As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20
Jesus visited some of the fishing villages on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. We visited them, too. Imagine Jesus and his disciples sailing in a boat like this:
Despite being a fishing town, Bethsaida isn’t on the shore today. It is speculated that an earthquake changed the shoreline and the route of the Jordan River, resulting in it being over a mile from the lake today. Bethsaida was the home town of several of Jesus’ disciples, but had been originally founded much earlier.
A few miles west is Capernaum, where Jesus established his home base during his ministry. Scattered among the ruins of the homes is one which had a prominent octagonal church constructed around it. Early Christians identified it as Peter’s home, where Jesus stayed when in town. Imagine the teachings and miracles that happened in and around this place.
Magdala was the hometown of Mary Magdalene. We saw construction of the Magdala Center, working to attract pilgrims and preserve the archaeological site, including one of the oldest synagogues found.
One harbor Jesus never visited was the city of Tiberias on the western shore. The largest city on the lake today, Tiberias was built my Herod Antipas as his capital. The location was chosen because of the hot springs in the area. Religious Jews didn’t set foot in town because he built it over a cemetery. The city later became a major Jewish religious center with the Sanhedrin assembling starting in AD 193. In order to the cleanse the city, the graves were identified so people wouldn’t become unclean.
