Jesus cures people in Khinnerót.

Mark 6.53-55, Matthew 14.34-36, John 6.22-24.

Sometimes I gotta remind people the authors of the gospels weren’t writing biographies of Jesus; they weren’t writing histories, though there’s plenty of historical stuff in there. They were writing gospels, a whole different genre of literature. They were declaring the kingdom of God, with Jesus as its king—and showing us why Jesus is its king, ’cause he merits it through what he taught and did.

So the gospels aren’t written in chronological order—though they will record Jesus’s birth or baptism first, and death and resurrection last. That’s why they won’t always line up. The synoptics often will because Matthew and Luke largely follow Mark’s order, but John often does its own thing.

This is why, after Jesus and Peter walk on water, the gospels go in different directions.

• Mark heads south to Khinnerót (KJV “Gennesaret”), a town about 8km from Capharnaum.
• Matthew goes along with Mark.
• John goes to Capharnaum.

Readers get their choice as to how to interpret this divergence. Some skeptics claim this is a flat-out contradiction: Jesus was either in Khinnerót or Capharnaum, and you don’t get to say, “Well, Capharnaum is close to Khinnerót”—nope; Jesus is either in one place or t’other, not both. Others point out this doesn’t need to be a contradiction—maybe Jesus landed in Khinnerót, then walked the 8 klicks to Capharnaum, and by the time people found him in John he was home.

Well anyway, let’s get to the gospels.

John 6.22-24 KWL

22In the morning,

the crowd who stayed on that side of the lake

saw the other boat isn’t there—

the one boat Jesus entered with his students—

but only his students went away.

23But boats came from Tiberias

near the place where they ate bread,

when the Lord gave thanks.

24So when the crowd see Jesus isn’t there,

nor his students,

they enter the boats

and go to Capharnaum,

seeking Jesus.

Meanwhile what’s Jesus been up to while the crowd is seeking him? This:

Mark 6.53-55 KWL

53Crossing over to the land,

they come to Khinnerót and moor.

54As they’re coming out of the boat,

Jesus is immediately recognized.

55People run round that whole region,

and begin to bring, on their beds,

those who have anything wrong with them

to wherever they hear Jesus is.

56Wherever Jesus enters,

into villages, cities, or countryside,

they’re laying the sick in the marketplaces,

and encouraging Jesus

that they might touch the tassel of his cloak—

and as many as touch him are cured.

Jesus the healer showed up!

Some background on Khinnerót: That’s its original Old Testament name, כִּנְּרוֹת/Khinnerót. It’s a plural noun, and means “harps.” The lake had the same name. Some speculate that’s because the lake is kinda harp-shaped, with the west side roundish and the east side straightish.

That’s one theory. The Jerusalem Talmud says it’s named for the kinnar trees—whatever those are. And yeah, it’s also possible khinnerót sounds a lot like whatever the previous residents, the Canaanites, used to call the place.

I’m quite sure the ancients didn’t name it after whatever it resembles on a map, ’cause that’s not how the ancient Hebrews named places. Read your bible, and you’ll notice they had a habit of naming things after something that happened in that place. So something harp-related happened in Khinnerót. Maybe harpists or harp-makers lived there. Maybe a spectacular music festival took place. (That’d be my favorite theory.) Then somebody else named the lake for the town.

That is, till Herod Antipas renamed it “Tiberias” after his patron Cæsar Tiberius. But y’notice the gospels usually don’t call it that, because the Israelis didn’t wanna call it that. They preferred “the Galilean sea” (KJV “the sea of Galilee”) even though it’s a lake, not a sea.

Back to Khinnerót. Over time, local dialect might’ve really mangled its pronunciation, ’cause by the time someone wrote its name in Greek letters, we got Γεννησαρὲτ/Yennisarét (KJV “Genessaret”). From there it got converted into the Syriac ܕ݁ܓ݂ܶܢܶܣܰܪ/Ginosár, and that’s what the present-day town is called. It’s known for its kibbutz, and “the Jesus boat”—a first-century boat found at the bottom of the lake in 1986, which is on display at the Yigal Alon Center in the kibbutz.

Anywho. Jesus and his students showed up in just such a boat, and as soon as the locals recognized Jesus, they immediately brought him their sick.

Matthew 14.34-36 KWL

34Crossing over,

they come to the land of Kinnerót.

