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)