SHS: Matthew 16-17; Mark 9: Luke 9

Matthew 16:

2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Sunset views from our balcony at the BYU Jerusalem Center.

Matthew 16:

13 ¶ When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Cæsarea Philippi current goes by the name of Banias. Since Arabic doesn't have a letter P, the letter B serves as its substitute. Thus Banias could also be called Panias, which is appropriate since this Roman era town was centered on the cult of the god Pan. Banias sits at the southwest foot of Mt Hermon. The spring that flows forth out of the rocks at Banias is one of the three headwaters of the Jordan River.

The rocky cliffs that rise to the north of Cæsarea Philippi serve as a fitting back drop for Jesus' conversation with Peter (whose name means rock) and for referring to Peter and/or revelation and/or the gospel as the rock.  More water flows in March (above) after the winter rains than in May (two above) when the dry summer season has begun.

 Banias Spring.

Young figs hanging over the beginning of the Banias River.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Statue of Peter holding the keys at Capernaum.

 Matthew 17:

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

 

There are three traditional sites for the "high mountain apart." All fit the description. Mt. Hermon (#2 in the far north of the above map) (9,232 ft) rises above Caeserea Philippi which makes it an easy climb if the chronology in Matthew 16-17 is correct with the transfiguration coming right after the rock conversation between Jesus and Peter. Mt. Tabor (#2  in the center of the map) (1,886 ft) is a few hour walk from Nazareth and is very much a mountain set apart. It is easy to imagine that Jesus would have been very familiar with this mountain given his many years in Nazareth. Latter-day Saints from Apostles down to paltry pilgrims on a ten day tour to the Holy Land love to debate backed with quotes from church leaders whether Hermon or Tabor is the correct mount. Mt Meron  (3,963 ft) in the western Galilee is also a high mountain set apart that some consider a likely candidate.

Source: https://www.casualenglishbible.com/casual-english-bible-maps-luke/

Mt. Hermon with two Druze villages below. The mountain sits at the southern end of the anti-Lebanon Mountain range and at the northern edge of the Golan Heights. It was part of Syria until the 1967 war when Israel conquered, occupied and then annexed the strategic territory. Israel has since built a ski area on the western end (left) mountain.

Read a recent Power Magazine article about skiing Mt. Hermon here: https://www.powder.com/stories/features/the-israeli-ski-community-on-the-worlds-most-militarized-border/
Some day I hope to ski Mt. Hermon. When he comes again I'm sure Jesus will be an avid skier.

Looking east across the Huleh Valley to Mt Hermon in the hazy distance. Photo taken from the mountains to the west of the Huleh Valley that form the border between Israel and Lebanon.

 The tall summit of Hermon peaks above the haze.
 

Nimrod's castle (an Arab fortress) sits astride the foot hills of Hermon. Banias is below at the base of the Mountain. The Huleh Valley is below. It is easy to see the strategic location of the Golan Heights when controlled by Syria as it loomed over Israel's Huleh valley. The Jordan River on the east side of the valley served as the Israel/Syrian border.

Mt Meron from the north with the Arab village of Jish in the foreground.

Mt. Tabor from the North. The Church of the Transfiguration can been seen on its summit.

 Looking northeast to Mt. Tabor from Nain.

View from Mt Carmel across the Jezreel Valley (aka Valley of Armageddon) to Mt Tabor which rises (left of center) in the middle of the valley and is therefore set apart from other "mountains" (actually hills from a Utah perspective) in the Galilee.

From Mt Carmel with the hills of the lower Galilee where Nazareth is located (center) and Mt Tabor (right).

Church of the Transfiguration (Franciscan) on the eastern edge of the summit of Mt Tabor.

 Jesus, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James and John.

Welcome Home Sarah

Today was the day. Sarah completed her 19 months of service in the Utah Ogden Mission and the Utah Layton Mission. We were told that we could pick her up at 9:30 pm at the mission home in Fruit Heights.

 First hug.

 With President Call.

President and Sister Call opened up the newly organized Layton Mission in July. Sarah was transferred into this mission from the Ogden mission.

Also going home (she flies home to Bakersfield, California tomorrow) is Sister Lamb. She and Sarah served together in Kaysville for six months.

We enjoyed ice cream with the other departing missionaries and one other family from Washington who drove down to pick up their daughter. We then had a grand tour of Sarah's latest mission area by driving through two trailer parks and an apartment complex where most of the Francis Peak Ward (Spanish speaking) members live and where Sarah spent most of her time serving and teaching. As we drove through the trailer parks Sarah had something to tell about almost every trailer.  They're Adventist, they're Catholic, they're Polynesian, that's the guy that I invited to Church and he came, that's where sister so-and-so lives, that's where the little boy climbed a ladder up on the roof, that's were the woman we baptized lives..... There was joy in her voice as she remembered all the people, interested and not, that she interacted with over her eight months in Kaysville.

Half way home we stopped at a Maverick gas station on 90th south for Aunt Rachel to give Sarah a big hug.

So happy to have her home.

FYI flags from top left: USA, Mexico, Argentina, Utah. bottom from left: Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. The flags from Latin America represent some of the countries where people she taught, served and worship with come from.

SHS: Matthew 14–15; Mark 6–7; John 5–6

Matthew 14:

3 ¶ For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.

4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6 But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.

9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

Machaerus is the eastern most of Herod's many fortress. It sits strategically on a hill top on the eastern side of the Dead Sea in the southernmost portion of Herod Antipas' territory of Perea. It is the site where John the Baptist was imprisoned and where he was beheaded.

