Photo courtesty of Tourist Israel website: https://www.touristisrael.com/mount-arbel/2602/
Not every site we visited in Israel had direct Biblical significance. Our wonderful tour guide made sure we saw everything and I am so grateful. This site is a perfect example. This is Mount Arbel. It is never mentioned in the Bible. However, its prominence over the Sea of Galilee, just outside Tiberias, provided a spectacular view of the place Jesus focused his ministry, Galilee. We could see so many of the towns Jesus visited from this one point, Magdala, Gennesaret, Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazain.
We of course could see the Sea of Galilee. As I looked over this massive freshwater lake, I could imagine the stories of Jesus' life, sharing his new message. It was interesting to realize this twelve-mile-long lake was also a divider between the Jews and the Greeks of the 1st Century. In my mind, it is not a stretch to understand why Jesus chose the north end of the lake as the hub of his ministry. He had the opportunity to share the gospel with both Jews and Gentiles.
The area around the lake is so lush and a great spot for growing olives, bananas, and many crops. The sea itself is still a big part of the area through the fishing industry.
Jesus had a plan. He chose this area of the world, the center of commerce and trade, fertile and vibrant, to spread his gospel. At one point our guide shared that Jesus left Nazareth for a specific reason. Nazareth was a very small town. During Jesus' first thirty years of life, he could hide, grow, and experience life as the Son of Man. But, when the time was right, Jesus moved to Galilee, in many ways, the center of the world. He instantly had a forum to spread his message to the ends of the earth and eventually die for our salvation.
As I ponder this point, I thought about Jesus' human side. I wonder about his first thirty years of life. I wonder if he was impatient to get his ministry going. I wonder if he thought like I have thought, "I feel like I am useless while I am waiting for God's plan to develop."
For the past 62 years, I have not been a great servant of the Lord and now that I am dedicated to full-time ministry to the Lord, I often wonder why it took so long. But just like Jesus, I trust my Heavenly Father. His timing is perfect and waiting on the Lord is a privilege and an honor. Thank you, Lord, for choosing me to serve your Kingdom. I praise you regardless of how many years I have left before I come to you! AMEN!
'Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance
for his young children, those children are not much better off
than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own
everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians
until they reach whatever age their father set. And that’s the way
it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we
were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. But
when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman,
subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were
slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own
children. And because we are his children, God has sent the
Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out,
“Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own
child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. '
Galatians 4:1-7
https://my.bible.com/bible/116/GAL.4.1-7
No comments:
Post a Comment