Day 4, Part 5

We trudge to the buses and board.  I say trudge not because we are sad or bored, quite the contrary.  We don't feel like leaving Capernaum like we didn't feel like leaving Magdala, like we didn't feel like leaving Chorazin or the Mount of the Beatitudes.  Yet we have seen all of these in a single day.  It seems like a week.  It feels like we have been in Israel a month.  The castle in the mountains seems like it was weeks ago.

I in particular am trudging because of low blood sugar.  The talapia just isn't cutting it for staying power.  I rummage around in my satchel and find a Clif bar.  Ah, just what is needed, some outrageous carbs.  The Clif bar and a bottle of warm water refreshes me.  Mmmmm.

So, I wonder what this "surprise" is all about.  It is announced that we are heading to "The House of the Boat".  This seems familiar to me for some reason.  Oh yes!  I remember reading in the newspaper some years ago that during a time of drought in Israel (1980's), the level of water in the Sea of Galilee was down considerably, exposing ancient shorelines not seen for centuries.  A hobbyist archaeologist took the opportunity to walk these ancient shorelines and came upon the outline in the mud of an ancient boat made of wood.  

The mud had preserved this boat over the centuries but now it was in danger of total demise being exposed to the air.  The Israeli ministry of archaeology was contacted and a very expensive and rushed recovery of the remains of the boat was undertaken.  I remember reading in the news article that the Israeli government was happy to have recovered the boat but did not want any more boats discovered as the expense was great.  One is enough I suppose.

Well, over the years the boat was painstakingly preserved and reassembled and an edifice was built to house this delicate relic. Here is a internet link if you want to see some much better pictures:

http://jesustrail.com/hike-the-jesus-trail/points-of-interest/jesus-boat 

We arrive at a nice building that sits right on the shore of the Sea of Galilee somewhat near where the boat was discovered in the mud.  The water levels of the lake are back to where they were before the drought so there is lush vegetation along the banks and walk ways.  Indiana Jolie and I peer into the reeds and cattails growing.  It is teeming with life.  There are all kinds of birds from herons to tweety birds.  We observe something in the water we can't quite identify.  It is a muskrat or something of the kind.  It is chewing down some of the reeds, presumably to build it's nest or home.  There are turtles and briefly catch a glimpse of what looks like a deer fawn!  

It is our turn to go into the nice building.  There are restrooms!  They are separate and private! They are clean and modern!  They are popular with everyone!  A long line again quickly develops.  They also have a very nice gift shop and it sells chocolate covered ice cream bars which are the equivalent of $4 US.  We buy them without hesitation.  

We are herded into a room where we view a movie that tells the story of the discovery of the boat.  It dates to the 1st century!  This fact lends to all kinds of imagination.  Could this be the boat that Jesus used to teach the multitudes on the sea shore?  Was this the boat from which Jesus rebuked the wind and waves?  Is this the boat that Jesus came walking upon the sea to his disciples and from which Peter went over the side to walk to Jesus on the water?  As intriguing as those thoughts are, it is most likely that this boat was sunk by the Romans who put down a Jewish rebellion along these shores in the late 1st century.  The Jews were defeated by the Romans and much blood on the Jewish side was shed.  

The movie is done and we wait at a large opaque glass door that opens to reveal the room where the boat is displayed.  It is pretty neat.  There are still remnants of the iron nails that held the boat together and the wood clearly shows the distinctive shape of the boats still in use on the Sea of Galilee today.  All the light in the room is muted and dim in efforts to keep further deterioration of the boat to a minimum.  It is hard to take pictures.  

The ice cream bar and the cool of the air conditioned building has refreshed us a bit.  We are done with our turn looking at the boat.  We go outside near the shoreline and wait for everyone else to see the boat and join us. The sun is beginning its decent behind the Arbel Pass and it is somewhat cooler than it has been.  We wait.  And we wait.  We walk the shoreline.  We wait.  Most of an hour we wait for everyone to get through the exhibit or maybe they are just eating all of the ice cream bars while we wait outside.  

I wrongly assume that this was the "surprise".  No I am told, the surprise is next on the agenda.  We wonder what this is all about.  Finally, the word come, we are not going back to Tiberas on the buses, we are taking boats!  We are going on a Sea of Galilee cruise.  How cool!  

The Sea of Galilee is like a mirror, flat and not a hint of wind.  There are two of the unusual looking boats at the dock just outside the House of the Boat where we have been for the last hour and a half.  

 There is lots of excitement as eveyone clambers up the narrow ramp and up towards the boats.  There are two, which one shall we board?  There is lots of excited chatter and everyone takes out their cameras to snap some pictures, except me of course, there are no rocks which is apparently the only thing I am willing to take pictures of.  Indiana Jolie does though and before long the boats are full and ready to depart.

This was a really nice surprise.  The evening is beautiful and the sun is setting and the air is nice and cool.  We head out and I wonder how close I am to the place where Jesus was walking on this very body of water.  Because the Sea of Galilee is not an entirely enormous lake, we can't be any further than a couple hundred yards from where are are now in any direction.  I am fascinated.  I am wondering where the disciples were toiling against the wind and waves.  I am glad this night is not like that night.  This is ideal and I am loving being on the water.

After cruising out on the lake for a bit, the Israeli guides bring out an American flag and begin to play the Star Spangled Banner as the flag is hoisted on the mast.  This was quite unexpected and the entire group stood to their feet and began to sing the words of our National Anthem.  It was unexpectedly very moving to see our flag fly in a foreign country.  After the anthem was finished, the Israeli guides expressed their love for and appreciation of the United States (except for John Kerry).  We all applauded.

Next, the Israeli flag was raised while their national anthem was played over the speaker system.  The Israeli's on board sang in their Hebrew language so we could just listen.  Seeing both the American and Israeli flags flying together was thrilling.  

The boat then stopped somewhere in the middle of the lake and they tied the two boats together.  The guides gave us a demonstration of the traditional way of fishing with a hand net.  It was pretty neat.

What happened next was very unexpected and surprising.  The captain of our boat who is the brother of our Israeli archaeology guide, Eli, began to play Christian contemporary music over the sound system.  The group began to sing along and it was a great experience.  This went on for some time as the sun went down and it became dark on the water.  

The captain of our boat then revealed that he too is a Christian, or more accurately, a "Messianic Jew".  He also said that he is the singer of a Messianic Jewish worship band and he began to sing some of their songs to some of the tracks over the sound system.  Some were familiar and we sang along, some were in Hebrew with melodies we did not recognize.  

After some time, the captain said it was time to get us back to port but before we went, was anyone interested in the purchase of some of their albums?  They brought out several stacks of their music on CD and they sold like hotcakes.  

All in all, it was a very full day and this was indeed a great way to end it.  The boats were untied and we navigated into the small harbor.  Apparently the US Coast Guard is not active in Israel because they apparently do not require their boats to have navigational lighting.  So we came into the harbor just on the available lighting from the shore and the cabin.  

This was our last night in Galilee and as anxious as I was to see more of Israel, I was sad we were going to be leaving this northern region of the country.  We disembarked from the boats and went to our hotel for another great dinner that was well in progress as we arrived.  

In the morning our destination would be the traditional location of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.