THE LAND OF JESUS

Understanding the land of Jesus is a necessary component to comprehending the message he proclaimed. From the beginning of the four Gospels until their end, the Evangelists assume that we possess an intimate knowledge of the historical and geographical stage onto which Jesus stepped. For
most Christian readers this is unfortunately not true. Many have not had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land. Even for those who have, it can prove to be a confusing experience. Much about life in this land has changed over the course of two millennia. Happily, however, the contours of the land, which influenced where people settled and the routes they traveled, have remained the same. With some basic knowledge of the physical settings we can once
again trace Jesus’ steps. For example, although the modern roads may not always follow precisely the ancient routes, one must still travel from Nazareth “down to Capernaum” (Luke 4:31; John 2:12).

The fruit of a century of archaeological discovery in the Holy Land has also shed important light on the biblical story. The locations of the Galilean cities mentioned in the Scriptures, many of which had been abandoned and lost in time, have been uncovered and identified through the tireless efforts of the
archaeologist’s spade. In the most recent developments, the new excavation at Magdala, nestled on the edge of the plain of Gennesaret and the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is a cause for celebration. We can now visit a first-century Galilean synagogue in a harbor city we know Jesus visited
by boat on more than one occasion. When we couple the unearthing of Magdala’s harbor with the nearby discovery of a sunken first-century boat, we begin to get a clearer picture of life around the lake from the days of the New Testament – a picture whose details were not fully grasped even a generation ago.

June 7, 2020