Geography 101 - the triangle of Jesus ministry

"Think small"
 "Adjust your mindset in terms of distance"
"Don't think Canada in terms of size"
Ongoing reminder from our tour guide and an ongoing process of adjustment for us.  After all you can put Israel on the same sheet of paper as the whole Okanagan or all of British Columbia or even all of Canada.  It is a matter of scale. So what did I learn as I adjusted to issues of scale.

GLOBAL MULTI-CULTURAL IMPACT GROWS OUT OF VERY LOCALIZED FOCUS
Part of the adjustment of scale included an understanding of the area of Jesus ministry.  I did not realize that Jesus spent the majority of his ministry time within a small triangle at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee.  The triangle is formed by three cities: Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Biblical scholar Daniel W. Casey (1) suggests that the total ministry time here was as high 80%.  All 12 of his disciples, with the possible exception of Judas were from the Galilee area.  This verifies the label given to the disciples in Acts 1:11 and 2:7, as "men of Galilee" or "Galileans". The Nelson Illustrated Bible Dictionary estimates that 18/33 of the recorded miracles were performed in this small area and 25/33 in the general Galilee area.  

Jesus made his home in Capernaum, probably in the home of Peter.  What struck me is the believed proximity of Peter's house to the synagogue.  Even if it is not as believed, things would not have been far apart since Capernaum is thought to have only 1500 people at the time of Jesus. The house is close to the water which makes sense for a fisherman.  As everywhere, people build on the ruins of the past. The synagogue, whose ruins are from the 4th century, is believed to have been built on the ruins of the synagogue present at the time of Jesus.  A 5th century AD church was built over what the Christians at that time understood to be St. Peter's house.  Today a modern church stands on top of it but built in such a way that a part of the original building can be seen.  

Layout of Capernaum at the time of Jesus.

View from the synagogue looking over to supposed location of Peter's house.

The synagogue in the background. Picture taken from the supposed location of Peter's house shows foundations of buildings that would have been between synagogue and house.

Despite the surmises made, the reality of Jesus living in a city (town by our standards) among people became more real to me. The proximity of Peter's house and the synagogue to each other and the sea where Peter caught his fish and ran his business allowed me to envision Jesus being part of everyday life.  On the Sabbath, the synagogue was an important place for him as indicated in the following passage. Yet at the same time he transitioned so naturally and quickly into the cares of every day life
And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 3“Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.  And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

​And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon's house. Now Simon's mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. Luke 4:31-39 (ESV)

The more I study this, I begin to see Jesus's strategic plan.  For three years, he will be the Rabbi (teacher) for twelve men he has chosen.  He will live among the people in a small geographical area and call one place—Capernaum—his home. Certainly at the end of Christ's life it seemed that little had been accomplished. The cities he focussed on rejected him. One of the twelve betrayed him and the other eleven did not stand with him in his hour of greatest need and trial.  Of course the resurrection was a great victory but only a few seemed to have believed.  Yet it was to explode with the dramatic addition of 3000 when the disciple were empowered with the Holy Spirit..

View of the Sea of Galilee. All days were cloudy and rainy.

COMING TO GRIPS WITH THOSE WHO REJECT THE MESSAGE OF CHRIST
Even after seeing all these miracles, the citizens of these cities rejected the Son of God.  I find that amazing but obviously had not read passages such as Matthew 11:20-24 and Luke 10:13-14 with the kind of understanding resulting from 'being on location'.  My mindset—where Jesus was present and did great miracles, people believed. But NOT SO! In fact the rejection was so strong that Christ denounced them and warned that judgement on the rest paragons of wickedness—Tyre, Sidon, Sodom—would be more "bearable" at the Great Day than for them. This rejection puts contemporary rejection around us into perspective.  Although we need to witness with wisdom, creativity, passion, clarity and integrity, we also need to realize that at some point, certain people, in their blindness and sinfulness, will reject the truths of Christ, no matter what. We need to feel no more guilt than Christ did at that point.

WE WILL ALL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT WE ARE GIVEN
On the other hand, we need to feel the weight of responsibility concerning what we are given.
I echo George Robinson's observation.
It is a stunning warning to any who have seen first hand the goodness of the Lord and grown numb to it (He. 6:1-6). (3). It should be an arresting thought to covenant children who have never known a day that they were not aware of the manifold grace of God in Christ (Lk. 13:34, 35). And it should be a halting consideration to all ministers of the Gospel who can grow cold in their handling of holy things (Ja. 3:1).

BE FAITHFUL WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED
Sometimes I have longed for a more wide reaching ministry than what I was given. But over the years God has quietly and repeatedly reminded me that I am to be faithful where he sends me and leave the rest up to him.  I thank God for social media and other encounters that give me enough of a glimpse of what God is doing with what I gave him to be at peace. And I thank God for the present ministry which allows me to 'go deep' with a few key individuals and churches in Canada and Eurasia​.  

1 (http://www.seetheholyland.net/tag/el-tell)
2 (https://firstpresaugusta.org/resource/chorazin-bethsaida-capernaum-the-evangelical-triangle-mt-111-24-2/)
3)   Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. Hebrews 6:1-6 (ESV)