My Rock of Ages

Some of my favorite places to visit in Galilee were not really connected with each other, but I want to take one post and talk about them. They include Nain, the Mount of Transfiguration, our Sabbath day meeting in Tiberias, and Caesarea Philippi. Nain is a small town that is located near to Nazareth. It was at this location that Jesus saw a funeral procession for a widow's son. I can just picture Him seeing the scene, the widow grieving at the loss of her only son. He must have been moved with compassion and the desire to ease the suffering of the widow. In fact, in Luke 7, it says that he was moved by compassion and said to the widow, "weep not." This gave me such an insight into what type of person Christ is and His great love for all. There, as the body of the son passed by, He commanded him to arise. When we visited Nain, there was a simple little church commemorating the event with a beautiful painting. I can imagine the Savior as He reacts to our pain and suffering by comforting us after being moved by compassion. It seems to be the basis for His tender mercies on our behalf. That church was just one stop in a long journey, but the event that happened there has deeply touched me.
From Nain, we traveled slightly north to the famous Mt. Tabor, the traditional site where Christ was transfigured with Peter, James, and John. The Catholics, once again, have built a magnificent chapel on top of the mountain. In the scriptures, it says that Moses, Elijah, and Elias (John the Baptist) appeared to them and gave them keys on top of the Mount. In response to this, Peter asks Christ if they can build three tabernacles, one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Christ. This church that the Catholics built has three different chapels, one for each of these men. The view from the top of Mt. Tabor is spectacular and Brother Huff told us that Spencer W. Kimball came to the top of this mountain and looked out over the valley below. He told those with him that he felt that site was the place where Christ was transfigured, but it isn't doctrine, so the real is site is still unknown. I realized as I walked around the top of Mt. Tabor that it was holy ground, just like a temple. It was there that God spoke and introduced His Son. It is like the Israeli-Sacred Grove.
On the Sabbath, we had the special privilege to go to the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and have our Sacrament Meeting with the Tiberias branch. The church there looks like a normal house from the outside. It is taken care of by service missionaries who live there. Once you see the view through the windows of the church, though, it is breathtaking. It is high on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee and as you have your Sabbath meeting, you can easily be distracted by the spectacular view behind the podium. The branch is small, with only about 25 members, but it is strong. The first member in modern Israel attends the branch. Our NT class doubled the number of people attending. It was a very spiritual meeting.
Lastly, I want to talk about Caesarea Philippi. It was the old capital of Herod's kingdom in Galilee at the foot of Mt. Hermon. The area is very green and beautiful thanks to the head waters of the Jordan River which springs out from the rock of the mount. Where the river starts, it seems to jump out from solid rock. It was cool to think of the similarity between that and the rock that Moses split to give the children of Israel water. On top of that, it was there that Christ asked His disciples, "whom say ye that I am?" and Peter answers, "thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." He who is the Living Waters taught His disciples at that very place that He is the Son of God. The fact that the water from Caesarea Philippi starts there and runs down through Israel is also symbolic. Just as the Jordan is the life blood of northern Israel, so is Christ our "life" on whom we depend. In the shade of the trees near the waters, we had a mini devotional/testimony meeting where I took the opportunity to stand and bear my testimony of Christ in the very same place where Peter did thousands of years ago. Then we sang the hymn, "how firm a foundation". As we sang from the third verse, tears came to my eyes and a comfort to my heart which I had been seeking as I sang, "Fear not! I am with thee, oh be not dismayed. For I am thy God and will still give thee aid!" I knew then that Christ knew what my doubts, worries, and fears were. He was letting me know that I could trust in Him that all would be ok. I was thankful for that powerful reminder. When we seek the Lords help and the direction of the Spirit, we are given it if we are doing what is right. Another example of the before mentioned tender mercy of Christ motivated by His compassion for me and all mankind.