ALWAYS NEARBY

Jesus saw a vast crowd. He pitied them for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them at great length.
Mark 6:34

Another hillside photo ushers me back to Tabgha. This is the place where many believe Jesus fed the multitudes with a few fish and loaves of bread. I wonder what it was like to be among the crowds who saw all that Jesus did. I wonder what it must it have been like to get to know him more personally…

Our guide shared that a community of Jewish Christians likely occupied that area from Jesus’ time for perhaps four centuries. Egeria, a Spanish pilgrim from 380 C.E., wrote her observations when she visited this place. She’d found rock formations which were considered memorials of the three events which occurred there: the Sermon on the Mount, the feeding with loaves and fishes and a post-resurrection appearance to the apostles. Though it is possible that all three events occurred as was believed, modern scholars suggest that this may not be the case.

Once again, I must restate that the locations of Jesus’ activities mean far less to me than all that he did. Though Jesus may not have taught in Tabgha, he certainly taught with his every word and deed wherever he walked. Though the loaves and fish may not have fed a full five thousand that day, Jesus certainly exhibited his compassion for the people in a memorable way. Perhaps this also wasn’t a place Jesus visited after he rose from the dead. His assertion that there is life after this life lives on regardless.

Even today, I continue to give thanks for the opportunity to walk where Jesus walked, to breathe the air Jesus breathed and to see the sights Jesus saw. Whether as near as his closest friends or as distant as the crowds who watched from afar, simply being there mattered to me.

Being there for one another is just as important these days. Let’s be creative and share the love!

Dear God, thank you for the gift of Jesus’ life among us.

©2023 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved