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“WHEN HE ENTERED CAPERNAUM,
A CENTURION CAME TO HIM, PLEADING WITH HIM,
"LORD, MY SERVANT IS LYING AT HOME,
PARALYZED, IN GREAT DISTRESS!"
MATTHEW 8
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| “In Capernaum we
walked by Peter’s house. We envisioned the
poor cripple being lowered through the roof, and the
amazement of the crowd when Jesus forgave his sins
and healed him! I thought back to what Jesus
had done in my life. Not long ago, in utter
spiritual poverty, I had lowered my “mat of pride”
and knelt before Him. With faith the size of a
mustard seed, I called Jesus “Lord.” Just as
He did for the cripple, Jesus began transforming me.
I stand amazed!” |
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Kristan Peterson
La Jolla, California |
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| Tonight
for our Bible Study I am teaching from John 6…the
fascinating proclamation by Jesus of being the Bread
of Life…the Manna from Heaven…and the controversy it
stirred up…and it all happened in the synagogue in
Capernaum! I can almost see it and hear it! |
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Pastor Joel Harpold
St. Albans, West Virginia |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Fourth century Synagogue at
Capernaum, Jesus' headquarters |
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"I always thought
I'd be much, much older when I got to Israel, but it
happened differently. I can only describe the
trip as a gift from God. I'm so glad I didn't do
this five minutes before I die. I've got the
rest of my life to sort it out, understand it, and
live it out.
The place I loved best was Capernaum, the
headquarters of Jesus' ministry where a good deal of
the town has been excavated. The synagogue is
quite beautiful, built in the fourth century, and is
reminiscent of early synagogues. Gila showed
us a corner of the room that had been excavated down
to the first century stone, the black rock, and
showed us where they had uncovered the cornerstone
of the first century synagogue. You can see it
there, the square jutting out of the right side.
As I took a photo, I realized Jesus would have been
here, literally, in this spot. This is the
actual place where he taught (John 6), 'I am the
bread of life.'
I was so moved, actually knowing the Messiah had
walked right where I could see, that my stomach
flopped around the way it would on a roller coaster.
Lost in thought, I vaguely heard Gila say that
Capernaum is the place the lady with the blood issue
took hold of Jesus' robe, what would have been
Jesus' tassels. She was telling one of my
favorite stories; a woman healed of her affliction
because of her faith...her faith! 'I have
faith,' I thought, and I stood there and wept,
overcome, knowing that this was closest I'd ever
felt to His actual presence." |
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Jennifer W., age 42
Columbia, Missouri |
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| "The sharing that
George and I did at Capernaum was a real moving of
the Holy Spirit. When you have been healed
from a disease, such as I was healed from cancer,
you need to share that so others can believe that
healing is real and possible. We all need to
expect that God can do the miraculous in our lives." |
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Ginger Samara (in the center of
the photo wearing the red hat)
North Canton,
Ohio |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Inspired by the healing of the
Centurion's servant and the paralytic man
lowered from the roof, American pilgrims offer a
prayer at Capernaum |
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"This Easter I am
celebrating with great joy and thanksgiving as it
marks one year from when the Lord truly resurrected
me from the dead. My life and body were a
model of Ezekiel 37 all the way -- dead, dried up
bones. The Lord rebuilt me after I had
suffered numerous mini strokes for two solid years.
I actually had to learn to walk all over again.
I was unable to talk, think, or move my arms
properly. At one point, my only contribution
to the day was breath -- CO2 for the plants.
On the very first day of touring, as I bent down to
pick up a shell in Caesarea, my knee came completely
out of socket and twisted in such a way I could not
get it back in. I was in so much pain, I could
not speak or get my knee to move back into the
socket. I just prayed my heart out -- the last
thing I was going to be was an inconvenience to
anyone or a party pooper for my son. I must
confess the thoughts of an emergency room did flash
through my mind, but at the speed of light so they
were discharged immediately. My knee finally
went back in, but it was not totally healed till we
prayed for healing in Capernaum. From that
point on, I could get on and off the bus with no
pain. My faith has certainly grown leaps and
bounds with
this one visit to Israel. Needless, to say,
this will be a very special Resurrection Day for
me." |
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Catherine Burnett (in the above
photo with hands raised)
La Palma, California |
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Photo: Gila Yudkin |
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Church built over the ruins of
Peter's mother-in-law's house |
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“Up to now the
gospel narratives were a series of stories, but now
they are a string of pictures. More so, I now
read with all my senses. I know what the
temperature and terrain feel like. I can smell
the air and hear the commotion.
When you think of a friend, you can picture their
face, where they live, what they do. Now that
I have seen where my friend walked and lived and
worked, I can feel his heart and see his face so
much more clearly.” |
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Rick Bernhardt
Santa Ynez, California |
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