—I’ve spent hundreds of hours driving along I-30, having lived in and around Dallas, Texas for a good chunk of my life.

For several years of his life, beginning around 30 A.D., Jesus traversed Route 87 along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Well, that’s how the road is labeled today in Israel. In Bible times it was known as the Imperial Road, and it passed right by Jesus’ adopted hometown of Capernaum.

Heading south out of Capernaum, this road joined up with an international highway that made its way all the way to Egypt. Heading north out of Capernaum, the road bee-lined for Damascus, which easily explains how Jesus’ fame “went throughout all Syria” (Matt. 4:24). Traders passed through Capernaum, looking for sales, but also sharing news from far and wide.

—Stationed along the Imperial Road and other Roman roads, just like today along I-30, markers signify the distance one has traveled. If you happened upon a Roman soldier going your way he might even demand that you help him carry his equipment, prompting theses words of Jesus, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matt. 5:41). 

The Romans routinely used stone obelisks to mark the miles along major routes, and, in fact, one such mile marker that dates to approximately 120 A.D., a little after the time of Jesus, was discovered in Capernaum in 1975, adding to my fascination with this ancient town. 

—Daniel McCabe