Chapter 24: The “Way of the Sea” is the “Renowned Road to Damascus”

Paul’s Trip to Damascus by “Way of the Sea”

The “Way of the Sea” is the “Renowned Road to Damascus” that the Apostle Paul took on his way from the Galilee to Damascus when he met Jesus:

Like those living by the Way of the Sea who sat in the Darkness of the Borderlands of the Galilee of the Gentiles

who saw the great light of Jesus, when Paul travelled by the “Way of the Sea” on his way to Damascus, he too saw the great light of Jesus Christ that the Prophet Isaiah foresaw. (Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:12-17)

The Great Light of Jesus Christ that Paul saw was the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that was formerly unknown to Paul. When Paul saw the great and glorious Light of Jesus Christ, he was delivered from the darkness that he didn’t even know that he sat in. And, after seeing the great Light of Jesus Christ by the “Way of the Sea,” Paul would carry the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentile Nations, to Kings, and to the people of Israel. (Acts 9)

Given Isaiah’s Prophecy that the people who sat in darkness in the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali by the “Way of the Sea” in the Borderlands of the Galilee of the Gentiles would see a Great Light – that of Jesus Christ – it should surprise no one that the most important road that passed through ancient Israel and that connected Israel to the Gentile nations was called the “Way of the Sea.” (Isaiah 9:1-2)

On his way from Jerusalem to Damascus Paul would have to go through the Galilee. And, while no one knows for certain the specific route Paul took from Jerusalem to the Galilee on his way to Damascus, what is certain is whatever route Paul took he had to go through the Borderlands of the Upper Galilee by the “Way of the Sea” to reach Damascus. After arriving in the Upper Galilee to reach Damascus, Paul would have had no other choice than to head north towards Caesarea Philippi and from there Paul would take the “Way of the Sea,” the international Highway that ran along the Mediterranean coast all the way into Damascus.

One of the possible routes from Jerusalem to Caesarea Philippi in the Upper Galilee that Paul could have taken would have been through Capernaum, located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. I mention this particular route because the “Way of the Sea” ran through Capernaum, and when Jesus left Nazareth to make His home in Capernaum by the “Way of the Sea,” Jesus fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

Matthew 4:12-17 ¹² Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. ¹³ And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

¹⁵ "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles:

¹⁶ The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,

And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death

Light has dawned."

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." NKJV

When Jesus left Nazareth because the town’s people rejected Him (Luke 4:14-30) and made Capernaum “by the Way of the Sea” His home, He fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet.  (Isaiah 9:1-2; Matthew 4:13-16)

Mark 2:1 ¹ When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that He was back home. NLT

And, we know from Scripture that when Paul met Christ he was in the vicinity of Damascus, which meant he had to be on the “Way of the Sea.”

Followers of the Way

“Followers of the Way:” Given what we already know about the “Way of the Sea,” that it was not just a road but it was the road Christ lived on and that it was in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, then we know that it was not just happenstance that those who believed in and followed Christ were known as “Followers of the Way.” (Acts 9:2)

“The Way” had taken root in Damascus and Paul was determined to arrest and kill the Followers of “The Way” in the hopes of extinguishing the Light of Jesus Christ who said “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life that was spreading throughout Damascus.  John 14:6

Acts 9:1-22 ¹ Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. ² He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. ³ As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” ⁵ “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! ⁶ Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ⁷ The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one!     ⁸ Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. ⁹ He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink. ¹⁰ Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. ¹¹ The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. ¹² I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” ¹³ “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! ¹⁴ And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” ¹⁷ So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. ²⁰ And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” ²¹ All who heard him were amazed. “Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?” they asked. “And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?” ²² Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. NLT

Read verse 2 in the Amplified Translation:

Acts 9:2 ² and he asked for letters [of authority] from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any men or women there belonging to the Way [believers, followers of Jesus the Messiah], men and women alike, he could arrest them and bring them bound [with chains] to Jerusalem. Amplified Bible

The point I want to make is that before Believers at the Church in Antioch (Acts 11:26) were called Christians they were known as “Followers of the Way.” And, when Believers stopped referring to themselves as “Followers as the Way,” they lost the importance of why the Believers who lived by the “Way of the Sea” referred to themselves as “Followers of the Way.” We know from 1 Peter 4:16 that the term Christian is a honorable title; however, it was never meant to do away with Believers referring to themselves as “Followers of the Way” any more than the term Christian was meant to do away with Believers being referred to as Saints or Brother and Sisters in Christ.

The Apostle Paul Publicly Testified in front of Felix that he was a “Follower of the Way.”

Acts 24:1 ¹⁴ However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, NIV

“The Way” recalls the words of Jesus when He said, “I AM the Way” (John 14:6).

