I just returned from a week-long tour of Israel. I'm incredibly jetlagged–when I wake up, it takes a few seconds to remember what side of the Atlantic I'm on–and the whole trip still seems somewhat surreal, like I spent seven days walking around in a dream.

But it was a good dream, with highlights too numerous to count. I floated in the Dead Sea, waded in the Jordan River, climbed Masada (well, I took the cable car up), and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where many believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected.

However, for me, the most meaningful time was spent in Galilee. There we visited Nazareth, Capernaum, and the surrounding towns in the lush, hilly region where Jesus carried out much of his ministry. I always imagined Jesus traversing great distances between cities (probably projecting from my American context), but in Israel everything is smaller and closer together–including the cities. I was shocked when our tour guide informed us that the bulk of Jesus' ministry ...