Writing about this stop, I feel like the apostle John when he said, “…And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:30,31).
So many things occurred in Christ’s life in and around this beautiful body of water that I could scarcely scratch the significant surface if I was writing a thick volume, much less a blog post. It was the area from which the apostles predominantly emerged. It was the large lake from which miraculous catches of fish were brought in and cooked by apostolic families and even, on occasion, by the Lord himself (John 21:1-14)…and where once, a fish was caught in a display of glory holding a coin in in it’s mouth—a coin that would teach a lesson that’s still teaching (Matthew 17:24-27). These are the waters that were quieted during a storm by the Master (Mark 4:39) and solidified for His steps (Matthew 14:26). These are the waters that gave him a platform for teaching multitudes and gave Him solace for approaching His Father (Matthew 14:22,23). If the waves today could talk, they would boast of the privilege of being the sea of the Lord. 
And yet they do talk; not miraculously, but they surely whispered his glory to me as I was privileged to sit with Kate and talk about the Lord’s authority in the Digging Deep podcast. The gentle roar of the Galilee wind in our microphones whispered His peace that still solaces. The depths of those mid-sea waters re-told the story of Jesus’ ministry in my meditation as we took our excursion by ship. And as we watched the rising sun from its shoreline singing “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”, moved to tears, I contemplated the reason He was walking this same shore and the dread that, because of His humanity, must have filled each busy day as He grew closer to the cross. As I saw the remains of a first-century fishing boat,
recently discovered when the waters of Galilee were very low, I could picture the Lord standing on it’s bow, addressing the shoreline crowd, as he did on that borrowed ship 2000 years ago. (Luke 5:1-4). (Isn’t it profound to think of the Creator stooping to borrow…anything?!)
From our little excursion ship, we surveyed the beautiful and surprisingly large lake, also called Gennesaret, and we sang:
The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will…Peace. Be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
Or demons or men or whatever it be,
No water can swallow the ship where lies
The master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey Thy Will
Peace. Be still.
Kabad was everywhere around us!
(Master, the Tempest is Raging;
Text: Mary Ann Baker, ca. 1874′ ,Music: H. R. Palmer, 1834–1907)
