Our morning begins at the port city of Caesarea built by Herod the Great (Matt. 2). This was the second largest harbor in the Roman Empire during the first century. At Caesarea, Peter visited the gentile centurion Cornelius (Acts 10), and he and his household became the first gentile followers of Jesus. The Apostle Paul remained under house arrest in Caesarea for two and a half years. Here he stood before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa II (Acts 23-25). From the harbor of Caesarea, Paul sailed to Rome leaving Israel for the last time. While at the site, we will visit the ancient theater with its magnificent view overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We will see Herod the Great’s palace that served as the residence of the Roman officials in the land, like Pontius Pilate. We will remember Pilate’s governorship of Judaea by looking at a replica of a stone inscription mentioning Pilate dedicating a temple to the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Our visit takes us through the ancient stadium and harbor and ends looking at the ancient aqueduct of Caesarea that supplied the city with its water. After departing Caesarea, we travel to the boyhood home of Jesus, Nazareth. We visit the Church of the Annunciation, built over the traditional place where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-37). The church is built on top of the ancient village of Nazareth, and we will visit a small museum that shows some of the finds and homes from the village. We then overlook of the Jezreel Valley from Mount Precipice. From this vantage point, we will see the settings for several biblical stories. We will end our visit in Nazareth by spending a few hours with members of some Israeli Arab churches that Grace Church supports. Dinner and overnight at our hotel on the Sea of Galilee.

Today we travel into the Golan Heights and the upper Jordan Valley. Our day begins at the nature reserve of Dan. The ancient city of Dan, which formed the northern boundary of biblical Israel, sits on the Dan Spring, one of the three tributaries of the Jordan River. In addition to walking through the beautiful nature reserve, we will visit the ancient site of Dan seeing its high place (1 Kings 12:29), Israelite gate, and the Middle Bronze Age gate from the time of Abraham (Gen. 14:14). Next, we travel to Banias, ancient Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13; Mark 8:27). Near Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” From Banias, we drive up into the foothills of Mount Hermon (Ps. 133) and into the Golan Heights. At a high overlook on the Israel-Syrian border, we look into Syria towards Damascus. Our day concludes with a visit to a reconstructed ancient Jewish village, Katzrin. Here you will be able to visualize village life in the time of the New Testament. Dinner and overnight on the Sea of Galilee.

Our journey today focuses upon the ministry of Jesus around the Sea of Galilee. Our morning begins at Arbel which provides a breathtaking view of the Ginnosar Valley and the northern stretch of the Sea of Galilee. Next, we travel to one of the most exciting and important ongoing archaeological excavations in Israel, Magdala. Here we will visit one of the few, excavated, first century synagogues in the land of Israel. Its date coincides with the time of Jesus ministry in the area. We will also see wealthy homes from the village, as well as the first century harbor. we travel to St. Peter’s Primacy, which remembers Jesus’ meeting with his disciples upon the shores of the lake. From St. Peter’s Primacy, we travel next to the ancient town of Capernaum where Jesus made his home around the lake (Matt. 4:13). Here he healed the centurion’s servant (Matt. 8:5). The magnificent limestone synagogue of the fourth century AD has been party reconstructed and looms over the site. We then journey to Almagor, which overlooks the Beitsaida Valley where the Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee, and where Jesus fed the 5,000 (Luke 9:10-17). Our travel takes us to Chorazin one of the three cities cursed by Jesus (Matt. 11:21; Luke 10:13). At this site, we see the ancient homes and Jewish ritual immersion pools, as well as the magnificent basalt synagogue from the fifth century AD. Inside the synagogue is a replica of a Seat of Moses (Matt. 23:2). From Chorazin, we visit the small museum at Kibbutz Ginnosar that houses an ancient boat discovered in the 1980s in the Sea of Galilee. This boat dates to the first century and was a boat used by fisherman on the lake. Our day concludes with an evening boat-ride on the Sea of Galilee. The ancient fishermen fished the lake at night. Riding on the waters of the lake in the evening offers a unique opportunity to connect with Jesus and his disciples on the lake. Dinner and overnight at the hotel on the Sea of Galilee.

Today we drive from the Sea of Galilee, the lowest fresh-water lake in the world, through the Jordan River Valley, to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Our first stop is the ancient city of Beth-Shean. The impressive ruins of the Greco-Roman city sit underneath the shadow of the earlier more ancient ruins perched atop the tel of the city. From Beth-Shean, we travel to the baptismal site of Qsar el-Yahud, near to the modern and ancient city of Jericho. We travel next to the site of Qumran. In caves around the site, the world-famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Qumran was the settlement of the community that produced many of the Dead Sea Scrolls. After visiting Qumran, we travel to our hotel on the Dead Sea, where we can float in the Dead Sea and relax for the evening. Dinner and overnight at our hotel on the Dead Sea.

Our first stop is the desert palace-fortress built by Herod the Great, Masada. During the First Jewish Revolt (AD 66-73), Jewish rebels lived on Masada until they were surrounded by the Tenth Roman Legion. According to the first century Jewish historian Josephus, the rebels chose to commit suicide instead of slavery and death at the hands of the Romans. While visiting the site, we will see the palaces of Herod the Great, his bath houses and store-rooms. We will also see buildings converted by the Jewish rebels for their use, like the synagogue. Evidence of the Roman siege can be seen in the siege ramp and Roman camps that surround Masada. After Masada, we visit the oasis of En Gedi where David sought refuge from Saul. From En Gedi, we drive to the overlook of the Wadi Qilt, the ancient road between Jerusalem and Jericho. This was the setting for Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). On Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem, he used this road as he came from Jericho to Jerusalem (Luke 19:1-11). Our day concludes by driving to Jerusalem and having our first view of the Holy City from the Mount of Olives. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Jerusalem.

We begin our morning in Jerusalem with a visit to the Temple Mount, one of the most significant and contested religious sites in the world. From there, we continue to the City of David, the oldest part of Jerusalem, where King David established his capital. Next, we explore the Southern Wall excavations, walking the first-century street where shops and markets once thrived—possibly the location of the money changers (Luke 19:45–48). We then ascend the Southern Steps, where ancient pilgrims entered the Temple. For lunch, we make our way to Mahaneh Yehudah, Jerusalem’s bustling open-air market, where we’ll have the opportunity to sample a wide variety of local cuisines. In the afternoon, we visit the Israel Museum, home to the remarkable scale model of first-century Jerusalem and the Shrine of the Book, which houses portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls—some of the oldest surviving biblical texts. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.