Time in Galilee–Capernum & Magdala

I knew going to hills above the Sea of Galilee where Jesus likely preached the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7) and Capernaum, the town in and around which Jesus did much of his public ministry, would be powerful … it did not disappoint.  To see the Synagogue in Capernaum and see how close Peter’s mother-in-law’s house was to it (something I had never thought of) brought goosebumps for sure.  Spending time on the Sea of Galilee and its shores brought a more vivid picture of to my imagination of Jesus teaching than anything I’ve conjured up from photos. However, the real surprise was visiting the town of Magdala at the end of the day.  Magdala is the town of Mary Magdelene – one of Jesus’ most famous and faithful disciples.  I could write volumes about this experience but sufice it to say for now that I was reminded at this place of how radically empowering Jesus was of women especially in the context of how they were viewed in the first century.  The fact even that a women is mentioned with the town from which she is from, is amazing from a 1st century perspective.