Galilee, Part II -- Capernaum and Tabgha

We often think of Nazareth as Jesus’ hometown.  True, it was his boyhood home but the city of Capernaum was pretty much his home when he was an adult.  “He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea” (Matthew 4:13).  This was also the home of Peter and Andrew and of one of the first synagogues in which Jesus taught.   Here he called the fishermen: Peter and Andrew, James and John, and from here he launched his public ministry.  

When we came to Capernaum we saw that large portions of the town had been excavated and stone walls of the houses could be seen.  There were remnants of the synagogue that had been built on the site of the one in which Jesus preached and taught, and there was Peter’s house where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law who had a fever.  Perched in mid-air over Peter’s house like a spaceship is a modern church which is a little odd but beautiful.

We walked and sat for quite a while in Capernaum.  One of my favorite things was to walk through the old fishing village among the ancient houses and think of those whom the Lord first called to be his disciples.  The lake water level is lower now than it was then, but even now the water is only a few yards away.  
 

To the west of Capernaum is a little-known but very wonderful place called Tabgha.  When we went by there the first day the gates were closed, so we returned the next day.  Tabgha is the place where Jesus frequently withdrew to a “lonely (eremos, from the word for hermit) place” to refresh his spirit and to pray.  It was here, also, that Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fish.  It is one of those places where you can feel the lively presence of the Spirit.

There is a nice Benedictine monastery there, and inside there is a church with beautiful mosaic tile floors.  We enjoyed perusing the gift shop there and seeing all the souvenir items that were dedicated to the loaves-and-fishes event.