36.1 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee, And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulon and Naphtali, Matt. 4:12-13
36.2 "Capernaum" (Caper Na'um) could mean "Beautiful Village", or (Caper Nahum) could mean "Village of Nahum." Nahum was an Old Testament prophet. "Beautiful Village" seems to be the real meaning since Nahum was an "Elkoshite." (see Nahum 1:1)
36.3 The village was indeed beautiful. It sat on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Snow capped Mt. Hermon could be seen in the distance. In Jesus' day the lake was a little lower than it is now. Capernaum had a shallow harbor created by low rock walls built in a half circle. Just south of the circle, springs bubbled up into the lake, making it an ideal place for fishermen. Olive orchards in the area made the little village even prettier. Wheat and other grains grew in the fields. Flowers covered nearby hills.
36.4 Archaeologists have discovered the ancient town and restored as much of it as they could. It was about 1,000 feet from the East end to the West end. From South to North (or from lakeside to hillside), it was about 600 feet; large enough for about 1,500 people. Although it was mainly a fishing village, farmers, artisans and factory workers lived there also. The factory workers made glass bottles and jars. The art of making glass was a recent discovery, but fine examples of molded cups and mugs were already being made. Other artisans made stone jars, or carved basalt rocks into grinding stones. They also shaped the basalt building blocks.
(see "artifacts")36.5 Since Capernaum was on the "Beth-Shan" highway connecting Damascus with Egypt, there was a custom's house, and a garrison of Roman soldiers. Relations between the Roman soldiers and the Jewish population seem to have been good however. The Roman Centurion actually built a synagogue for the people.
36.6 Peter's house was about 100 feet south of the synagogue. It was actually only one of three small houses surrounding a courtyard. Andrew (Peter's brother), lived in one of the houses, while Peter's mother-in-law lived in the other one. The south end of the courtyard was open. Cooking, eating, and much of the work were all done in the courtyard. The houses were for storing personal belongings, and for sleeping in bad weather.
36.7 Jesus lived with Peter. We know this because of Roman tax laws.. Peter paid taxes for himself and Jesus because Jesus was living in the same house. (see Matthew 17:24-27)
36.8 Capernaum was a good place for Jesus to live. He made the town his headquarters for evangelism during his second year of ministry. Good roads connected it to other towns in Galilee. He could also travel by boat to the towns surrounding the lake.
36.9 Capernaum was also far enough away from Jerusalem and Tiberias that Jesus could do his work without being bothered by the religious Jews, or by the wicked king Herod. In fact, during his ministry Jesus seems to have avoided the big cities except for Jerusalem.
36.10 Another good reason for Jesus to live in Capernaum was the fact that his disciples lived there. Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew all had homes in the village. Phillip and Nathaniel came from Bethsaida, about five miles away. Simon the Caananite, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), and Thaddaeus no doubt lived somewhere close by. Judas was the only disciple who did not come from Galilee.
Discussion: Do you think Jesus was happy in Capernaum?
Memory verse: And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum. Matthew 4:13a
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