Source: Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands
 
View from the north. Roman Pillars can be see on the west (right) end of the summit,

Approach from the east.

Site of Herod's palace.

Read more about Machaerus here: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/machaerus-beyond-the-beheading-of-john-the-baptist/

And more from my blog post: http://beitemmett.blogspot.com/2010/06/machaerus.html

Matthew 14;

15 ¶ And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

16 But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18 He said, Bring them hither to me.

19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Enjoying St. Peter's fish at a restaurant on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Source: Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands

Tabgha, located between Capernaum and Magdala is the traditional site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

At the heart of this church at Tabgha is a Byzantine mosaic of a basket of loaves and two fish.

Matthew 14:

34 ¶ And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;

The plain of Gennesaret. The cluster of trees in the center hides the pumping station that brings water up and out of the Sea of Galilee to then be carried via the National Water Carrier to other parts of Israel. Mt Arbel is on the right and the flat topped Horns of Hittin, where Saladin defeat the Crusaders is in the distance. This view is from the Mt of Beatitudes.

Mark 6:

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

A map of ancient Galilee. The Historical Atlas by William Shepherd, circa 1923

During the time of Jesus the city of Sepphoris, just a few miles to the northwest of the tiny village of Nazareth, was rebuilt into a lovely Roman city by Herod Antipas. This building of this city offers some perspective about what Jesus being a carpenter might mean.  More likely than not he was a stone mason.  My BYU colleagues Bill Hamblin and Dan Peterson explain:

"[D]uring the time of Jesus, Sepphoris was probably a relatively large and bustling city that employed many construction workers. And that’s precisely what Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, was. The Gospels call him a “tekton” (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3), which is traditionally translated as “carpenter” but can also mean “artisan” or “builder,” and which, given Palestine’s rocky and treeless character, very likely means that he was a stone mason. (Even today, almost all construction in Israel uses stone.)

By contrast, Nazareth was a tiny town in the Savior’s lifetime, offering little work. It’s easy, though, to imagine Jesus walking to and from Sepphoris every day with his father — about an hour each way — as he learned the family building craft. And traces of this background may appear in his teachings, where, for example, he describes a wise man who built his house upon a rock (Matthew 7:24), announces (with a pun on Peter’s name) that his church will be built upon “rock” (Matthew 16:18), and refers to himself as a stone rejected by the builders (Mark 12:10; compare Romans 9:33 and 1 Corinthians 10:4)."

Read more here: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865653225/Sepphoris---The-ornament-of-the-Galilee.html

The Arab village of Saffuriya before 1948 on the site of ancient Sepphoris. The roman city and Arab city are both good examples of a city on a hill.

Following the 1948 war in which many residents of Saffuriya fled, the Arab town was razed by the new State of Israel and trees planted among the stone rubbel fo the home. An Israeli moshav called Zippori was built at the base of the hill.
 

The northwest quarter of Nazareth is called the Saffuriya Quarter after the residents who fled Saffuriya (the tree covered hill with the Ottoman fortress on top) for the safety of the monasteries and churches in Nazareth and who now live in this quarter which looks out on their former homes.

In the past three decades, excavations at Zippori/Saffuriya/Sepphoris have revealed amazing Roman era mosaics and structures.

Roan theater.

Roman homes and villas. Nazareth is located on the hills in the distance.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_%22Mona_Lisa_of_the_Galilee%22_(possibly_Venus),_part_of_the_Dionysus_mosaic_floor_in_Sepphoris_(Diocaesarea),_Israel_(15004387483).jpg

Perhaps the most famous discovery from the excavations was a lovely third century mosaic called the Mona Lisa of the Galilee.

John 5:

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.

When I first visited Jerusalem in 1979 (on a TWA tour) a sheep market still existed just outside the northeast corner of the walled city to the north of Lion's Gate and just on the other side of the wall from the site of the Pool of Bethesda.

A Palestinian Shepherdess at the sheep market.

This map sows the location of the pools at the time of Jesus.

This map shows the Byzantine Churches of Jerusalem including St Mary's at the Sheep Pool which was built over the Pools of Bethesda.

The Byzantine and Crusader ruins at the Pools of Bethesda.

The crusader Church of St. Anne (dedicated to the mother of Mary) now stands by the pools.

John 6:

24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

Among the many items excavated at Capernaum are these grain mills used to grind wheat into flour. They serve as good reminders that Capernaum was located in a wheat growing area and bread would have been a dietery staple.

"In such mills the grain was ground into regular flour. The mill (mola) consisted of three parts, the lower millstone (mēta), the upper stone (catīllus), and the framework that surrounded and supported the latter and furnished the means to turn it upon the mēta. The mēta was, as the name suggests, a cone shaped stone (A) resting on a bed of masonry (B) with a raised rim, between which and the lower edge of the mēta the flour was collected. In the upper part of the mēta a beam (C) was mortised, ending above in an iron pin or pivot (D), on which hung and turned the framework that supported the catīllus. The catīllus (E) itself was shaped something like an hourglass, or two funnels joined at their necks. The upper funnel served as a hopper into which the grain was poured; the lower funnel fitted closely over the mēta."

Source: The Private Life of the Romans https://www.forumromanum.org/life/johnston_8.html

This forth century synagogue in Capernaum.

The fourth century synagogue was built of limestone. It is built atop where an earlier synagogue of basalt--from the time of Jeuss--was located.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.