Stop #7 – Capernaum
Historical Notes:
For Jesus, being “at home” meant being in Capernaum (Mark 2:1). For that reason, it is one of the most important locales in Jesus’ Galilean ministry. In fact, Capernaum and Jesus’ healing ministry are almost synonymous. Whenever Capernaum is mentioned, it is usually in relation to a healing of one of the many people who sought out Jesus there to be healed. Capernaum is the setting of the healing of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13), a man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:21-28), the government official’s son (John 4:46), Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-17), and the paralytic who was sent down through the roof (Mark 2:1-12). For this reason, Capernaum is the perfect location for looking at Jesus as a healer of bodies, hearts, and minds. A contemporary aspect of our trip to Capernaum comes in considering how God continues to heal those sick in body, heart, and mind. In Jesus’ day, Capernaum was an important and prosperous city, no doubt due to its location on the trade routes. In our day, it has been difficult to locate ancient Capernaum. Two sites on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee compete for designation as the city. The archaeological site Tell Hum is now identified as ancient Capernaum. Today’s visitors view a fascinating mile of ruins, including substantial remains of a third-century synagogue that may stand on the site of the synagogue of Jesus’ day.
Read two or more of the following stories:
Matthew 8:1-14
Matthew 9:18-19
Mark 7:31-37
Luke 4:38-41
Luke 5:12-16
Luke 13:10-14
Visit this delightfully personal tour of the ancient ruins of Capernaum.
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