Matthew 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue and taught.

As Nazareth was the home of Jesus during his childhood and young adulthood, Capernaum (K'far Nahum) can be considered the home of Jesus during his ministerial activities. The Gospels make it clear that Jesus as the prophecied Bar Nash was not accepted by those with whom he grew up. He launched his ministry in the synagogue at Nazareth by reading the scroll of Isaiah and claiming that he was the fulfillment of the prophecy (Luke 4: 16-30). After this incident, Jesus left Nazareth and went to Capernaum. It is very possible that Jesus had spent time in Capernaum during his childhood. His uncle Zebediya (Zebedee) owned a rather lucrative fishing business there in partnership with Jonah, the father of Simon Peter and Andrew. Zebedee's own two sons, Ya'akov and Yohanon (James, the "greater" and John) also worked in this business. Two other cousins of Jesus, Mattityahu (Matthew) and Ya'akov (James, the "less"), the sons of Alphaeus/Clopas (brother of Jesus' father Joseph) also resided at Capernaum. The village lies on the northwestern shore of Lake Gennesaret. It was a bustling fishing port as well as a toll collecting station on the caravan route from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast. The picture above is one of the excavated 1^st century main streets through the city upon which Jesus would have walked (Photo. Jack Kilmon).