Israel Familiarization Trip for Pastors

The day has arrived, and we depart JFK traveling overnight to Israel.

Today we arrive at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. Time permitting we visit Jaffa, where Peter had his vision on the roof top of the house of Simon the Tanner. 

🌙 Overnight in Tel Aviv
🍴Dinner included today

Today we drive to Caesarea Maritima, a magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile convert to Christianity (Acts 10), and on the travels of Paul – those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become a springboard of the spread of Christianity to the west. We continue to Mount Carmel, where we consider the contest between Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18), discussing the reasons why Elijah chose this place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. We visit Tel Megiddo, reflecting on the future end of days battle between good and evil mentioned in Revelation 16:16 and the return of Christ. At Megiddo we also see the Solomon city gate, stables and palaces from the time of Ahab, an ancient high place, and an impressive water system dating to the 9th century BC. We then head to Nazareth, where we visit the Church of the Annunciation which was built over the traditional site of the house of Mary. We visit the Upper Basilica and the nearby archaeological museum and see the remains of Nazareth from the time of Jesus. We depart for the Sea of Galilee area, passing Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle.

🌙 Overnight in Sea of Galilee area
🍴Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today

We begin our day sailing on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of a boat from the time of Jesus. We dock at Ginosar, where we visit the ancient boat museum, containing a 2000-year-old fishing boat. We visit Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene. We see the remains of the town’s 1st century synagogue, the oldest discovered on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Then its on to the Mount of Beatitudes, where we reflect on Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. In Tabgha we visit the Church of Peter’s Primacy, where Jesus appeared to his disciples for the third time after the Resurrection. Stopping for lunch, we have the opportunity to try “St. Peter’s Fish,” which was commonly eaten by people in the time of Jesus (non-fish options also available). After lunch we visit Capernaum, Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. We see the house of Peter’s mother-in-law and Capernaum’s ancient synagogue. Finally, we visit the Yardenit Baptismal Site, where there will be an opportunity to be baptized. Please note that there is a cost of approximately $15 to rent a baptismal gown and have access to the changing rooms.

🌙 Overnight in Sea of Galilee area
🍴Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today

This morning we leave the area of Galilee, driving south through the Jordan River Valley. We stop at Beth Shean, the capital of the Decapolis. Here we see the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine cities and discuss the demise of King Saul and his sons, whose bodies were hanged on the walls of Beth Shean. Continuing south we make our way to Bet Arabah, where the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, where Elijah was taken to heaven, and where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. We then drive to Jericho where we see a Sycamore Tree reminding us of the encounter between Jesus and Zaccheus. We visit Tel Jericho, where we see the location of the city at the time of Joshua and, from a distance, the Mount of Temptation. En route to Jerusalem, we stop to view Wadi Qelt, which is believed by some to be the “Shadow of Death” of Psalm 23.

🌙 Overnight in Jerusalem
🍴Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today

We begin our day on the Mount of Olives, where we enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem. We walk along Palm Sunday Road, stopping at Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over the city. We proceed to Mount Zion where we visit the Upper Room, or Cenacle, which commemorate the Last Supper. We head to the Israeli Museum, where we visit the Shrine of the Book, home to some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We also see a model of Jerusalem as it looked in the 1st Century AD. We make our way towards Bethlehem, visiting the Shepherds’ Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Jesus. These fields are also the setting for some of the events of the book of Ruth. In Bethlehem we visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, where we see what is, according to ancient tradition, the place of Jesus’ birth.

🌙 Overnight in Jerusalem
🍴Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today

This morning we visit the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. We ascend the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Temple stood until its destruction in 70 AD. Here we reflect on Jesus’ ministry at the Temple, seeing the Dome of the Rock, a possible location of the Holy of Holies. We visit the Church of St. Anne, a perfectly intact Crusader church where it is customary to sing a song together, sometimes will fellow Christians from around the world. We will view the nearby Pools of Bethesda, where the healing at the pool took place (John 5). We depart Jerusalem for Masada, visiting the ancient fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73/74 AD with their standoff against the Romans. We proceed to Qumran where we visit the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered and the buildings that formed the public center of the Essenes. Time and weather permitting we will enjoy a float on the Dead Sea

🌙 Overnight in Jerusalem
🍴Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today

We begin our day at the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent the night before his crucifixion. We also see the nearby Gethsemane cave where Jesus often spent the night and where he was arrested by the High Priest’s guards.  We walk along the Kidron Valley, seeing “Absalom’s Tomb,” the Gihon Spring, and the Water Gate. We visit the House of Caiaphas, St. Peter in Gallicantu, where we see parts of the streets on which Jesus was dragged by his captors, and a dungeon where he was kept overnight. We move on to the Old City, where we visit Ecce Homo, the site named for Pontius Pilate’s words, “Behold the man,” and where Jesus was beaten, crowned with thorns, and clothed in a purple robe. We walk the Via Dolorosa following the traditional route of Jesus on his way to the cross. At the end of this route we visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of two proposed sites for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. In the afternoon we visit the Garden Tomb, the other proposed site. Your flight home may depart either tonight or the next day. 

🌙 Overnight in Jerusalem or return flight home
🍴Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today

Your flight home may depart either the previous night or today. If today and time allow, breakfast is included today. Either way, today we arrive back at home.