Bethsaida 

Bethsaida was an important location in Jesus’ times. Bethsaida was located on the outskirts of Capernaum, another important location in the life of Jesus. Bethsaida was the fishing harbor of Capernaum.

Bethsaida was located between Magdala and Capernaum, on the western side of Capernaum, along the Sea of Galilee lake shore.

Bethsaida was the home of Zebedee and his wife Salome and their children, a home that served as the apostolic headquarters for about three years of Jesus’ public ministry. The Zebedee home was a hub of activity and was the site of many events, including the Healing at Sundown. It was also the site where Jesus healed the paralytic who was lowered into the living room by his friends.

Bethsaida was the home from which five of the apostles hailed: Philip, Andrew, Simon Peter, and James and John Zebedee.

Other notable events that centered in Bethsaida:

David Zebedee maintained his messenger service from his home in Bethsaida.

It was the site of the kingdom’s first hospital and the seaside encampment, a tented city, where many evangelists were trained for work in the kingdom.

The women’s corps was established here.

The third public preaching tour was launched here.

The thirteenth resurrection appearance occurred here.

Mary, Mother of Jesus, spent her last days here.

In January of 21 CE, when Jesus finally left his Nazareth home and went to work in Capernaum at Zebedee’s boat shop, he lived at the Zebedee home in Bethsaida in between his times of travel. And in February, 26 CE, soon after Jesus had chosen the first six apostles, Zebedee and his wife moved into their son, David’s home (also in Bethsaida) and turned their home over to Jesus to be used as the apostolic headquarters.

This arrangement lasted for three more years, until the twenty-second of May, in the year 29 CE. It was at this time that Jesus stopped using the Zebedee home as a home base, partly due to the dangers of his being pursued by the Jewish authorities.

When Simon Peter joined the apostles, he lived at Bethsaida, near Capernaum. His brother, Andrew, the first apostle, lived with him.

Apostles James and John Zebedee, sons of Zebedee, both lived in Bethsaida. James had his own home and John lived at home with his parents.

Philip lived at Bethsaida. He was often spoken of as “Philip of Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter live.”

Nearly one thousand people assembled in the front yard of Zebedee’s home in Bethsaida on January 17, 28 CE. Most were sick or afflicted and seeking healing from Jesus. In a moment of time, 683 people were healed of their afflictions.

From May 3 to October 3, 28 CE, Jesus and the apostolic party were in residence at the Zebedee home at Bethsaida. An enormous camp was established that eventually accommodated over one thousand believers and truth seekers. The apostles taught evangelists for the kingdom here. The camp was supervised by David Zebedee, and it included a healing facility – the kingdom’s first hospital – that was directed by Elman, a Syrian doctor. Jesus visited the sick regularly and there were many faith healings reported.

While Jesus was preaching to a large group in Zebedee’s Bethsaida house on Friday afternoon, October 1, 28 CE, a man who suffered from paralysis was brought by his friends, hoping to see Jesus and receive healing from him. When unable to access the home through the doors, the friends went to the roof and lowered the man into Jesus’ presence. Jesus healed the man and he walked out of the house.

David Zebedee established permanent headquarters for the work of the kingdom in his father’s house at Bethsaida that functioned as a communication hub for the messenger service that David managed between workers in different parts of Palestine and neighboring regions. He oversaw a team of forty to fifty messengers who played a crucial role in expanding and spreading the work of the kingdom.

Abner, along with the twelve disciples of John the Baptist, arrived at Bethsaida and went into conference with the apostles of Jesus on Monday, January 17, 29 CE. These conferences were a periodic occurrence. But this conference was soon enlarged by the addition of about seventy-five tested evangelists on Tuesday, January 18th. The third preaching tour, involving this large group, was launched at this time and it lasted for about seven weeks.

As a two-week period began during which the apostles and evangelists were scheduled to be away from Bethsaida on their leave, Jesus asked David on January 16, 29 CE to bring back his parents to their home and send messengers to invite ten devoted women to Bethsaida who were to form a corps of women evangelists. These women had previously served in the administration of the previous encampment and the tented infirmary. Jesus commissioned these ten women as workers for the kingdom, equal in value to the men.

On Friday morning, April 21, 30 CE, Jesus made his thirteenth resurrection appearance to ten of his apostles (minus Judas Iscariot and Simon Zelotes) at their usual landing place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. As they neared the shore, they noticed a man standing by a campfire. This figure turned out to be the Master, who visited with the apostles two-and-two.

Following the death of Jesus, Mary was taken by John Zebedee to his mother’s home in Bethsaida. Mary lived with Salome in this home for the rest of her days. She died in just under one year’s time after moving to Bethsaida.