"Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Genesis 13:17
Christian Tours
There is only one place in the entire world where you can walk in the footsteps of Jesus and that is in the Land of Israel!
A tour In the Footsteps of Jesus with tour guide Ilan Levin will take you back in time. Back to the Hills of Galilee and the alleys of Jerusalem where we will explore the Ministry of Jesus.
Together we will talk about the miracles and contemplate the teachings as we meet Jesus the boy, then the man. During our tour of Israel we try and understand the religious, social and political context of ancient Israel and Judea.
The classic Christian tours in Israel are to the region of Galilee and Jerusalem. These are the essentials!
Time permitting there are more options and areas to visit.
The TrekIs tours In the Footsteps of Jesus can be experienced as a day tour out of Tel Aviv, Haifa or Jerusalem. Its a classical day tour if arriving by cruise ship especially from the port of Haifa or Ashdod as well.
In the Footsteps of Jesus in Galilee
Our day begins as we enter the Galilee region. This is where most of the stories, the life and Ministry of Jesus took place.
First stop, Nazareth where our story begins. In Nazareth we will visit the Church of the Annunciation to hear about the meeting of Mary and the Angel Gabriel. This is also where the Immaculate Conception took place. Next door is the church of St Joseph with the story of Jesus the son of a carpenter and the role of Joseph in his life. Once finished in Nazareth our tour will take us deeper into Galilee, the region of miracles and teachings.
On our way we will drive past Cana, the site of the First Miracle where water is turned into wine. A short distance from Cana, following the path Jesus walked from Nazareth, is the Sea of Galilee.
Around the Sea of Galilee are some of the holiest and most important sites in the Christian world. This is one of the highlights for any Christian visit to Israel!
Once at the lake (its not a sea.. more about it when we arrive) we will visit its important sites and churches as time permits.
One of the most important stops is at Capernaum. In this village and the surrounding areas Jesus performs some of his most significant teachings and miracles. At Capernaum we will meet Simon though most people know him as Peter. We will get to see his house and hear about his life and his interactions with Jesus and the other disciples.
Capernaum also has one of the biggest and most important ancient Jewish synagogues with classical artistic features of the time.
We will visit or see Mount Beatitudes where the Sermon on the Mount took place and Peter's Primacy where Jesus confirms his choice of Simon Peter as his successor. Nearby is the Church of the Miracle of the Multiplication where a few fish and loaves of bread feed the multitude.
One of my favourite stops on the shores of the Sea of Galilee is at Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene. An amazing archaeological site and home to the oldest synagogue in the world that can be seen, almost 2,000 years old! Last but not least is the Jordan River with its baptismal site and turquoise water.
But the day is long and so is the drive back to Tel Aviv or your cruise ship in Haifa or Ashdod.
Jesus in Jerusalem
There is no place on earth like Jerusalem! The birthplace of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Every tour of Jerusalem will cover its 4000 years of history and the different religions and how each shaped the story of Jerusalem. On our tour the emphasis is on the life of Jesus in Jerusalem, better known as Holy Week.
A typical Jerusalem tour starts with an overview of the city from Mount Scopus or Mount of Olives. We get a bird's eye view of the holy sites of Jerusalem including the Temple Mount and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the layout of the Old City and the events that shaped its history. After the overview our journey will lead us to the Garden of Gethsemane to revisit the final hours in the life of Jesus leading to his arrest.
After Gethsemane will drive to one of the Gates leading into the Old City of Jerusalem, where our walking tour will begin. Once in the Old City of Jerusalem we will walk the four quarters (comfortable walking shoes needed!), the alleys and markets.
Our day will include Mount Zion with its holy sites of The Room of the Last Supper where we meet Jesus and his followers celebrating the Passover. Next to it is the Tomb of King David, father to the Messiah in Jewish and Christian traditions. Around the corner is the Church of the Dormition, marking the final resting place of the Virgin Mary before the Assumption took place.
The Jewish Quarter is home to the Wailing Wall. This is the same supporting wall of the Herodian Temple Mount that Jesus would have seen and touch and his numerous visits to Jerusalem (don't forget to prepare a note with your prayers to insert in a crack in the wall).
Once we leave the Wailing Wall area the Christian Quarter is next. Here we connect to the Via Dolorosa, the Road of Suffering, and our journey in the Footsteps of Jesus begins.
Not everyone walks the Via Dolorosa but for all of us it has an amazing story to tell. The Fourteen Stations of the Cross bring us into contact with Jesus in the last few hours of his life as he struggles under the weight of the cross to Golgotha, the Skull Shaped Hill. This is where our journey in Jerusalem usually ends and the expectation of the Second Coming begins.
