Mount of the Beatitudes

What a peaceful and beautiful place. It is easy to see why Jesus picked this spot to teach the people. This hillside gently slopes down to the Sea of Galilee. It is a stunning view of the surrounding area. A small church has been built over the rock upon which Jesus would sit while talking with the people.  The altar is the exact spot of the rock.

This hillside (Sea of Galilee a bit hazy in the background) made a very beautiful and natural amphitheatre in a parklike setting.

My first thought was "there are way too many people here."  But I really looked at them. These people were from all over the world. All colors, all styles of dress and all languages, coming just to be closer to Jesus and see where he taught.

Reflecting on what a magnificent spot this was if all the people would just go away, I started laughing at myself. Didn't Jesus feed 5,000 people here?   Yes, with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.  Today, there were not even close to 5,000 people here,  I should be happy there were people here who wanted to be closer to Jesus just as they did over 2,000 years ago. His message was so simple and so needed during the troubled times of Roman oppression.



Just down the hill is the small fishing town of Capernaum.  A sleeping little village right next to the lake.  Here Jesus stayed with Peter and his family during his ministry. You can see it in the distance in this pic below taken at the Mount of Beatitudes.

Just down the road about two miles is another small village by the sea called Magdelena. Yes, this is where Mary (of) Magdelene was from. This town's people would salt the fish to preserve them when the fisherman brought them into shore.  A smaller and not as nice of a village as Capernaum from my viewpoint.