Nazareth Village

We visited the town of Nazareth.  Of course it is today a 21 century city.  Busy and built up.  Archeologist know where the original town was, the one Jesus grew up in.  About 5 miles from there there is a village that has been recreated to be like it was in the 1st century.  We visited there and it was really a fun part of our trip.  The land is very terraced in Israel so there are winding paths with rock walls and everything happens in layers.

200 hundred year old tree

We saw how the gardens grew and where the people would have walked to get water, tend their fields and flocks, visit one another.

olive press

We saw an olive press and learned about how important olive oil was to life back then.  It was fun to watch the donkey press the olives.  Olive oil was used for everything.  The oil from the first press was holy and used for anointing. The next press was used for cooking and many other uses.  The third press would be used for lighting lamps and making soaps and other more course uses.  Pretty much everything was based on that little plant.

sheep fold

Sheep, as it turns out, are not very smart animals.  They need the constant care and attention of the shepard to survive.  We learned (not here but it's find for recounting purposes) that the goats and sheep that are in the fields together are very different animals.  The goats are resources and smart.  They can smell water from far away and will go to it to drink.  They know their families and will wander back to them.  The sheep need to be led to water or they will die even if they are pretty close to it.  They are marked to separate them by the owners because they are too dumb to know where the belong.  The shepard gives his whole life to caring for and protecting the sheep.  

It's curious that we are the sheep of the shepard.  We really can't do much about our salvation with out His care.  He guides us a long and keeps us safe.

oil lamp

olive press

dyeing wool