1-min Devo:
- As we take in this site, let us not walk away without addressing the same question that Jesus asked His disciples ... "Who do YOU say that I am?"
- Caesarea was a site well known for its pagan worship.
- To say it was the "Las Vegas" of its day is probably an understatement.
- It is thought that the Jordan once flowed out of the large cave in the photos - since it was thought to hold a portal to the underworld, it was called the "Gates of Hades (Hell)."
- Therefore when Jesus says "...the Gates of Hell, shall not overcome" in response to Peter's confession, it is much more than a symbolic, allegorical reference.
- Ray Vander Laan has an interesting article on the Gates of Hell here: https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/gates-of-hell-article
REFLECTION: If you had been with Jesus and the disciples at Caesarea Philippi, how would you have responded to Jesus’ questions? What would you have based your answer on?
Photos (c) 2013 Chris Flanagan