Here are step-by-step instructions for reading. I want to familiarize you with some geography as you read. It will help you next month when we are in these cities, towns and regions. If you are also using a Study Bible – feel free to follow my instructions as you read the Study Bible and read the Study Bible notes. You may want to start by opening all the maps and photos attached in the email. You will be looking at all of them as you read these three chapters.
Chapter 7
- Notice the area of the Sermon on the Mount.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – This is the likely location of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
- Notice the house.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – Before building a house the soil had to be removed and bedrock reached. The foundation did not have to be level, but did have to sit on bedrock, so that the house would not move with a landslide due to rain. Jesus would have learned this principle as a carpenter working with his stepfather, Joseph.
- This ends the longest sermon of Jesus we have recorded in the Gospels.
Chapter 8
- Notice the mountain.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – Imagine Jesus descending from that mountain and heading east (right on the picture) back toward Capernaum. Large crowds followed him.
- Notice Capernaum.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – In the middle of the photo is Capernaum (with the large gray and white buildings). The white building is the synagogue of Capernaum. The gray building is a Catholic Church built over Peter’s house. You will see those next month. The reddish/brown piece of land on the upper left side of the photo is part of the Mount of Beatitudes. So when Jesus walked to Capernaum, it was not a long walk.
- Notice Capernaum.
(Click on map to enlarge) – Once again, notice Capernaum. That served as Jesus’ home base for three years. On the map, notice Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Also notice Cana, the location of Jesus’ first miracle. Notice Mt. Carmel, where Elijah fought the prophets of Baal. And finally, notice Caesarea Philippi, where Peter made his famous proclamation, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
- Notice Peter’s house.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – This is an old photo from the town of Nazareth. What you see here is a 5th century Byzantine church, which was built on top of a fourth century church house, which was built on top of a building from the 2nd century. This is the likely location of Peter’s house. In early centuries, church leaders would build on top of famous locations.
- Notice Peter’s house today.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – The reason I showed you the previous photo is because this is the current view of Peter’s house. A strange looking church has been built over Peter’s house. Yes, it does look like some type of spaceship from a sci-fi movie.
- Notice the Sea of Galilee.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – Storms can come up quickly on the Sea of Galilee because of mountains that near the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee. We will explain this when on the Sea next month.
- Notice the towns.
(Click on map to enlarge) – This is the location where the next story will occur and Matthew 9:1 says he went back to his hometown.
Chapter 9
- Notice the synagogues.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – Jesus often was in conflict with religious leaders of his day. I always imagined they were from Jerusalem, but many towns had synagogues and therefore, their own religious leaders. These two photos are of the synagogue. It is not the synagogue of Jesus, but it certainly is built on the foundation of the synagogue Jesus would have attended.
- Notice the region around the Sea of Galilee.
(Click on map to enlarge) – This section speaks of the news of Jesus spreading throughout the region, then Jesus going throughout the region teaching and healing. These are some of the towns Jesus was known to have visited.
- Notice Magdala.
(Click on photo to enlarge) – This is an amazing recent find. It is the first century synagogue from the town of Magdala (where Mary Magdalene was from). Matthew 9:35 tells us Jesus taught in various synagogues. Certainly this was one of those places where Jesus taught.
Meditations on Israel 