Finding Jesus' Footsteps

One of the frustrations I had in Israel was that in many instances, the exact location of certain Biblical sites was not certain.  We ended up visiting three different potential sites of the tomb where Jesus was buried and resurrected.  Many of the places we visited we were told "This is where we think such and such happened, but no one knows for sure..."

Likely site of the crucifixion (where the trees are)

Likely site of Jesus' tomb

More than anything I'd wanted to spend time in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed the night he was arrested and led away to be crucified.  The site most people visit which is assumed to be the place doesn't coincide with what scripture says, so it's unlikely that this place was actually Gethsemane.  Amid my disappointment at this I felt God speaking to my heart; he knew that I longed to walk in Jesus' footsteps and see where his footprints had been.  He reminded me that Christ's footprints are all over my life and my heart, and that the point isn't to walk in his physical steps but in his spiritual ones.

Traditional (though unlikely) site of Gethsemane

There were several places we visited where we could be fairly certain that we were in fact walking where Jesus walked.  One such place was Kafur Nahum (Capernum), where Jesus began his earthly ministry.  It was in the synagogue there where Jesus first read the scriptures from Isaiah that prophesied his coming into the world.  In Jerusalem we visited Caiaphais' house, which is where Jesus was first on trial the night before he was crucified.  We stood in the place where he had likely been chained and scourged.

The synagogue in Capernum where Jesus read the scriptures about himself

The pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a man crippled from birth

Throughout our time in Israel we were reminded that the important thing was not that we were standing in the exact place where certain events transpired many years ago.  The important thing is that we are preparing our hearts right now for what God wants to do in our lives.  God calls us to follow in the footsteps of Christ today, not necessarily those from two thousand years ago.  He calls us to walk in the acts of service and love that Christ modeled for us, and to continue following him even when we are uncertain where he will lead us.  This has been encouraging to my heart lately, and also exciting to think about the places we will go and the extreme joy we experience in walking the path God lays out for us!  

Shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus met his disciples after the resurrection