Destination: Nazareth

These photos of Nazareth depict the shop where Joseph worked as a stone carver (carpenter). We also see the Church of the Annunciation, which features artworks of Mary and Jesus from all over the world.

This was one of the most exciting places to visit in Israel because we learned more about the family of Jesus and where they came from. I mean Nazareth is famous to all church-goers!

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We have 4 posts left in this Israel series: Nazareth, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, and What to Wear When Touring Israel.

Today let’s see the photos of Nazareth!!

Alan was able to join me for one last day of touring. We could not have been more excited to hop on that bus and head to Nazareth. This part of the town where the churches are located was a largely Muslim area. There is another part of Nazareth where the Jews live.

My day was off to an uplifting start.

Our first stop was a gift shop, where the store manager instructed his employee to give me a special discount for having such pretty blue eyes. Yes, flattery does work on me. I thoroughly enjoyed the compliment, but I didn’t actually buy anything.

I usually count my photos as my best souvenirs.

The Church of the Annunciation, also in Nazareth, had these beautiful murals of Mary with Jesus. Countries from all over the world each sent one.

from France

Why was Nazareth important?

Nazareth is where Jesus lived with his parents after they returned from hiding from King Herod in Egypt. It is also where Mary received the news that she would bear a son, the child of God, who would be called Emmanuel.

Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”       John 1:46

Did you know that Jesus visited Nazareth twice in his ministry, and was unwelcome both times?

In fact, once they tried to stone him there, but he got away.

“And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples followed him. 2And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. 4But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. 5And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. 6And he marveled because of their unbelief.”          ~Mark 6:1-6

The importance of the church of the Annunciation is that it is where Gabriel visited Mary.

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,”              Luke 1:26

Y’all, this area is extremely hilly, mountainous, and most of all BUMPY!

My Fitbit gave me credit for like 200 flights of stairs. No, I didn’t climb anywhere near that many, but apparently if you ride on an extremely rough road at a slow enough speed, the Fitbit believes you are mountain climbing.

The Sermon on the Mount mountain was not actually in Nazareth. We saw it during the van ride.

You can imagine my dismay when my camera could not handle the strong Israeli outlets.

My real camera was my photography tool of choice. I was extra careful to charge it before we left the hotel. The powerful outlet charged it super-fast, but what it actually did was fry my battery.

My camera battery died as soon as we reached the churches at the top of the hill. This may sound overly dramatic, but I totally wanted to cry over the fact that the rest of these photos are iPhone 5 quality, indoors. Sad, sad, sadness!!!

More Nazareth Photos:

I do not recall much more to tell you about these, but this is what it looked like:

“And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

Mark 1:23-28

The next place we went was Capernaum, and y’all, it was our FAVORITE.

The synagogue, referenced in the Bible, where Jesus taught and performed miracles, is still there. You can see it.

Yes, there’s a newer synagogue on top of it, which is so old, even it is from the 4th century AD, but they’ve excavated so that you can see the ruins of the entire town from the days of Jesus and his disciples.

Capernaum was the town that was the most spiritually moving to me, and I’m going to tell you all about it here.

Want to see more of my Israel trip? Here are a few of the other Israeli places I blogged about:

Jerusalem: Where Jesus was Crucified

Jaffa: One of the Oldest Seaports in the World

Or you can buy my whole ebook on the trip! I included full color photos and stories from every place we saw.

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The post 40 Photos of Nazareth: Where Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.