Chapter 5
LAND OF ISRAEL, 1AD
INTRODUCTION
Never forget, you are someone’s gift. God has searched for a person like you to be His eyes and ears. God is counting on you. Be the someone another needs. Set an example. Don’t let the ways of the world cloud your vision.
Instead of singular individuals, God wanted a homerun. The Israelites were His homerun; His representatives to the world.
Called by God, Moses led the Hebrew people to “a land flowing with milk and honey.” In Palestine (Greek for Israel) the land produced rich crops, livestock happily grazed, and fishing filled many tummies.
Yet Yahweh also had a futuristic reason for choosing this land: travel. Major trading routes from throughout the world conversed through Palestine. Trade brought people to interact with the Israelites. If the nation stayed faithful to Yahweh, Yahweh’s message of hope and liberty could be carried by travelers back to their home bases. This tiny land area, about 10, 000 square miles (about the size of Massachusetts) had all the qualities Yahweh needed to evangelize the world. Unfortunately, with the continual forsaking of Yahweh’s best, the spread of the gospel did not take place until after the resurrection of Christ.
ISRAEL’S DIVERSE LAND
In the first century, the land of Israel was around 160 miles from north to south and around 85 miles from east to west at the widest portion and averaged around 50 miles wide. The main regions of Israel in the first century were Galilee to the north, Samaria in the middle, and Judea to the south. In addition, the Gentile areas of Decapolis and Perea were east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River.
For the Israelites, Galilee and Judea were their homebases. Although united in worship practices, significant differences existed between living in northern Galilee and southern Judea. Those living in Judea considered the Galileans as the unlearned, and the religious opportunities inferior: the Temple was in Judea; the academies for higher religious studies were in Judea; the great theologians lived in Judea. The unimportant lived in Galilee. “What good can come from Galilee?” (John 1:46).
GALILEE
Galilee also differed from Judea in many aspects of daily life. The rich soil of Galilee made agriculture an important staple of their lives. Olive and fruit trees were plentiful. Wheat, barley, and vegetable plants produced rich crops. The harvesting of grapes for wine consumption was a money crop. Because of their ability to supply much of their food needs, the cost of living was less than that of the Judeans.
Galilee also had many job opportunities. Beside day laborers for the fields, Galilee also manufactured pottery, had dyeworks, and produced glassware. Fishing was a profitable business. Since a major trade route traversed through Galilee, small businesses catering to the travelers were found along the route. Galilean men were also workers for the Roman expansion of the Roman city of Sephora. (source: Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah).
Galilee had two major cities: Tiberius and Sephora, both housing tens of thousands of residents. A few towns, such as Capernaum, had a thousand residents, but most of the hundreds of small villages were a few hundred people in size.
While Galilee had families of wealth with more substantial homes, smaller, two-three room homes were more common. An average home was built stone upon stone with plastered walls. Small windows were covered with lattice. The typical home had a front room and a back room for sleeping. The roof was paved with a hard substance and had an outer railing and an outside staircase for safety. The roof was used for sleeping in pleasant weather and drying food throughout the year. The roof, or upper room, sometimes had a covered section that could house a guest. Homes also shared an inner courtyard that had a cooking area, a well, and a spit for grinding corn.
SAMARIA
At the time of Christ, Galilee and Judea were separated by the region of Samaria. After the Assyrian invasion of northern Isreal, (2nd Kings), Assyria moved large groups of non-Israelites into the region. The few Hebrews left after the invasion, melded with the Assyrian captives into a religious mixture of beliefs and practices that aligned poorly with Hebrew teachings. Even 700 years later, in the first century, animosity was so strong that Israelites walked an additional 2-3 days to avoid Samaritan land when traveling from Galilee to Judea.
JUDEA
To the south of Samaria and east of the Jordan River, was Judea, the religious capital of Israel. Jerusalem served as the nation’s political capital and home of the Temple. Many medium size cities surrounded Jerusalem and were important in Biblical events. Among them were Bethsaida, Bethany, Bethlehem, and Jericho. The Dead Sea was on the western border of Judea.
If you were wealthy and made a bucket list of places to visit, you might list the pyramids of Egypt, the spectacular city of Rome, or a vacation on the Adriatic seashore. For Jewish adherents, their only wonder of the world was Jerusalem, the majestic Temple, and its services.
The city of Jerusalem, occupying over three hundred acres, was home to over 200,000 residents. The influential occupied the upper city. The High-Priest’s palace was in this area along with the palace of the Maccabees, which now housed members of the Roman ruling class. In the upper section of the city were the Xystos, an open gymnasium, and a large garden area. The center of Hebrew world, the Temple, had grown to over 35 acres in size. Around it, life developed.
Also, part of the nation of Judah in Biblical days, was the Negev Desert. An extremely large southern portion that served as a barrier between Judah proper and Egypt. This area was sparsely populated. In an area averaging less than 8 inches of rain per year, wild animals were still able to survive. “Wandering the desert are gazelles, ibexes, oryxes, hyenas, wolves, jackals, and even hedgehogs. In antiquity, the region was also home to a large number of Arabian and Asiatic animals, including ostriches, lions, and cheetahs. Until only a few years ago, leopards could still be found in the region.” (Source: biblicalarchaeology.org)
GENTILE REGIONS INFLUENCED BY JESUS
Finally, both Decapolis and Perea, west of Galilee and Judah, were regions controlled by Herod the Great’s son, Philip. These two were primary areas where Jesus ministered to the worldly Romans. Famous events such as the healing of the demon possessed man, feeding of the 4000, along with healing of the deaf and mute occurred.
CONCLUSION
Israel, in Biblical days, shared similar characteristics to today’s world. Political unrest occupied everyday life. The distrust of their leaders was evident. The religious elites were centered on protecting their domain.
Yet the everyday men and women were active community members, valuing relationships with family and friends above all else. The simplicity, and struggles, of meeting their own needs overrided other obligations. They understood that life was best lived enjoying everyday adventures.
The Journey 