Caesarea Maritima on the Coast of Israel
Dr. Beeke is presently in Israel with a tour group. Here are some devotional thoughts about locations he is visiting.
At Caesarea Maritima once stood the magnificent man-made harbor that Herod the Great had constructed. We must remember to distinguish this Caesarea on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea from the inland Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Maritima, or Caesarea by the sea, was once a center for trade and the Roman army and administration of Palestine. However, for Christians, we remember Caesarea especially for its connection to the great mission of the gospel.
It was here that Philip the Evangelist settled after the Lord sent him to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the Ethiopian eunuch, using the prophecy of Isaiah 53 (Acts 8:40; 21:8). Thus Caesarea reminds us that faithful evangelism is done by the preaching of the Scriptures.
It was here in Caesarea that the apostle Peter, directed by the Spirit of God, preached the gospel of salvation to the household of Cornelius, a devout centurion of the Roman army (Acts 10). Thus Caesarea reminds us that the gospel is not for any one nation, but under the new covenant overflowed all national boundaries to reach people of all kinds and colors.
It was here that the apostle Paul was imprisoned after being attacked by a mob in Jerusalem (Acts 23:23, 33). On the one hand, this reminds us that the gospel will only advance through the suffering of God’s people. On the other hand, we see here how God’s providence uses even wicked men to extend the gospel mission. For in taking Paul to Caesarea, the Romans saved his life. And while here, Paul preached the gospel to Festus, King Agrippa, Bernice, Felix, and the officials attending them (Acts 24:24—26:32).
As we think of the ruins of Caesarea Maritima, and the vast expanse of the Mediterranean Sea, let us consider the great call of gospel missions that God has placed upon His people. Philip, Peter, and Paul were faithful servants to spread the gospel. Likewise, we must serve the cause of the gospel today. People must hear the preaching of Christ from the Scriptures in order to be saved. The gospel is God’s message of hope for people who are very different in color, culture, and location. The gospel will reach people who have never heard of the Savior only at great cost to faithful Christians. May God use our time here to impress us all with the fact that the great construction projects of men will crumble into ruins, but the kingdom of Christ will triumph and remain, as Christ works mightily through faithful men and women.