Paul always referred to himself as a “Follower of the Way,” however, Paul never referred to himself as a Christian and the Apostle Luke frequently uses the term “The Way” to describe the Christian life.

Which begs the question: why were the Believers called “Followers of the Way” before they were called Christians? To answer that question we need to keep in mind that Christ, who lived by the “Way of the Sea” said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through Me.”  (John 14:6)

Then we need to go back to the time that Paul travelled on the “Way of the Sea” where Paul’s conversion took place on the road to Damascus, because the road to Damascus was known as the “Way of the Sea.”

Acts 9:1-22 ¹ Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. ² He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains

Paul was travelling on the “Way of the Sea” in the hopes of arresting “Followers of the Way” who lived in Damascus.  The “Followers of the Way” were following the “Only Way to God.”

When he wrote the Book of Acts the Apostle Luke frequently uses the term, “The Way,” to describe the Christian life. In the book of Acts we see this name, “Followers of the Way,” used for the followers of Jesus throughout the text:

Acts 9:1-2 ¹ Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. ² He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains. NLT

Acts 9:2 ²And requested of him letters to the synagogues at Damascus [authorizing him], so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way [of life as determined by faith in Jesus Christ], he might bring them bound [with chains] to Jerusalem. Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

Acts 19:9 ⁹ But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. NLT

Acts 19:23 ²³ About that time, serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way. NLT

Acts 24:14 ¹⁴However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, NIV

Acts 24:22 ²² At that point Felix, who was quite familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.” NLT

And, Luke tells us that Jesus appeared to Paul “In the Way.” (Acts 9:17)

Acts 9:17 ¹⁷ And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. KJV

When Paul met Christ in “The Way” Paul began to understand “The Ways” of the Lord – that the only way to God the Father was through Him.

The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that the people of the Galilee in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali by the Way of the Sea would see a great light.  And, that great and glorious light was the revelation of God that was formerly unknown to them that was brought to them by Jesus who said “I AM the Light of the World.”  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the revelation of God that was formerly unknown to them and they would be the first to receive this revelation.

Paul met Christ in “The Way” on his way to Damascus to persecute the Followers of “The Way.”  Paul did not meet Christ in the synagogues or temple in Jerusalem where one might expect to meet Christ, but he met Christ in “The Way” – in the Way of the Sea in the Borderlands of the Galilee of the Gentiles.

That brings to mind when Christ told the women who had gone to the Tomb to tell His Disciples who called His Brethren to go to the Galilee – that is where they would see Him!

Matthew 28:10 ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me." NKJV

And, that is where the great Apostle Paul saw Him – in “The Way” of Christ who said “I AM the Way” – John 14:6.

Paul discovered that the Word of God and the message of Salvation were not restricted to the Synagogues or Temple in Jerusalem as he once thought.  And, Paul was no longer safe in Jerusalem where he was a Pharisee of Pharisees.

Note that when Paul stood before Felix in Caesarea, Paul had been taken to Caesarea where he would be safe because the Jews in Jerusalem were seeking to kill him. Note also that “Caesarea,” which was located by the “Way of the Sea,” was a place of safety for Paul, not Jerusalem.

Paul Publicly Testified in Front of Felix that he was a “Follower of the Way”

Felix was a Roman Procurator of Judea; however, Paul stood before him in Caesarea where he was accused by the Jews who came from Jerusalem to Caesarea.  Paul was taken to Caesarea to a place of safety because the Jews were planning on killing him in Jerusalem.

Acts 23:27-35 ²⁷ “This man was seized by some Jews, and they were about to kill him when I arrived with the troops. When I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I removed him to safety. ²⁸ Then I took him to their high council to try to learn the basis of the accusations against him. ²⁹ I soon discovered the charge was something regarding their religious law—certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death. ³⁰ But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to bring their charges before you.” ³¹ So that night, as ordered, the soldiers took Paul as far as Antipatris. ³² They returned to the fortress the next morning, while the mounted troops took him on to Caesarea. ³³When they arrived in Caesarea, they presented Paul and the letter to Governor Felix. ³⁴ He read it and then asked Paul what province he was from. “Cilicia,” Paul answered. ³⁵ “I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive,” the governor told him. Then the governor ordered him kept in the prison at Herod’s headquarters. NLT

Note that “Caesarea” which was located by the “Way of the Sea” was a place of safety for Paul.

