In the ancient world, geography was spiritual.

Mountains weren’t just high places—they were sacred. Springs weren’t just water sources—they were portals. Two such places, separated by hundreds of miles but united by spiritual weight, stand out: Delphi in Greece and Banias (ancient Caesarea Philippi) in northern Israel.

Both were known as gateways to the divine—or to the underworld. But only one became the backdrop for the most important question ever asked.

When most people think of Jesus’ ministry, their minds leap to Jerusalem—the spiritual capital of Israel, home to the Temple, priests, and religious power. But Jesus didn’t establish His base there. He didn’t settle among the religious elite or political power brokers. Instead, He set up headquarters in a small fishing village on the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee: Capernaum.

This wasn’t random.

It was strategic.

There’s a moment that happens to almost every traveler in Israel. You’re standing on a rocky hillside in Galilee or beside the ancient stones of Jerusalem—and suddenly, Scripture stops feeling distant. It doesn’t just speak to you. It surrounds you.

It’s no longer words on a page. It’s real soil, real places, and a real Savior who walked among them.