The life of Jesus Christ, as narrated in the gospels, was played out in a relatively small geographical arena. He was born in Bethlehem; he grew up when Nazareth; his baptism took place at the Jordan River near Jericho; most of his public activity was carried out around the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he preached, narrated parables and worked miracles; and his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension all occurred in Jerusalem. Unlike the sites of the Old Testament, those of the New Testament saw the rise of sanctuaries, churches and chapels built within two or three centuries of the death of Jesus. For this reason, a number of these sites have some claim to authenticity, although, as with so much in the Holy Land, nothing is beyond dispute.
1. The Annunciation
At Nazareth Mary was visited by angel Gabriel and told of her forthcoming child (Luke 1:26-38)
2. The Birth of Jesus
In Bethlehem Jesus was born in a grotto an angel appeared to shepherds in nearby fields, telling them of the birth (Luke 2:1-20). A Church was first built on the sight in the fourth century and a star marks the alleged site of Nativity.
3. The Wedding at Cana
Jesus performed his first miracle at this small village near Nazareth at a wedding where he turned water into wine (John 2:1-11).
4. The Baptism of Christ
John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus, baptized and preached the coming of the Messian on the shores of the Jordan River. John recognized Jesus as the “Lamb of God” (Matthew 3). The site Traditionally identified with the baptism is east of Jericho on the Jordanian river. It lies in a military zone and is only accessible to pilgrims for the Greek Orthodox Epiphany in January and on the third Thursday of October.
5. The Temptations
Following his Baptism, Jesus went into the desert, where the devil tried to tempt him from his 40-day fast ( Matthew 4:1-11). The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Temptation on Mount Quarntal , just north of Jericho, marks the site of the supposed encounter.
6. The First Disciples
Christ’s first disciples were fishermen he encountered on the banks of the sea of Galilee. He persuaded them to leave their nets to become ”fishers of men” (Matthew 5:18-22). In the mid-1980s a fishing boat was discovered at the mud of the lake. It dates back to the 1st century AD, roughly the time of Christ, and is on display at Kibbutz Ginosar.
7. The Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes
The gospels locate this famous miracle, more colourfully known as the “feeding of the 5,000” (Matthew 15:32-39). The episode is commemorated in a church at Tabkha on the lake shore which has a mosaic in front of the altar showing a basket of bread flanked by fish.
8. Sermon on the Mount
The longest and one of the key sermons of Jesus, The Sermon on the Mount, begins with the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth…” (Matthew 5-7). Tradition has it delivered on a small rise at Tabkha. It is celebrated by the nearby octagonal Church of Beatitudes.
Jesus in Jerusalem
The Last Supper (Matthew 26: 18-30), traditionally associated with a room on Mount Zion
In what was to be the last week of his life, Jesus made a triumphal entrance into Jerusalem shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover. He proceeded to the Temple where he drove out the money changers (Matthew 21: 12–13). He gathered his Disciples to eat a Passover meal; this was to be the Last Supper. After the meal they went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26: 36–56). Condemned by the Jewish authorities, he was put on trial before Pontius Pilate, possibly in the Antonia Fortress or the Citadel (see p65). After being paraded through the city, he was crucified and buried at Golgotha, traditionally identified with the site of the Holy Sepulchre church. Following his Resurrection, Jesus departed earth with his Ascension from the Mount of Olives.
Diocese of Marbel Pilgrimage 