After a super fun lunch of St. Peter’s Fish, we drove to the Mount of Beattitudes or Mt. Eremos. This is the view as you first walk into the area. Mt. Eremos is what where The Sermon on The Mount is believed to have taken place.
The path leads to the Church of the BeAtitudes. The church has eight sides for the eight Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are shown in Latin in the upper windows. One day and we’d already visited three beautiful churches!
The views from Mt. Eremos are breathtaking. It provides a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee towards Tiberias and Capernaum.
I noticed many bougainvillaea bushes in Israel. My dad has always loved these beautiful flowering bushes. We had them in Mexico and our home in South Texas. They were blooming beautifully in Israel, but the ones on the Beatitudes Mount were especially gorgeous!
After walking around and enjoying the beautiful grounds we sat down under a canopy overlooking The Sea of Galilee and listened the The Sermon on the Mount, on what is believed to be THAT mountain. Wow! (I keep saying that!) Here is the Beatitudes portion:
Matthew 5-7 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
The walk back to the tour bus seemed even more beautiful after that.
Truly this is a gorgeous place to visit! “Jesus was here. He walked here, talked here. He saw this same water and lands that I’m seeing right now!” is what kept going through my mind.
From the Mount we traveled to Capernaum…
I kept thinking that, too, as I was looking at your photos. The eyes of Jesus saw those same mountains. (Of course I realize that He’s alive to this day and still sees these things.) Overwhelming.
It really was incredible! Like you say, I know it’s true, but seeing it was amazing!
How special to be able to be where Jesus was and to listen to what He preached on that same spot!
It was amazing!
Oh this is so beautiful! I would love to be here… sigh.
I hope you get the chance one day!