16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for
they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will
make you fish for people.’ 18And immediately they left their nets
and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of
Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20Immediately
he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired
men, and followed him. Mark 1:16-20
The Jesus Boat
I love archeology, so I was surprised and delighted to learn
that several years ago, during a drought on the Sea of Galilee, a boat dubbed The Jesus Boat was unearthed at the
bottom of the lake. Is this the boat
that Jesus actually rode in? While there is no evidence to prove that
conclusively, we do know that it is dated from the 1st century, and
is the size and kind that was used for fishing during Jesus’ time.
Some might ask, “Does the Jesus Boat really matter? Isn’t the story a matter of faith, after all?”
And to me, the answer is “Yes and yes.”
Isn’t it lucky to live in a time where we can not only be
surrounded by the important stories of the life of Jesus that have come down to
us through the centuries, but also be presented with concrete historical
objects that amplify the story? I think
Robin Williams is right when he reminds us that number seven of the Top Ten
Reasons To Be Episcopalian is that we
don’t have to check our intellects at the door.
I spent time recently at a museum of natural history, where
I was very much sensitized and intrigued by seeing and touching extant
artifacts of dinosaurs and fossils. Today,
I am exploring a centuries-old fish story
and pondering that often asked question, “How quickly would I throw down my nets if asked to?” I’ll take a look at the Jesus Boat
information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee_Boat to explore a wonderful concrete object that exemplifies this story.
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