment of that verse out of Psalms. You are the one that rules the mighty sea.

You are the one that has control of everything, even the forces of nature. Can we trust Him, church? We can trust Him in the midst of the storm. Lord, do you not care that we're about to perish? And then He says to us, why are you so fearful?

Why don't you just trust in Me? And He calms the storm, and we conclude, you, sir, are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Amen?

Amen.

I pray that for somebody's life here on this trip. I don't know who you are, but I know that the Lord has put that word on my heart to share that with you, so that you might know His peace that passes all understanding.

The Jesus Boat at Ginosar

We got off the boat at a little place called Genosar, which is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Genosar is the home of the ancient Galilee boat that's better known as the Jesus boat. It's a fishing boat from the time of Jesus, and it was discovered in 1986.

There was a severe drought, and the water level of the Sea of Galilee had receded a great deal, and some folks found this ancient boat sunk in the mud. It was excavated and was brought in one piece to a place where it could be conserved, and it's now on display in Genosar.

There is no doubt about the dating of this boat. It is from the time period of Jesus, and we don't know who this boat belonged to, but there is a distinct possibility that this boat is one that Jesus Himself saw with His own eyes.

Mount Arbel, the Valley of the Doves, and the Jesus Trail

At the beginning of Dean's lesson, he pointed out Mount Arbel. It is a really good landmark, as Dean said, to get yourself oriented and know where you are when you're in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee.

The shape of the mountain is very distinct, and it's a prominent feature on the western side of the lake. There's a valley that's formed between Mount Arbel on the south and Mount Nittai on the north.

The valley is called the Valley of the Doves, and it has a little stream running through it called Wadi Hamam. The Valley of the Doves is a geographical feature that's important for a couple of reasons.

Number one, the valley funnels winds coming from the west, from the Mediterranean Sea, onto the northern part of the Sea of Galilee. This natural wind tunnel is partly responsible for some of the severe storms and wave action on the lake.

When those winds hit that part of the lake, the sea can become violent very quickly and without warning, and this is like the storm that caught Jesus' disciples by surprise when they were on the lake crossing to the other side.

The second reason that the Valley of the Doves is important is because it contains part of the route that Jesus almost certainly took when he was traveling between Nazareth and Capernaum. As a matter of fact, the valley is still used by modern hikers who walk what is called the Jesus Trail.

The Jesus Trail is a 40-mile-long trail from Nazareth to Capernaum, and part of that trail goes through the Valley of the Doves. We only walked a few hundred yards into the valley, but it was really cool knowing that Jesus probably passed through this area along with his disciples when he was going back and forth between Galilee and Nazareth.

I got the distinct impression that the Valley of the Doves is not a normal stop where Harvest of Israel Tours takes their tour groups. I think we wound up with a little bit of extra time that day and we were able to fit in an unscheduled stop, and it was a great spot to visit.

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As always, thanks for watching.