"Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?"..."Come and See!"

This is modern day Nazareth, today it is known as the Arab capital of Israel.

These are some pictures of Nazareth as it is today, I just love all the color in the plants.

Interesting roof tops, I think anyway.

This was the childhood home of Jesus. So cool to think that he roamed these hills.

This is the entrance to, ( you guessed it) Nazareth Village. This is a living representation of rural life in 1st Century Galilee. The village has a synagogue, an olive press, a vineyard, houses and many of the aspects of life about which Jesus spoke.

An olive tree. I love the narliness of the trunk. Our guide, a Christian Arab, sharing profound thoughts of course. (Christian Arab, a true minority that is for sure!!)

Close up of the olives on the tree. I read that olives are harvested in the green to purple stage. Close to ready I would say. (Olive expert that I am!)

 

These guys are harvesting the olives.

Do you know what this is? Oh, I had to be told too, and I remember thinking oh I didn't get that right when I made up my own picture of what a Threshing Floor was. ( I was thinking wooden floor for some odd reason, maybe it's because I'm odd!!)  Shush... you don't need to confirm that thought at all! :)
Quick fact: The threshing floor (used to harvest wheat, or grain) was flat and hardened by the passing of oxen over the sheaves, sometimes pulling a sled designed to separate the grain from the husks. After the threshing process, the stalks and grain were thrown up into the air so that the wind might blow the unwanted chaff away and leave the valuable kernels. This was known as winnowing.
What's interesting to me is the size of the threshing floor, the trees are on the outside edge of the floor and the rest of the picture is the floor. (I didn't get the whole thing in this shot) Big eh?

This is a shepherd, he has sheep in the enclosure.(duh) The village has people dressed as 1st century citizens would dress and doing the various activities of the day and time.

I just thought this guy was interesting so I took a few pictures.

So, what do you think he is thinking? Easy money? Oh boy tourists again? 

Umm.. I'm hungry?

Ok, this is interesting! Can you see that the guide is standing on a wine press? If you look closely you can see impressions carved into the rock. Where the guide is standing is where the grapes are arranged and the workers squash the grapes with their feet and the juice would flow down to the lower side. ( the direction that he is walking).

Oh, there is so much more to the winepress, but I can't remember all the details and I don't want to bore you, so just have a look see. I'm impressed that it's so big and carved right into the rock.

The Olive Press. Olives are harvested in the fall and brought to the press where a large millstone crushes the fruit to produce virgin oil. (the first press).

So what you are seeing is the press that produces the "Virgin Olive Oil" that so many like to use.

The millstone is huge and it is heavy. (Helps me understand the "millstone tied around the neck" in the scriptures)  Once they get the oil from the first press, then the olives go to a beam press which extracts the second-grade oil from the pulp. Olive oil is used for food, lighting, cosmetics and anointing.

"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?....." Just a note: the English translation uses carpenter which reflects the European notion that a builder primarily works with wood. But the word in Greek to describe Joseph and his son is literally "builder" which can indicate woodworking or more likely in ancient Galilee, stone. Like today, stone was more readily available than wood and was the primary building material. (notice the walls)

The guide indicated that houses in first century Nazareth usually had the work shop towards the front of the home. On the walls are some of the tools of the time period.

And as you go farther in then you get to the living area, this is the kitchen.

Typically women did the spinning and weaving at home.

Some of the handiwork.

Good thing I wasn't a first century Jewish woman, I would have gone hungry and cold.

This, I believe, is the outside of the synagogue. Notice the windows. No glass on them, just open spaces.

This is the inside, and it has the dimensions and style of synagogues that Jesus would teach in. Did you know that in the time of Jesus, there was no separation of the sexes in the synagogues, the women were very active in religious life in the first century. The table there with the scrolls holds the "scriptures" that will be read. The "scriptures" can't be read unless there are 10 adult males present.

The opening in toward the back of the room just right of center is where the "scriptures" were kept.

Luke 4:16-21, talks about Jesus teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. Nazareth is the place where Jesus testifies of Himself as the Messiah. "....this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."  I wonder if I would have been able to fully grasp what he was teaching if I would have been present that day? Many that heard that with their own ears, and saw him with their own eyes "were filled with wrath" (Luke 4:28)

Just before John Lund presented a fireside of sorts we sang a few primary songs about Jesus and I just have to say that I teared up somewhat, it was really hard not to! Such a neat place to sing songs about Jesus.

Hey, just a thought that came out of the fireside: Notice that Christ never used his divine qualities to help with his mortal journey. Satan was constantly tempting him to do that very thing.(turn this stone to bread, etc..) Hence, when Christ says "Come, follow me." we know that we, as mortals, can truly follow Him, he was the example in all things. We have all the tools necessary to return home and to become like Him. We have the ability (with His help) do we have the willingness?

Back to the actually building. Notice the windows, they are wide toward the inside of the building and tapered to the outside, that is for the circulation of the air in the building. (remember this is a hot country!!)

This is the roof from the inside, they have timbers for the cross beams, then reeds over them, and a plaster on top of the reeds, finally they put a soil on the plaster to soak up the rain.

Whew, finally done, I sure hope you stayed with me!! I guess if your reading this you did, ya hoo, thanks for that!! I'm so grateful that I got to "run where, Jesus walked", it really does help to bring the scriptures to life. Thanks for coming on the journey with me. Hopefully you'll learn a few things, have a few grins and maybe even giggles. :)  I know I'm remembering more!