Life along the Sea of Galilee

I have often wondered what life was like along the shore of the Sea of Galilee during the first century. As I read the Bible I see hand picked events which were written to make a point for readers. On guided tours I travel along the shore in a large passenger bus, flying by the places of the Bible far too rapidly to absorb the scene. When I sail on a boat, I get the feel of the water, but realize the shoreline has changed. The Sea of Tiberias contains far more windsurfers than fishing boats.

Windsurfers along the north shore of the Sea of Galilee

In the first century a major industry on the Sea of Galilee was fishing. Today it is tourism. In various places motels nestle against the shoreline in order to give tourists the opportunity to experience the Lake of Gennesaret as it was in the days of Jesus. The places the Savior was known to frequent in the region have been altered from their original setting to a church site. Lake Kinneret is there, the mountains which have always surrounded the water are there, but the landscape of the first century has totally changed.

Painting from the Sea of Galilee

Two thousand years have passed since the man named Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee with his twelve disciples. Across the years so much has changed that archaeologists at times are not sure if the remains they find belong to a village listed in the Bible, or if it is some other place.

The northern quadrant of the Sea of Galilee from Mount Arbel

Recently, the Sea of Galilee experienced a drought. Because of water usage and limited rainfall the level of the water dropped to a “new” low which has not been seen in years. Although the lack of water is not a good thing, there was one benefit that came from the drought. Old portages, long since forgotten about, came to be seen. The stone foundations of fishing piers appeared to be researched and photographed.

Harbors along the Sea of Galilee

Because of this, there is an idea of where fishing villages existed and where the men of Jesus’ day docked their boats. In 1986, during a previous drought, a boat was found that had been preserved in the mud since the first century. Today it is on display at the Kibbutz where it was found, and also a copy can be found in a museum at Haifa. This year it is believed the city of Bethsaida has been unearthed in a place which was formerly submerged.

The perfect companion for visitors to Israel

In my visits to Israel, in my Bible Study, and when I teach, I try to imagine what life was like along the shore of the Sea of Galilee during the time Jesus walked along its shore. I have collected some stories of my research in a new book Israel: Stories for Your Journey. This $2 Kindle book shares how Capernaum and Tiberias were started alongside other stories from the past in order to give an idea of what it was like to live and work in the first century. This book should be read by anyone going on a trip to the Holy Land.

Passover in the lives of People during Bible times and after.

I have also written about life along the Sea of Galilee in my book Spring: Connecting with God. This book looks at how Passover was celebrated in the time of Jesus. The section on the feeding of the 5,000 relates details of Jewish tradition that bring John’s story of the event to life. One of my passions is to help the Bible come to life so people will understand the stories of this book really happened to real people.