Jezreel
Valley2127twelve (continued)
The Sea of
Galilee http://godsplan.org.uk/jezreelvalley%20(Autosaved).htm
JE Bradburn
The
Sea of Galilee fills a shallow depression in the rift
valley east of Lower Galilee.
The Jordan River enters the
sea from the northeast and
exits to the southwest. The
surface of the sea is 690 feet below sea level, and its depth lies 150 feet
below that. The sea measures just 13 by 7 miles, which is more a lake than a
sea, To give you some inclination of its size: the North Sea, to the east of U.K equals 570,000 km2 (220,000
square miles).
The Sea of Galilee is known by several
names in the Bible:
The sea
of Chinnereth,
Numbers
34:11 (KJV) And the coast
shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border
shall descend, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward:
Deuteronomy
3:17 (KJV) The plain also,
and Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chinnereth even unto the sea of the
plain, even the salt sea, under Ashdothpisgah eastward.
Joshua
12:3; 13:27 (KJV)
And from the plain to
the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt
sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under
Ashdothpisgah:
The
lake of Gennenesaret Luke 5:1 (KJV) And it came to
pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by
the lake of Gennesaret,
The
sea of Tiberius John 6:1; 21:1 (KJV)
01
After these things
Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
21
After these things
Jesus shewed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this
wise shewed He Himself.
The
sea of Galilee Matthew;
04:18
(KJV) And Jesus, walking by
the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
15:29
(KJV) And Jesus departed from
thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and
sat down there.
Mark
1:16 (KJV) Now as he walked
by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into
the sea: for they were fishers.
Mark
7:31 (KJV) And again,
departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee,
through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.
And
simply the sea or lake Matthew 8:24 (KJV) And, behold,
there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with
the waves: but he was asleep.
Some believe that the name Chinnereth,
which is perhaps related to the Hebrew word for harp, is derived from
the seas harp shape. More likely, the sea was simply named after the city of
Chinnereth, located on its northwest shore during Old Testament times.
Joshua
19:35 (KJV) And the fenced
cities are Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chinnereth,
Gennesaret
is a form of Chinnereth. Today Israelis call the sea of Galilee the
Kinneret The sea is enclosed by
basalt hills that rise 1,300 feet above the surface of the water (approximately
600 feet above sea level). To the east and west, the scarp (steep cliff)
of the rift valley presses close to the sea, while on the north, the remains of
a huge flow of basalt (the Rosh Pinna sill) separates the sea form from the Huleh Basin. Three plains
provide fertile fields for agriculture: the Plain of Bethsaida to the northeast where the Jordan enters
the sea, the plain of Gennsenaret on the northwest, and a plain formed by the Jordan Valley to the south.
Matthew 14:34-36 (KJV)
34
And when they were gone
over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
35
And when the men of that
place had knowledge of Him, they sent out into all that country round about,
and brought unto Him all that were diseased;
36
And besought him that
they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made
perfectly whole.
John
5:1-16 (KJV)
1
After this there was a
feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep
market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five
porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of
impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain
season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the
troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an
infirmity thirty and eight years.
6
When Jesus saw him lie,
and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, He saith unto him,
Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I
have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I
am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy
bed, and walk.
9
And immediately the man
was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the
Sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was
cured, It is the Sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He that made me whole,
the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12
Then asked they him,
What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk.
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed Himself away, a
multitude being in that place.
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the
temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a
worse thing come unto thee.
15 The man departed, and told the Jews that
it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
16 And therefore did the Jews
persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on
the Sabbath day. (Pharisees,
Sadducees, and Essenes = Jewish priests)
The
Sea of Galilee receives less rainfall than the
surrounding hills, about 16 inches annually. Temperatures are moderate to hot,
and the air is usually humid. Several hot mineral springs enter the Sea of Galilee from its shore
and depth, a result of the gigantic rip of the surface of the earth that formed
the rift valley. Fish tend to congregate around these springs in the winter
time. Many fish are also found in the northeast, feeding on the orgaic matter deposited into the sea by the Jordan River, Fishing and agriculture are excellent,
as the Gospel writers did attest.
The New Testament mentions three kinds
of fishing nets that were used in the Sea of Galilee.
A cast net was a circular net 25 feet in
diameter with weighted sinkers around the edge; it was cast into shallow water
by a fisherman standing near to the shore.
Mark
1:1618 (KJV)
16
Now as He walked by the
sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea:
for they were fishers.
17
And Jesus said unto
them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18
And straightway they
forsook their nets, and followed Him.
The dragnet or seine-net was 800900 feet
long, 1225 feet wide, and weighted along one edge. This net was unrolled by
boat into a huge arc and stood upright in the water. It was then drawn ashore
by fishermen standing at the waters edge. Because the dragnet pulled
everything within its arc to shore, Habakkuk 1:15 the fish it caught had to be
sorted by commercial viability Matthew 13:4748.
Habakkuk
1:15 (KJV) They take up all
of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their
drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.
