The Hills of Galilee
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison,
he returned to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which
was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali-- to fulfill what was said
through the prophet Isaiah: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way
to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people living in darkness
have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a
light has dawned." (Matthew
4:12-16)
Galilee means 'a ring' or 'circuit'. The term is used
of the region extending from the Litani River in Lebanon in the north to the Valley
of Jezreel in the south, and from the Mediterranean coast in the west to the Jordan
River in the east. The region 1,000 metres above sea level is known as Upper Galilee
and lies to the north of a line from the Bay of Acco to the Sea of Galilee. In
the first century this region was sparsely populated and densely wooded. The region
to the south below 1000 metres above sea level is known as Lower Galilee and includes
the Jezreel Valley. Here the climate is milder, the soil richer and the population
was more dense. Josephus says that in the first century there were 204 villages
in Galilee.
The first occasion when Galilee appears in the Bible
is in the context of "The king of Goyim in Gilgal" (Joshua 12:23), which
may best be translated as "king of the nations of Galilee". This reveals
the presence of distinct ethnic groups living in Galilee alongside the Israelite
tribes of Naphtali, Asher, Issachar and Zebulun, and later, Dan. So, under the
Monarchy, when Solomon needed to pay Hiram for supplies of wood and gold used
in the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, he offered him 20 towns in Galilee
as collateral (1 Kings 9:10-14; 2 Chronicles 8:1-2).
About the year 732 B.C. Tiglath-Pileser, the king of
Assyria, deported the Israelites living in Galilee. He replaced them with people
from Babylon and Syria (2 Kings 15:29; 17:24). It is probably for this reason
Isaiah describes the area as "Galilee of the Gentiles", since it was a
cosmopolitan mix of Jews, Aramaeans, Ituraeans, Phoenicians and Greeks. It seems
Galilee was wkays a melting pot of different ethnic groups (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew
4:15).
In consequence Galilee developed a reputation for independence
and rebellion against authority (Luke 13:1; Acts 5:37). Galileans also evolved
their own distinctive accent (Matthew 26:69, 73) and came to be despised by the
more legalistic Jews of Judea in the south. For example, when Nicodemus defended
Jesus before the Sanhedrin they replied sarcastically, "Are you from Galilee
too? Look into it and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."
(John 7:52). Their arrogance toward Galileans distorted their historical perspective
for the prophet Jonah, and probably Nahum and Hosea all came from Galilee.
Dividing Upper from Lower Galilee lies the Sea of Galilee.
In the First Century the great abundance of fish and shellfish found in the lake
attracted a large population in what became a continuous belt of villages along
its northern shore. Important fishing towns of more than 15,000 residents included
Capernaum and Bethsaida, which means 'house of fish'. Jesus chose Simon
Peter and his brother Andrew, together with James and his brother John from among
the fishermen of Galilee to be his disciples. In fact all but Judas Iscariot were,
like Jesus, from Galilee. He promised they too would become 'fishers of men' (Matthew
4:18-22; Luke 5:1-11). The Sea of Galilee was indeed the cradle of the gospel.
It is most significant therefore that Jesus chose to
base most of his ministry in Galilee. The hills and villages of Galilee provided
a dramatic backdrop for much of the gospel story. Capernaum, for instance, became
his home town (Matthew 9:1). Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding
in Cana and his last by the Sea of Galilee (John 2:11; 21:4-12). Indeed 25 of
his 33 recorded miracles were performed here. Likewise 19 of his 32 parables were
spoken in Galilee. This may have been because Galilee gave Jesus access to the
rest of the Roman Empire and beyond. Conveniently, the Via Maris, the international
highway from Egypt to Syria, passed along the northern shore near Capernaum. Galilee
also enjoyed comparative religious freedom from the priestly and pharisaical legalism
and prejudice found in Jerusalem.
Galilee was a microcosm of the world. Jesus made his
home there, equipped his disciples and developed his strategy to reach the entire
world from the "Galilee of the Gentiles". We all live in our own Galilee with
its multi-cultural tensions, its ethical challenges and gospel opportunities.
Jesus calls us to break down the barriers in our world, overcome our narrow prejudices
and share his liberating message in word and deed with everyone we meet, irrespective
of their gender, race or culture. Our Lord's words to his first disciples are
as much our own mandate too. "A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that
you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)