Your pilgrimage begins as you depart from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA, on an overnight flight.

You will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Bethlehem to enjoy dinner before retiring for the night. 

In Bethlehem, visit the cave where Jesus was born and the Church of the Nativity, considered the world’s oldest functioning church (Luke 2:1 -7). Gaze out over Shepherds’ Field, where angels first proclaimed the Good News (Luke 2:8 -20). Remember your baptism at the baptismal site of Qasr el Yehud (Bethany Beyond the Jordan), where tradition says Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17). 

Visit the Roman aqueduct and theatre at Caesarea Maritima, a center of early Christianity and where Paul was imprisoned for two years (Acts 23:33 -35). View Mount Carmel and recall Elijah’s dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Stop in Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matthew 2:19 -23). Visit the Church of the Annunciation and the Place of the Precipice. Conclude your day by visiting Cana, the site of Christ’s first miracle (John 2:1 -11).  

Worship as you sail across the Sea of Galilee. Visit the recently discovered first-century synagogue in Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene. Enjoy a scenic drive to Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matthew 4:13). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). Walk down to the Eremos Cave, thought to be where the disciples and Jesus would gather. Visit the Church of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha, the traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:10 -17). As you pray in the Chapel of the Primacy, remember how Peter professed his devotion three times to the risen Christ (John 21). Continue to Kursi, considered part of the region of the Gadarenes in Christ’s time, and remember where Christ cast the demons into the swine (Mark 5). See neighboring Bethsaida, where Jesus chose five of His disciples (Matt. 4:18-21; John 1:39-51).

At the ruins of Tel Dan, see the altar built by King Jeroboam I and learn about where the “House of David” fragment from the First Temple Period was discovered (1 Kings 12:28-30). Continue on to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter told the Lord, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” (Matthew 16:16). A scenic drive along the Golan Heights will give you some beautiful views of Syria and Jordan as well as Israel. Stop and see Wadi Hammon today as well. Celebrate your baptism at Yardenit on the Jordan River.

Travel to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd. Enjoy a visit to Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built by Herod that later became the final tragic stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Ride the cable car to the top to explore the fortress and look down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. On the way to Jerusalem, stop at the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, for an opportunity to take a quick dip in the mineral-laden waters. 

Walk the Temple Mount (conditions permitting), once the site of the Temple of Solomon and home to the Dome of the Rock (2 Chronicles 3). Spend time in prayer at the Western Wall (the only remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem) and sit on the Teaching Steps, where Jesus taught (Matthew 23). Enjoy a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem along the Cardo, once the main street of the city. See where Jesus healed on the Sabbath at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-8) and sing in the Church of St. Anne (mother to the Virgin Mary). Explore the Israel Museum and its first-century model of the City of Jerusalem. Another highlight is the museum’s Shrine of the Book exhibit showcasing the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah. 

Travel to Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, where Jesus visited on several occasions and raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Visit the Dormition Abbey, built to honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Recall the events of the Last Supper as you visit the traditional location of the Upper Room (Luke 22:7-38). Look inside the place revered as the Tomb of King David. Walk through the rooms of the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was held after His arrest (Matthew 26:57). Also, visit the Church of Bethpage, remembering the Palm Sunday celebration (Mark 11:1-11). Stand on the Mount of Olives for a remarkable view of Jerusalem (the Golden City); Jesus stood here before ascending into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-12). Walk to the Garden of Gethsemane and pray beneath the ancient olive trees (Luke 22:39-54).

Walk the Via Dolorosa (“the Way of the Cross”) and remember the Lord’s sacrificial love at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built over the traditional sites of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus (John 19). Share Holy Communion together at the Garden Tomb in celebration of His Resurrection (John 20).