Israel Part 3: Jaffa and Caesarea by the Sea
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| Our first view of the Mediterranean Sea from Jaffa |
From Jaffa, you will recall that Peter sets out for Caesarea by the Sea to meet a gentile believer, Cornelius. This meeting between Peter and Cornelius turns out to be the avenue by which The Holy Spirit opens the New Covenant to the gentiles.
This. Is. Good. News!
So, in a sense, I think of Cornelius as an ancestor to all of the gentiles who have come to faith in Israel's Messiah. It was surreal to visit both Jaffa and Caesarea and recall that it was on that very real estate that God began calling the nations...calling me...to Himself.
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| This is the site of the home of Simon the Tanner |
1 Now [there was] a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the [Jewish] people and prayed to God continually. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had [just] come in and said to him, "Cornelius!" 4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 "Now dispatch [some] men to Joppa and send for a man [named] Simon, who is also called Peter; 6 he is staying with a tanner [named] Simon, whose house is by the sea." - Act 10:1-6 NASB
While we did visit Caesarea, there was no structure there to show us where Cornelius may have lived. We did see ruins from Herod's Palace, the Roman aqueduct, and the very beautiful Mediterranean Sea. I will weave the rest of the history of Cornelius within those pictures. Enjoy!
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| Part of Herod's Caesarea Palace now under the sea |
24 On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped [him.] 26 But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am [just] a man." - Act 10:24-26 NASB
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| Abby exploring the ruins of Herod's Caesarea Palace |
27 As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled. 28 And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and [yet] God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. 29 "That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me." 30 Cornelius said, "Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments, 31 and he said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. - Act 10:27-31 NASB
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| What a treat to be able to put our feet into the Mediterranean Sea! |
32 'Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon [the] tanner by the sea.' 33 "So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord." 34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand [now] that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. - Act 10:32-35 NASB
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| Roman aqueduct at Caesarea |
38 "[You know of] Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and [how] He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 "We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 "God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, [that is,] to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 "And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." - Act 10:38-43 NASB
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| Selfie at Caesarea |
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. - Act 10:44-45 NASB (emphasis mine)
Isn't that beautiful! And it happened at Caesarea by the Sea!
From that time forward, gentiles have been grafted into God's plan for Israel. Gentile believers have not replaced Israel, as Paul explains in Romans 11. "For if their rejection leads to the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" Romans 11:15
Therefore dear reader, that is what our entire journey to Israel was about. Visiting the places where Jesus lived, ministered, and saved...and realizing that by their rejection, the Jewish people have opened salvation to all the nations by God's divine plan.
Let the horror and beauty of that sink in for a moment...
That is why our team motto was "From the Uttermost Back to Jerusalem," because our team of gentile believers feels a calling to take Jesus back to the Jewish people.
Their acceptance will be beautiful, but if no one tells them...how will they know?
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| Abby at the aqueduct |
Has God placed a burden on your heart for the Jewish people?
Please pray for them, and consider learning more about the work that Christian Ministry to Israel (CMI) does in Israel. CMI supports several families who represent Jesus to the Jewish and Arab populations in The Land.
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| Selfie at the aqueduct in Caesarea |
CMI also leads teams, like the team Abby and I traveled with to Israel every 18 months. The next travel dates have already been set for March 2020. Click HERE for more info.
This could be you in 2020...learning, ministering, witnessing, and posing in The Holy Land. If you would like more information about CMI or becoming a CMI Israel team member in 2020, please reach out to me. I would love to share how you can support taking Jesus back to the people of The Land. Shalom! Need to catch up on this series? Israel Part 1: Welcome to Caesarea Philippi Israel Part 2: Meeting the People of The Land
And Next...
Israel Part 5: Ascending to the Temple MountIsrael Part 6: Unusual Souvenirs Israel Part 7: Forgiving Dan |
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