35Recognizing Jesus,

the men of that place send out word

to all that surrounding region,

and bring to him all

who have anything wrong with them

36They’re encouraging Jesus,

that they might only touch the tassel of his cloak—

and as many as touch him are cured.

Remember, science and western medicine hadn’t been invented yet. All you had were folk remedies and witch doctors, which might soothe your symptoms a little, but more likely would do nothing for you—or worse, leave you demonized. That’s the situation Jesus lived in, and that’s why the people were thrilled when Jesus showed up: Here’s someone who can really cure the sick! Not some humbug with drugs, but someone whom God legitimately works through.

So Jesus was presented with every unwell person they had. Diseases, infections, injuries, ailments, mental illness, and demons. And apparently they’d all heard what happened with the bleeder in Capharnaum, because they were trying the same stunt she had—of grasping the tassel of his robe.

As I explained in that article, Pharisees put tassels on their clothes to follow the Law, which required God’s followers to weave ’em into their clothes. Nu 15.38-41 Some Pharisees went overboard on how big they made them, which Jesus objected to ’cause they were showing off. Mt 23.5 But Jesus, who never sinned, He 4.15 of course followed the Law, and wore tassels. And when Veronica touched Jesus’s tassel, her bloodflow instantly stopped. Mk 5.29, Lk 8.44

Stories like that would naturally get everywhere. Especially to the next town over. So that’s what everybody did to Jesus: They waved him over and tugged on his clothes. Don’t knock it; it worked! Jesus told Veronica her faith saved her, Mk 5.34, Mt 9.22, Lk 8.48 and that’s the very same thing which was going on here. Those who grabbed Jesus’s tassel totally believed he could cure ’em. So he did.

Jesus’s magic tassels?

Tassels had religious significance to Pharisees. They’re considered sacred. Touching their tassels is in many ways like touching a Christian’s cross pendant.

And in much the same way, someone might get the wrong idea about where miracles come from. They might think miracles can only come through sacred objects: You gotta touch the tassels, because no other part of Jesus’s clothing will get you the miracle. But it’s not the tassel which cured anyone. It’s God, responding to people’s belief in Jesus. They recognized God sent him, so God cured ’em.

Yet sometimes we do put far too much stock in sacred objects, and treat ’em as if they’re magic. There is a difference, y’know. Holy means something’s been dedicated to God for his purposes, and therefore isn’t for secular use: You don’t use holy oil to make pancakes or fix a squeaky door. You use it to anoint the sick. But magic means that same item (sometimes, we imagine, because it’s holy) has supernatural powers: The holy oil itself cures the sick.

I’ve known Christians who were horrified I’ve put my bible on the floor, for one reason or another. (Usually because that’s the most convenient place to put it.) That’s a bible. That’s a holy bible. That’s God’s holy word. I should be treating it with reverence. Which I do—that is, I treat the text with reverence, and take it seriously. But the book it’s printed in, is after all a book. We treat it with reverence by obeying what God said in it, not by enshrining the book, giving it gilt edges and a leather cover, and doing nice things to the shrine. That’s treating a bible like a magic object, not a sacred one. And honoring the book itself, but ignoring what Jesus teaches in it, is dead religion.

From time to time we read in the bible about objects which appear to have power. Like the bronze snake, Nu 21.4-9 or Simon Peter’s shadow, Ac 5.15 or Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons. Ac 19.12 Like Jesus’s tassels. But we might get the wrong idea from these stories—as if these objects were like batteries filled with the Holy Spirit’s healing power, which could be activated if only you had the magical “faith” necessary to trigger them. Yep, that’s turning these objects into magic trinkets. It totally misses the point. Faith in God cures people. Faith in the objects cures nothing.

Getting superstitious about our sacred objects misses the point. When these things further our relationship with Jesus, they’re valuable. When they don’t, they’re not. And when we treat ’em as if they have special abilities, or as if we can insult God (or them) by treating them too casually, we’re turning them into idols. You realize Hezekiah ben Ahaz eventually had to destroy that bronze snake? The Israelis had started worshiping it. 2Ki 18.4 ’Cause that’s what happens when people confuse the object with the healer.

Sacred objects are meant to reflect our relationship with God. When we use them rightly, and realize their power comes only from the One they point to, they shouldn’t be an issue. Don’t go overboard.