Israel 2022 - Reflection #10 - Magdala Part 2

 

The video is of the 1st-century synagogue uncovered as they were building a resort community along the sea of Galilee. This synagogue would have been a place where Jesus taught as he toured Galilee. 

Magdala is a wonderful archaeological site between Tiberias and Capernaum. It is understood to be Mary Magdalene's hometown. The grounds of this wonderful place are a mixture of the old and the new. The first-century synagogue and the local town with its ritual baths, marketplace, and storehouses are surrounded by a wonderful hotel and worship center. 

This site was an unexpected gem. I shared the video of the painting, but the entire worship center was a great reminder of Jesus' women disciples. Recently, I have been reading many of Jesus' interactions with women. My curiosity peaked when I read the book, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes.[1] Looking at the way Jesus elevated the prominence of women in a culture that treated women as servants, is so powerful. I love this verse:

'Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and
villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the
Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along
with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and
diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he
had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s
business manager; Susanna; and many others who were
contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his
disciples. ' Luke 8:1-3https://my.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.8.1-3

Just before these verses, Jesus is in the home of Simon the

Pharisee and graciously praises the actions of a woman who

washed the dust off his feet with her tears and wiped them with

her hair. (Luke 7:136-50)

I praise God for the strong women of faith in my life. The chief of those is my wife, Stephanie. She is not a bold brash, in-your-face Christian. She is a hands-on, loving, caring woman who, like Jesus, is attracted to the outcasts of society. She is constantly searching God's Word for insight and then looking at ways to apply what has been revealed. 

As I walked through Magdala, thought about Mary Magdalene, heard the presentation on the painting, and reflected on the women of the Bible, I could not help but praise God for the beauty he created in the women of my life. Thank you Lord!

[1] Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 186.

In the small town, uncovered through this dig site, there were many ritual baths. They are fed from an underground spring. If you look on the mountainside of the picture below the bath, you will see a line of trees in an otherwise stark hillside. The water follows that line of trees to feed these baths. It was a part of the first-century surroundings also.

A complete small town discovered here at Magdala would certainly have been a place where Jesus walked and taught.