Did you know Jesus spent time ministering north of Galilee in Israel?
We all know about Jesus preaching and healing around the Sea of Galilee.
That’s where most of his ministry took place outside of Jerusalem and the Judean hills.
But when we think of Jesus walking the earth, do we picture him in the mountains north of Galilee?
Until recently, it never occurred to me that Jesus would have walked away from the seashore up into the hills.
(I know it’s obvious in hindsight, but until last fall I thought he stayed near the water!)
But where did he go?
Visiting all the villages north of Galilee
Take a look at these verses in the Gospel of Mark:
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” He strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Mark 8: 27-30
You can read the passage, as well, in Matthew 16:13-20.
Generally speaking, Caesarea Philippi, is now the area called Banias.
(Known as Caesarea Philippi during Jesus’ lifetime because Philip the Tetrarch founded his administrative capital there).
There, Jesus stood in front of “the cave of Pan,” or “the gates of hell.” He asked his disciples who people said he was.
The headwaters of the Jordan River flowed down from Mt. Hermon and emerged from the cave, then flowed south (ultimately to the Dead Sea).
But note the text refers to villages in the area.
(Historian Josephus estimated the Galilee region boasted about 200 villages during the years Jesus lived there).
Caesarea Philippi is a hilly region about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. Many Greeks and Romans lived in the area.
ALL the villages?
We can assume he visited mostly Jewish villages since Jesus usually began his visits in the synagogues.
(To have a synagogue, a village needed at least 10 Jewish men.)
While traveling toward Mt. Hermon in 2022, our guide noted that Jesus moved among the villages tucked into the valleys and on the hills.
Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:34-36 ESV
Looking over the ruins of the Gamla (or Gamala) fortress, we saw the ruins of a synagogue inside the gate.
If there were a synagogue, Jesus would have come here.
Gamla, as it happens, is on the road to the most northeastern corner of Israel–Mt. Hermon.
As the highest mountain in Israel, Mt. Hermon is one of the two possible sites of the Transfiguration.
From the Gamla region, it’s possible, “after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.” (Matthew 17:1; ESV)
It’s about 40 miles between the two. It could take that long to walk so far and up so many hillsides. (Mt. Hermon would be in the top right corner–or off the corner–of the above map.)
What about the seaside north of Galilee?
Jesus and the disciples worked hard during their ministry north of Galilee.
They climbed mountains (Mt. Hermon is about 9200 feet), hillsides, and crossed wide valleys.
People flocked to hear Jesus–many seeking healing or other ministry.
With just a few exceptions, Jesus healed them all.
One day, Jesus and his men visited Tyre.
From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. When He entered a house, he wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.
Mark 7:24-25
Tyre is on the Mediterranean Sea, now in Lebanon, about 40 miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee. Sidon is 40 miles further north, also along the coast.
Jesus’ fame spread to that region, and many later came from the area to receive his ministry.
How far did Jesus travel?
Two thousand years ago, during their ministry years, Jesus and his disciples walked everywhere. (Well, except for when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem during Holy Week.)
Fit men in their prime, they still dealt with heat and dust, pebbles in their sandals, and thirst.
We know they traveled as far north as Sidon and as far south as Jerusalem, about a 150-mile stretch.
It’s probably seventy miles as the crow flies between Sidon and Mount Hermon.
Jesus’ travels were not about visiting and touring. He came to set the people free.
That includes you and me.
Some things never change — despite the distance in space and time.
Israel turned out to be much smaller than my husband, and I thought–in 2022.
Tweetables
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(Top photo courtesy of www.LumoProject.com)
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