Jesus brought his disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi before his final journey to Jerusalem, as described in the Gospel of Matthew. They had been together for almost three years and were followed by crowds wherever they went. Here, in this northeastern area of Israel not frequented by pious Jews, Jesus would have some private time to prepare his disciples for the inevitable. Jesus, however, was a masterful, intentional teacher and storyteller. I had the privilege of visiting Caesarea Philippi, now known as Banias, in November Banias, on the foothills of the beautiful Mt.
Hermon, is lush and teeming with trees and wildlife. The beautifully shaded, rocky area gives shelter to rock badgers, or hyraxes, that scamper in and out of the crags. Driving from the northern Galilee region to this most northern area of Israel caused me to consider the long distances Jesus and his disciples walked.
I wondered if any of his disciples complained about their sore leg muscles like I would have. Some researchers say Jesus and his disciples would have traveled by boat from Magadan to Bethsaida before their trip to Caesarea Philippi. Bethsaida is located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This body of water is nearly ft below sea level. From there, they likely spent some days making the 25 mile ascent to Caesarea Philippi, which was located at an elevation 1, ft above sea level.
At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus and his disciples would have seen the largest rock formation in Israel with pagan statues and at least fourteen temples in the background. Without understanding the uniqueness of this visual context, a person reading Matthew might imagine the setting to be what classical painters of religious stories created.
Below is a painting without an accurate background. Ferocious waters gushed from a very large spring of this limestone cave. In ancient times, the water was fast-moving and would have propelled the bodies over the rocks, and death was guaranteed.