Matthew
13:4748 (KJV)
47
Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every
kind:
48
Which, when it was
full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but
cast the bad away. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/parables.htm
A
trammel (a fishing net consisting
of a fine net between two layers of coarse mesh) net consisted of a cross
netting of three nets. Because fish easily caught their gills in its web,
trammel nets had to be repaired often.
Matthew
1:1920 (KJV)
19
Then Joseph her
husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privily.
20
But while he thought on
these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary
[Mariam] thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
A fishhook is mentioned only once in the
Gospels:
Matthew
17:2427 (KJV)
24
And when they were come
to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth
not your master pay tribute?
25
He saith, Yes. And
when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth
take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26
Peter saith unto him,
Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27
Notwithstanding, lest
we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast
opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto
them for Me and thee. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/parables.htm
Everything a fisherman
uses today, whether it be nets or hooks, is what was used in Jesus Christs day; more than 2000 years ago. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/truth.htm So why
is it so hard to learn the truth? Answer: Because
you are in the system http://www.godsplan.org.uk/system.htm
Jesus ministry was focused on the north
shore of the Sea of Galilee. He made
it His home in Capernaum and called His disciples from villages in the vicinity.
Matthew
4:12-17; 9:1 {KJV)
12
Now when Jesus had heard
that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
13
And leaving Nazareth,
he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of
Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14
That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15
The land of Zabulon,
and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of
the Gentiles;
16
The people which sat in
darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of
death light is sprung up.
17
From that time Jesus
began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Matthew
9:1 (KJV And He entered into a
ship, and passed over, and came into His own city.
At least three disciples, Philip, Peter, and Andrew hailed from Bethsaida. John 1:44 (KJV) Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of
Andrew and Peter. Although its exact location remains in
doubt, Bethsaida was apparently either in the marshy delta
of the Jordan (el-Araj) or on a higher mound slightly north
(et-Tell). A third town visited often by Jesus, Chorazin, was located in the basalt hills (the Rosh Pinna sill)
above Capernaum.
Matthew
11:21 (KJV) Woe unto thee,
Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in
you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in
sackcloth and ashes.
It was very probable in these hills that
Jesus went in the early mornings to find a deserted place to pray.
Mark
1:35 (KJV) And in the
morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a
solitary place, and there prayed.
Its nature is wonderful as well as its beauty. Its soil is so
fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it, and the
inhabitants
accordingly plant all sorts of trees there. for the temper of
the air is so well mixed that it agrees very well with all.
One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces
those
plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together.
It supplies men with the principle fruits, with grapes and figs
continually,
during ten months in the
year and the rest of the fruit as it becomes
ripe together, through the
whole year, for besides the good temperature
of the air, it is also
watered from a most fertile spring.
The people of the country
call it Capernaum
(Josephus, Wars iii. 108).
The local building material around the Sea of Galilee is hard, black basaltic
stone. Archaeological excavations have uncovered square blocks of houses
(insulation) built of this stone in
Capernaum, Bethsaida, Chorazin, and other villages in the
region. The rooms in these houses were small and dark, with low doors and
narrow windows set high in the wall above. One
such insula excavated in Capernaum is believed to have belonged to Peter, where
Jesus apparently made His home.
Mark
1:2930 (KJV)
29
And forthwith, when
they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and
Andrew, with James and John.
30
But Simon's wife's
mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of her.
The synagogue in Capernaum in Jesus
day was also made of black basaltic stone .The white synagogue that dominates
Capernaum today was built in a later century out of Cenomanian limestone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenomanian
brought from the hills of Lower
Galilee.
Capernaum is often
thought of as a sleepy fishing village, however, during
the first century it had a vibrant, mixed economy. In
addition to fishing and agriculture, archaeological evidence suggests that
Capernaum was also a place where high quality agricultural implements were
manufactured.
Mark
4:19 (KJV)
1
And He began again to
teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto Him a great multitude, so
that He entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by
the sea on the land.
2
And He taught them many
things by parables, and said unto them in His doctrine,
http://www.godsplan.org.uk/parables.htm
3
Hearken; Behold, there
went out a sower to sow: (Those
who gather).
4
And it came to pass, as
he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured
it up.
5
And some fell on stony
ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it
had no depth of earth:
6
But when the sun was
up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7
And some fell among
thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8
And other fell on good
ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth,
some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/christianrace.htm
9
And He said unto them,
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. http://www.godsplan.org.uk/earstohear.htm
Many olive presses and grain made out of
local basalt, a highly durable and abrasive rock, were found in excavations at Capernaum, more, in fact, than the
local population would have been expected to use by themselves. Because
Capernaum was on a trade route and was the first village that that travellers
came to in Herod Antipas Galilee after
crossing the Jordan river from the east,
Rome made it a tax collection point.
Mark
2:1415 (KJV)
14 And as He
passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom [tax collector], and said unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him.
15
And it came to pass,
that, as Jesus sat at meat in His house, many publicans and sinners sat also
together with Jesus and His disciples: for there were many, and they followed
Him.
Jesus
Motive and Purpose in Teaching in Parables.
Mark suggests that Jesus adopted the method of teaching by parables when the ministry
in Galilee had been in progress for some time.
