In anticipation of my pilgrimage to Israel, I hadn’t expected Caesarea Philippi to be one of my favorite places. But it was; I was struck by it’s unique beauty. Israel is full of unexpected natural beauty: the Dead Sea (who would have thought?), the Jordan River, the Judean desert, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sea of Galilee, to name just a few.
The allure of the terrain wasn’t at all on my mind before I arrived in Israel. I had most been looking forward to actually walking where my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had walked on earth over 2,ooo years ago. And I did that! This picture shows me on the southern steps of the Temple Mount. The Bible records that Jesus taught from these very steps:
Now that I’m remembering that moment, I’m getting chills! I guess that will be my next article!
Twenty five miles north of the Sea of Galilee, at the base of Mt. Hermon, we arrived in Caesarea Philippi and I was immediately attracted to my surroundings: the waterfall and the large cave at the top, the intricate carvings in the immense rock, the sounds of the rushing water, and the overall serenity of the place.
This enticing place was not always peaceful, though. Between 200 and 300 BC this area was used to worship the half-man half-goat god of Pan. The cave was referred to as the “gates of hell” because infants were sacrificed there to the god of Pan. We get our word “panic” from this reference. Yikes. That is certainly a dark past. So why is this spot on our Christian tour of Israel?
The Gospel of Mathew records Caesarea Philippi as the place where God revealed the divinity of Jesus to the Apostle Peter. Mathew 16:13-18: When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you”, he asked, “who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
Wow, that was huge! God spoke directly to Peter. And then Jesus changed Peter’s name and gave him the keys of the church! No wonder I was drawn to this place! Scripture describes many times when God changes a person’s name to signify that God has a new mission or a new identity for that person. I wonder what Peter was thinking that day! I wake up most mornings knowing exactly what I plan to do that day. Most days I’m pretty close, but some days end up being total surprises. I’m guessing that Peter was pretty surprised in Caesarea Philippi.
The waterfall that originates at Caesarea Philippi flows into the Jordan River. I purchased an empty bottle from the gift shop and filled it with water from this river. My mom is Catholic and I knew it would be a good gift for her. I always remember seeing little bottles of holy water in my parents’ and grandparents’ homes.
Back on the tour bus, on our way to the next stop, I look over the pictures I just took on my phone and ponder what next big mission God has in store for me.