Metulla:  In Isaiah 9:1-2 the Prophet Isaiah has the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom in mind. In the context of Isaiah 9:1-2, when Isaiah makes mention of by the “Way of the Sea,” it is a reference to the highway that the Assyrians travelled on when they invaded northern Israel.  From the perspective of the Assyrians, the region of Zebulun and Naphtali would be across the Jordan River on the way to the Mediterranean where the Assyrian invaded and took captive Israelites living in the northern towns of the Galilee, including Abel-Beth-Maachah just 1½ miles from present-day Metulla.

There is so much depth in Isaiah’s Prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2 concerning the Way of the Sea.

We know that Christ left his home town of Nazareth and went to Capernaum, which is profound because an ancient mile marker engraved with “Via Maris,” the Latin term for the “Way of the Sea,” was found in Capernaum which was located by the “Way of the Sea.” This means that Christ literally lived on the “Way of the Sea,” one of the most important and well-known roads of the ancient world that passed through Galilee.  It can be likened to the importance of a street address. For example, most people in America know that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the official address of the White House where the most powerful person in America lives – and some believe to be the most powerful individual in the world lives.

Capernaum was located about two miles west of the Jordan River and it became the center of Jesus’ Galilean work and ministry. We know from Matthew 4:13-16 that Jesus began His Galilean ministry in the Galilee in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.  And, in fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy, Christ literally moved from Nazareth to Capernaum, which was located on the ancient road known as the “Way of the Sea” which was located beyond the Jordan.

The symbolism of Capernaum’s location on the “Way of the Sea” is profound because the “Way of the Sea” was the ancient route that connected three continents.  Christ’s choice of Capernaum reveals what we already know from Scripture – His Gospel was to reach the entire Gentile world.

George Otis: And, that’s exactly what the “Voice of Hope” did: the Gospel of Jesus Christ heard on the radio throughout Lebanon now reaches every continent in the world. The radio station built by George Otis that carried the “Voice of Hope” was built on the war-torn battle fields of Lebanon just several miles from Tyre and Sidon. And, we know that the route that Christ took when He went into the Borders of Tyre and Sidon was the ancient highway by the “Way of the Sea.”  It was not just happenstance that the Lord placed it on George Otis’ heart to build the radio station in Lebanon just across the border from Israel.

The way of the sea connected Israel to the Gentile World and this route would play an important role in the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hence, when Jesus left the Galilee and went into the Borders of Tyre and Sidon and ministered to the Syrophoenician mother of her demon possessed daughter, He took the Gospel. (Mark 7:24-30)

The route that Christ would have taken when He crossed over into the Borders of Tyre and Sidon would have been on the ancient highway by the “Way of the Sea” – the same ancient highway he lived on.

In part, Jeremiah 6:16 reads:

Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ Thus says the LORD:

“Stand by the roads, and look,

and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way is;

and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

Which begs the question: “Is Via Maris, the “Way of the Sea,” one of those ancient paths?

It is well documented that for thousands of years travelers from different continents traveled along the Via Maris, the “Way of the Sea,” and in doing so they would have passed by Capernaum. This also would have been the case in the days Jesus walked the earth.

The symbolism cannot be ignored. Christ’s ministry in the Galilee of the Gentiles located on the ancient highway that Isaiah spoke of by the “Way of the Sea” reveals that the Kingdom of God” extended beyond the borders of ancient Israel to the entire world in keeping with what the Lord told Abraham:  “ALL NATIONS” would be blessed because of Abraham who, when God called him, was a Gentile.

The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that the people of the Galilee in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali by way of the sea would see a great light. And, that great and glorious light was the revelation of God that was formerly unknown to them that was brought to them by Jesus who said “I AM the Light of the World.” The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the revelation of God that was formerly unknown to them and they would be the first to receive this revelation.

Malachi Prophesied that the Gentiles would Magnify the Name of the Lord and we saw that come to pass in the Borderland of the Galilee of the Gentiles by the Way of the sea.

Malachi 1:1 reveals that when the Priests despised the Name of the Lord, God turned to the Gentiles who Magnified His Name. If the Priests thought that God would have no worshippers because they did not Magnify His Name, they were wrong, for Malachi reveals that the Name of the Lord was magnified among the Gentiles – the very Gentiles the Priests looked down upon as detestable.

Malachi 1:11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My Name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto My Name, and a pure offering:  for My Name shall be great among the heathen, said the LORD of hosts. KJ

Light is the Absolute Truth and Revelation of God

And, it was that Light that the People who sat in the Darkness by the Way of the Sea saw

And when they saw that Light, like Paul, they were Transformed

The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that the people of the Galilee of the Gentiles in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali by Way of the Sea would see a great light. And, that great and glorious light was the revelation of God that was formerly unknown to them that was brought to them by Jesus who said “I AM the Light of the World.” The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the revelation of God that was formerly unknown to them and they would be the first to receive this revelation.

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