Come to Israel, Day 4 continues. (2019)

Back on the road, we travelled north to the Tagbha area, to the Church of the Multiplication.  Back in Jesus’ time it was called Heptagon (the Seven Springs), but is now Tagbha (which means the same thing). 

   The image near the entrance to the church is in honor of Pope John Paul II, who visited the church during his papacy.

      Leo explained that this church is built on the site where Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish, and beneath the altar is an image representing those loaves and fishes. 

Inside, the church had a gorgeous tile entryway and an unusual, square font … as well as an unusual round Sanctuary.

    Beneath the altar was the top of a rock (with an eternal-looking candle burning there) and the tile design of loaves and fishes.  It is believed that this is the very spot where Jesus broke the loaves and fishes and placed them into baskets to be distributed.    

Leo explained that the whole area around the church had been buried at a time when Jewish renegades had tried to burn the church down.  The insides of the church were not badly damaged, though the outside was nearly destroyed.  He said that all of the many races of people living near the area helped the Benedictine Order (who cared for the church) to rebuild the entire outside of the church. 

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant (somewhere in Galilee); The chicken was good, but the “popular Tilapia Galilea”, was a real surprise!  Along with the “American” fries, the entire Tilapia (which looked nothing like our Tilapia) was delivered with head and all!    

While we were at lunch, it had started raining outside.  As we got back on the road, it became more like a torrent – short, but hard enough to cause muddy water, filled with rocks to flow across the road and down the side of the mount we were on!

The cars began slowly driving through it, so  our bus did, too, but we didn’t get too far.  As we drove away, it quickly became clear that some damage had been done to the bus by the flowing mudslide.

     This was all pretty scary – but then one of our men and a young woman decided to go and ask a guard for help. He was fully armed and truly didn’t look particularly pleased to see our bus stopped – or   our two friends coming toward him!  After some discussion, our guy headed back to the bus -- without the girl…

     But seconds later she followed him… with the guard!  He seemed actually pleased to be helping the (smart and slightly flirty) young woman walking back with him!!  He walked to the back of the bus and spoke with the driver and the other guys who’d gone outside.

     By now the guys outside had discovered a muddy rock, totally stuck between the bus’s double tires.  Obviously, we had no way to get it out, but the guard helpfully found a tool that did the trick.  Happily, we were on our way again, this time to Mount Tabor and the site of the Transfiguration…