Another famous story.
In summary, the disciples were on their boat late at night and the weather went bad. Jesus walked on the water over to them which frightened them even more! Peter impulsively said, let me walk out to you. Jesus said, sure. Peter walked on water too! But he began to sink after he looked around at the waves. Peter offered a three word prayer, save me, Lord! They both climbed into the boat and the wind stopped. The disciples worshipped Jesus and said you really are the son of God. Once the boat docked crowds began showing up bringing their sick to be healed.
I'm a visual type of person so I went to the web to see if there is any information on boats of that era. I came across this item about a boat found in the Sea of Galilee.
The photo on that web page showed the boat all covered up as they were trying to make sure that ancient artifact didn't fall apart. I wonder if the restoration of that boat was completed?
It would seem so as a web search came up with this tour group itinerary where it says:
Day 5 Jordan Valley - Beit She'an - JerichoI got to go to Israel at least once in my lifetime to walk where Jesus walked!
Visit Kibbutz Ginossar on the Sea of Galilee to see an excavated boat dating from the time of Jesus, then drive to Cana, site of Jesus' first miracle, and Nazareth, His boyhood home. We drive south via the Jordan Valley to Beit She'an, an extraordinary excavation of an ancient Roman city, and Jericho, the oldest known city in the world. From the Tel we can see Elisha's Fountain and the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus fasted for 40 days. Continue our drive up to Jerusalem, highlight of our tour, arriving in time for dinner and overnight.
I clicked onto this web page with some beautiful photos of the Sea of Galilee and there is a photo of a replica boat!
Image source: http://www.bibleplaces.com/images/En_Gev_first_century_boat_model_tb_n112000.jpg
In the minds of many, there are two types of literature: very real stuff and fanciful stuff.
So where does this Bible story fit in?
It is rooted in very real stuff: lakes, boats, weather, people, etc. Yet, the whole walking on water stuff does sound amazing and so people wind up dismissing the whole thing.
I believe Jesus could do remarkable things. The empty tomb tells me he isn't ordinary. If Jesus could die on the Cross for my sins and rise from the dead in victory then walking on water is no biggie.
In religious writings, some of it is about ethics and how to live. Some material is about rituals. Some teachings is about why the world is the way it is. These things are often not tied to any historic moment in time. The Bible has its share of stuff like that.
But the center of Christianity is Christ... makes sense, eh? ... and He is rooted to a moment in time and walked in Israel.
When you read about the life of Jesus and you immerse yourself in the stories, you can feel the dirt under your feet (or water if you were Peter), the wood of boats in your hands and the wind at your face. That is why I love God and the Bible He preserved for us to read today. The God of the Bible is down to earth. Jesus rode on boats. Jesus hung out with fishermen. Jesus drew to himself the ordinary people.
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