When Jesus climbed the mountain

One fine day, Jesus left shores of Kinneret and ascended the mountain to deliver his famed Sermon on the Mount
Sefi Ben Yosef

It all started in Jericho. According to Christian tradition, Jesus, Joseph the cobbler’s son, had not yet been revealed as the Messiah. Following the Revelation, Jesus left John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, rested upon him.

At that point, Christian Scripture asserts, young Jesus, then in his early twenties, endured forty days and nights of tribulations in the Jericho area. After successfully passing this test, Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been sentenced to death. He subsequently left Jericho and returned to his hometown in the Galilee.

The beatitude

Christians believe that Jesus left the shores of the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) on a clear day and climbed what is today known as Mount Nachum, or Mount Beatitude. A bit of imagination helps the scene come alive.

If it was winter, Jesus would have found himself walking on a carpet of green grass, surrounded by endless colorful and fragrant flowers. But during the summer months, Jesus would have been forced to pick his way among the brown thorns and thistles.

Either way, Jesus would have surely been inspired by the breathtaking view, encompassing the blue Kinneret nestled between the Lower Galilee and the Golan, the shining water of the Beit Tzaide Valley and its marshes, the Jordan’s green estuary, the red-gray cliffs of the Arbel, the black double hump of the extinct Horns of Hittin volcano, and the verdant fields of the Ginnossar Valley.

Christian tradition states that once he reached the summit, Jesus delivered his famed Sermon on the Mount. The first part is commonly referred to as the Beatitude.

“Blessed,” Jesus declared, “Are the poor and meek and mourners, because they will inherit the kingdom of heaven, and they will be comforted and wealthy. Blessed are the hungry and the thirsty and the merciful and the pure of heart. Blessed are the peacemakers because they are the sons of God, etc.”

Over 1,900 years later, members of the Franciscan Order arrived at this spot. They hired architect Antonio Barluzzi‏, who had previously worked for Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The resulting compound, which was named after the Beatitude, includes a charming church building, a magnificent garden, a monastery, and a hostel for pilgrims.

In keeping with the site’s history, the eight Beatitude verses are etched into the octagonal church’s windows. Meanwhile, Peter’s seven sacraments are set into the mosaic floor.

The garden is even lovelier than the church. Enormous seventy-year-old trees, flower beds, and arbors provide a magical setting for the building above the Kinneret. In the end, it matters little that this may not have been the actual site of Jesus’ Sermon.

Getting there

Use the Lower Galilee hiking map (Map Number 3). Take Route 90 north from the Kinneret. Turn off at the “Beatitude” sign. Leave your car in the church’s courtyard.