SEA OF GALILEE

Type: Place

Reading: Isaiah 9:1

It was along this large beautiful lake in northern Palistine that Jesus called his first disciples to follow him.

When Jesus walked on water, it was on the sea of Galilee. When he called his disciples, it was along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and when preached from boat, he was on the Sea of Galilee. This "sea" is actually a 13-mile-long freshwater lake in the district of Galilee in the northern part of the Holy Land. Shaped roughly like a harp, the Sea of Galilee is fed mainly by the Jordan River, which enters it from the north and flows out of the lake at its southern end. The Sea of Galilee lies about 700 feet below sea level and has a maximum depth of 150 feet.

Because of the high hills that surround the lake, abrupt temperature changes can occur on the water, causing sudden storms. It was probably such a storm that Jesus stilled with a simple command when his disciples feared that their fishing boat would sink. 

Other names for the Sea of Galilee are the Lake of Tiberius, the Sea of Genesaret, and the Sea of Chinnereth (from the Hebrew word for "harp-shapped"). There are numerous towns along the shores of the lake, including Tiberius, Magdala, Gennesaret, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Bethsaida was the home of the Apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip, and Capernaum served as Jesus's headquarters for part of his ministry.

INFORMATION: 

Jesus performed 18 of his 33 recorded miracles in the immediate neighborhood of the Sea of Galilee. Ten of these took place at Capernaum.

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