once heard an acronym for the word Bible: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. While the Bible is useful as an instruction manual, it is much more than that. It is humanity’s window into God’s character and personality.

The Bible is also a history book. While the Bible as history is a good read, it is still black and white and two-dimensional.

That changed for me in February 2005 when I was blessed to go on a two-week study tour of Israel. The time I spent in the Holy Land and the things I learned there turned my Bible into a full-color, 3D experience.

Sea of Galilee. Source: Ken C. Cross

We spent the first few days in the area around the Sea of Galilee. It is much larger than I thought from reading the Bible. One cloudy day, we went on a boat ride into the sea, and I could see why the disciples were so afraid when the storms rolled in.

"Seat of Moses" found in the ruins of the synagogue at Korazin. Ken C. Cross

In Korazin, we visited the ruins of the synagogue that was there in Jesus’ day. In those ruins is a unique item — the Seat of Moses, where the rabbi would sit to read the Torah to the congregation. This is the only Seat of Moses that has been found intact in all of Israel.

In Capernaum, things really came alive for me. Capernaum was Jesus’ home base for his ministry, and he performed numerous healings in the synagogue there.

The day before we visited Capernaum, my daily Bible reading included the passage in Mark, chapter 5, where Jesus healed Jarius’ daughter. Jarius, described as the “ruler” of the synagogue, would have lived nearby. Across the street from the synagogue are the ruins of a house that very well could have belonged to Jarius.

Entrance to the ruins of the syngagogue at Capernaum. Source: Ken C. Cross

Of course, during this time of year, the attention of Christians all over the world is on the birth of Jesus. On the tour, we saw a number of things related to the Christmas story.

We passed a farmer leading his donkey, and I thought of Mary and Joseph and their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They likely went through the region of Samaria rather than through the Jordan River Valley because of the steep ascent from 1300 feet below sea level to 2700 feet above sea level over 27 miles that would have been a part of that route.

Ruins of a house near the synagogue at Capernaum. Source: Ken C. Cross

The trip would have taken them roughly five and one-half days, as they would only have been able to cover 15-17 miles a day. Mary’s condition would have made it a long, hard ride on a donkey.

We were not scheduled to visit Bethlehem because it is on the Palestinian side of the separation barrier. However, our guide pulled a few strings and we were able to go.

We skipped the Church of the Nativity because the authenticity of the site is questionable. Instead, we went to an abandoned monastery that may have been located on the fields of Ruth and Boaz (King David’s great-grandparents).

The monastery was on a hill overlooking some fields. It was not hard to envision “shepherds watching their flocks by night” in those fields. Looking towards the northeast, we could see Jerusalem not far away.

A cave such as this, in the wilderness of Judea south of the Sea of Galilee, resembles the type of likely structure in which Jesus was born. Source: Ken C. Cross

The traditional Bethlehem nativity scene portrays a mostly wooden structure. However, most buildings and accessories in Israel were constructed of stone, which was much more prevalent and cheaper. It is likely that Jesus was born in a cave or stone structure than in a barn-like structure depicted in most nativity scenes.

In Megiddo, we saw a feeding trough dating from the time of Ahab. Baby Jesus would likely have been laid in something similar just after his birth.

A stone feeding trough found in the stables at Meggido; the trough dates from the time of King Ahab. It is likely that a trough like this is what the baby Jesus was laid in immediately after he was born. Source: Ken C. Cross

I consider myself extremely blessed to have taken the trip to Israel. I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity to travel to the Holy Land if such an opportunity presents itself; it will literally change your life. The time I spent there truly brought my Bible to life and enhanced my faith and relationship with God to levels I could only have imagined before.

View of Jerusalem from Bethlehem. Source: Ken C. Cross