The Jezreel Valley Where God Sows

On our third day in the land, we dodged rain showers. Our itinerary included various sites in the Jezreel Valley. This most fertile of valleys is rightly named "God sows."

We began the day at Bet Shean, one of the cities of the Decapolis. From there, we journeyed to Ein Harod where we remembered Gideon and God's victory over the Midianites. Later, we visited Jezreel, the city, and recalled just one of the many injustices of King Ahab and Jezebel. The story of Naboth and his vineyard still cries out for redemption.

The final stop before lunch was at Nain (Nein). Here we celebrated one of the miracles of Jesus, the raising of the widow's son. Only Luke records this event. In response to Jesus' compassionate act, the villagers declared that "a great prophet had risen in their midst." This response and the miracle sound strikingly similar to that of Elisha who raised a widow's son at Shunem (an area town).

From here, we left the Jezreel Valley and ascended the hills of the Lower Galilee to the city of Nazareth. The afternoon was extremely cold and rainy. But we persisted on and saw the Churches of the Annunciation, St. Joseph, St. Gabriel, and the Synagogue Church.