He seems to associate it with the period when, partly owing to the suspicion of
the religious leaders and
partly owing to pressure of the crowds, Jesus
began to withdraw from the cities and the synagogues and preach in the open air
and in desert places.
In connection with the
use of parables the evangelist cites the passage from Isaiah about the people seeing and not believing http://www.godsplan.org.uk/earstohear.htm,
hearing and not understanding, and seems to
suggest the parables were
intended to conceal the secret of the Kingdom from those who were outside. To
enforce tax collection, a unit of Roman soldiers was also garrisoned in
Capernaum.
Luke
7:25 (KJV)
2 And a certain centurion's
servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto
him the elders of the Jews, beseeching Him that He would come and heal His
servant.
4
And when they came to
Jesus, they besought Him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he
should do this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
Three
separate political entities bordered the Sea of Galilee in the first century AD.
1.
Galilee
proper, governed by Herod Antipas,
2.
Son
of Herod the Great, was located west of the sea and
Jordan River.
3.
The
main city on the western Galilee shore wasand still isTiberius,
Founded by Antipas between AD 17 and 20 to
honour the new Caesar in Rome.
Tiberius is within sight of Capernaum
and an easy two hour walk away, yet the Gospels fail to mention if Jesus ever
went there. But:
John
6:2324 (KJV)
23
(Howbeit [nevertheless]
there came other
boats from Tiberius nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks :)
24
When the people
therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took
shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
The territory lying east of the Jordan River and northeast of the Sea of Galilee was governed by Herod Philip, another son of Herod the Great. Philips
territory was divided into three expansive regions, Gaulanitus, Ituraea and Taconites.
Luke
3: 1, 19 (KJV)
01
Now in the fifteenth
year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea,
and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea
and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the
tetrarch of Abilene.
19
But Herod the tetrarch,
being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the
evils which Herod had done,
Philip raised Bethsaida, his main city on
the sea, to the status of a Greco-Roman polis, renaming it Julius after the daughter of Caesar Augustus. A confederation of ten
Greco-Roman cities called the Decapolis lay south of Philips territory,
stretching from the south-eastern shore of the sea deep into Transjordan. This
gentile region was home to the Gergesenes, where Jesus healed a man possessed
by demos.
Mark
5:120 (KJV)
01
And they came over unto
the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
02 And when he was
come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an
unclean spirit,
03 Who had his
dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
04 Because that he
had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked
asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame
him.
05 And always,
night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting
himself with stones.
06 But when he saw
Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him,
07 And cried with
a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the
most high God? I adjure [make appeal] thee by God, that thou torment me not.
08 For He said
unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
09 And He asked him,
What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are
many.
10 And he besought
Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was
there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the
devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into
them.
13 And forthwith
Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the
swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were
about two thousand ;) and were choked in the sea.
14 And they that
fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went
out to see what it was that was done.
15 And they come
to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion,
sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16 And they that
saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and
also concerning the swine.
17 And they began
to pray Him to depart out of their coasts.
18 And when He was
come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that
he might be with Him.
19 Howbeit Jesus
suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them
how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
20 And he
departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for
him: and all men did marvel.
One of the Decapolis cities, Hippus, sat on a prominent hill
above the Sea of Galilee within
sight of Capernaum. These various
political regions in the New
Testament period were closely connected by sea and land, and one other Genesis http://www.godsplan.org.uk/gentont.htm
Here people with every competing religious
and political ideology and agenda were crowded together under tropical heat and
the ever watchful eye of Rome. In this pressure cooker setting Jesus chose to
minister. Here he could touch the very human needs of influential people and
commoners alike, of Jews and Gentiles. The Sea of Galilee was an ideal setting for the Gospel story, and the Future Kingdom. Jesus Christ placed Himself in the centre of all the forces
competing for power and influence during His history of human beings; from the
creation of Adam and Eve; the beginning of the Old Testament to the New
Testament The Messianic Ageto the Future Kingdom; over 6000 years ago;
most of you have forgotten Jehovah
and Elohim: but
Jehovah and Elohim have not forgotten you.
Matthew 5:14 (KJV) Ye are the light
of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be
hid.
.
Light from the Ancient East
Our Lord saith: Let not him who
Seeks . . . cease until he finds,
and when he finds he shall be
astonished; astonished he shall
reach the kingdom, and having
reached the kingdom he shall rest.
Adolf Deissmann
Matt
22:17 (KJV)
01.
And Jesus answered and
spake unto them again by parables, and said,
02. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
03.
And sent forth his
servants [prophets] to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they
would not come.
04.
Again, he sent forth
other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared
my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come
unto the marriage.
05. But they made light of it, and went their
ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
06.
And the remnant took his
servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
07. But when the king heard thereof, he was
wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned
up their city.
John
16:1215
12.
I have yet many things to
say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13. Howbeit
when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He
shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak.
14. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive
of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.
15. All things that the Father hath are Mine:
therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you.
http://godsplan.org.uk/messianicage.htm http://www.godsplan.org.uk/kingdom.htm
John 8:32 (KJV) And ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.