Jesus' ministry in the towns
and villages of Galilee

"As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out..." (Luke 7:12a).

In the footsteps of Jesus...

From Bethsaida, we head back to Nazareth to explore the Arab souk (market or bazaar) (right) and purchase some lunch items (it is our understanding that Nazareth has the best falafel in Galilee); also to try our hand at bargaining for souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home.

Even today the atmosphere seems quite similar to that at the time of Jesus. The streets are narrow, crowded and exotic. The deeper we go in the market, the smaller the shops become...and the lower the prices. Our guide cautions us to stay out of trench running down the center of the street as much as possible, for obvious reasons—it is the donkey trail. Within the tin-roofed shops is a wide assortment of goods for sale: shofars (ram's horn trumpets), scarves, leather belts and handbags, plastic buckets and jewelry, spices, coffee (small cups of a Turkish brand—hot, strong and sweet—are passed around to sample), kaffeyehs (Arab headdresses) and kippot (Jewish skullcaps). Be sure, we are told, to shop around and, above all, bargain over everything. Its expected, you know!

From Nazareth we head south on Road 60 to Afula, the commercial, administrative and transportation center for the Jezreel Valley. Because it lay on the Via Maris, the thoroughfare for armies and caravans making their way between Mesopotamia and Egypt, the Jezreel Valley was the scene of countless Old Testament-era battles. From Afula, we follow Road 65 up the hill, noting again the spectacular views of the Jezreel Valley on our right. The road passes Givat HaMore to the junction with a short road on the right, leading through fields of sunflowers, to the Arab village of Naim, Biblical Nain, on the lower slope of Mount Moreh.

Nain

At Nain, Jesus was moved to raise a widow's only son from the dead as his body was being taken for burial:

"Soon afterwards, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, 'Don't cry.' Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, 'Young man, I say to you, get up!' The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. 'A great prophet has appeared among us,' they said. 'God has come to help his people.' This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country" (Luke 7:11-17).

Right, modern Naim (ancient Nain) on the lower slope of Mount Moreh.

Right, Nain church overlooking Mount Tabor.

Nain (probably of Hebrew origin, meaning "beauty") is nestled on a plateau on the lower northwestern slopes of Har (mount) Moreh, southeast of Nazareth. Also known as "Little Hermon," Mount Moreh rises 1815 feet above sea level and is parallel to Mount Gilboa to the south. It was here in Old Testament times that Gideon and his army of 300, armed with trumpets, torches and swords, attacked and routed a superior force of Midainites (see Judges 7).

Medieval pilgrims mentioned a church at Nain that was later incorporated into a mosque. In 1181, the Franciscans built a modern chapel in the center of the town. Outside the village, to the west, are some tombs of a Roman necropolis (Greek city of the dead), in other words, a cemetery.

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