At least they could have done the laundry

Now what does that title have to do with an Israel trip? Yes, we arrived home safely and it was a fantastic trip. A lot of laughter, making new friends, and even times of tears. What didn’t happen was that some of our luggage didn’t make the trip with us. El Al promised it would arrive; I haven’t heard that some didn’t.

The trip was a real Spiritual Journey.

Two sites one event

Archaeology is a science that destroys itself as it uncovers layers of history. Easy layer it digs through is no longer available unless exact records are kept. Within Jerusalem there is two sites that claim to be the place of Jesus’ death and burial. My understanding is that it really doesn’t matter, since the body of our Lord is no longer there anyway.

We began our day visiting the Garden Tomb, one of the two sites claiming to be the place of Jesus’ death and burial. It is my favorite, since it is relatively quiet and is a real garden with beautiful flowers and guides who do not shy away from telling the story of salvation that was accomplished by Jesus on the Cross. We had the tour, visited the tomb, and then had a time of worship and communion. It was a wonderful time of reflection.

After a short bus ride and walk we visited the Pools of Bethesda where Jesus healed the man who had been waiting for someone to help him into the waters for years. There is a church on the site that has amazing acoustics and we went in and as a group sang several songs. I’ll try to post the video later. Just before lunch we visited the first to stations of the cross on the Via de

Following lunch we went to the Israel museum and toured the model of first century Jerusalem. It is the amazing work of one man. The model makes it easy to understand the Gospel stories. There at the Israel Museum we visited the Shrine of the Book were copies of the Qumran scrolls are kept. It was amazing to see the entire book of Isaiah on display. Prior to finding the scroll of Isaiah which dates to about 100 BC, the earliest copy of the book dated to AD 900. With the finding of the scroll the 53rd chapter of Isaiah could no longer be called a later addition to the book. Chapter 53 told specifically of the circumstances of Jesus death and from long before His time.

So our tour ends tonight with a farewell dinner. It has been a wonderful group were a lot of new friends were made. As they say here in Israel, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Above and below the city

We started the day hoping to be able to go to the Israel Museum, but because of a 4th of July celebration yesterday it wasn’t open. We headed back toward the Old City and stopped at the Church of Saint Peter of Gilucanti. There we took in the views before entering the church and seeing the place where Jesus was kept in prison overnight before the Roman trial. It is sobering to be in the dungeon of what was the house of the High Priest and hear the story of the religious trial of Jesus. I’m not ashamed to say that there were a lot of tears, knowing what Jesus had gone through for us.

Driving in and around the Old City is not easy. We were picked up and driven to the Dung Gate but it took us around the entire city because of one-way traffic. We visited the Western or Wailing Wall were we had the opportunity to go up to the wall and pray. At the Wall the men and women are divided into their own sections.

The Western Wall is the retaining wall of the Temple Mount which Herod the Great built. The southwest corner of the retaining wall and the southern portion of it is inside the Davidson center. We were able to see the destruction that occurred when Rome destroyed the Temple in AD 70 and also walk on the southern steps that are original to the first century.

Following a box lunch that was delivered to us, we entered the ancient City of David, saw a 3D movies, took time to look over the remains and then divided into three groups. One group walked around the outside of the City of David to the Pool of Salome. One group walked through a dry tunnel that runs under a portion of the City of David. The third group walked through a wet tunnel with water up to our knees in several places to the Pool of Salome. The walk through the water tunnel was slow since there was a group of high school students in front of us.

It was another wonderful day and it is hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day we will be here in Jerusalem. Our time here has gone by way to fast.

Top left: the destruction from the Roman era. Top center: statue of Peter’s denial of Jesus. Top right: Craig teaching. Middle left: At the Church of Saint Peter. Middle right: In the stairway found under the City of David that led from the Pool of Salome to the Temple Mount. Bottom left: in Hezekiah’s tunnel or the water tunnel. Bottom right: Amer, our guide, showing us about the City of David with the Mount of Olives in the background.

How low can you go?

Actually, 1400 feet below sea level to the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea. Today we drove from Jerusalem at 2400 feet above sea level to the Dead Sea. Our first stop was Masada where the Jewish rebels in the revolt of AD 70 were finally defeated in AD 73. Masada is a mesa that sits on the edge of the Dead Sea but is above sea level. The only way to the top today was by cable car, although if it had been cooler it is possible to walk the Snake Path to the top. Herod the Great built two palaces on top of Masada and even though they are ruins today they are impressive. It is quite a story of survival and finally martyrdom.

Our second stop was the National Park called Ein Gedi, or the place we know from the Bible where David hid from King Saul. Today it was crowded as everyone wanted to hike to one of several waterfalls and stand under the cascading water. In the park we saw a number of Ibex, or wild goats.

From Ein Gedi we traveled to Qumran for lunch and a tour of this national park. As it was mid afternoon the temperature had risen to near if not over 100 degrees. We ended our day with a stop at the Dead Sea so a few of the brave souls could float in the water. No, you can’t swim in it since the salt content is 10 times what it is in the ocean.

Another great day with afternoon visibility letting us see the mountains in Jordan and specifically Mount Nebo where Moses looked into the Promised Land before God took him.

Top left, center, bottom left and center: Hearing the explanation at Masada and Qumran. Top right: one of the waterfalls at Ein Gedi. Bottom right: sunrise over Jerusalem the morning.

Jerusalem

I owe you an explanation for the title of yesterday’s blog post. We had stopped in Jericho which is believed to be one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world and it was almost 100 degrees there.

Today we began with a drive to the top of the Mount of Olives where we heard the explanation for the old city. It has a complex history and its geography adds to the complexity. We walked down the western face of the Mount and stopped at the Church of All Nations. There we sat on the church steps and read about the Garden of Gathsamene. Following a quick look inside the church we went across the road to a private garden for a worship service.

We were bussed across the old city to the Jaffa gate where we walked down David Street to a rooftop restaurant for lunch. From there we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where we visited several sections of the church.

Since we were in the old city and in the market area we took a little time to do some shopping and some went back to the Church. Since it was getting late we headed back to the hotel.

Top left: our worship leaders. Top center: sitting on the steps of the Church of All Nations. Top right: view of the Old City of Jerusalem with the new city in the background. Bottom left: Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Bottom center: on the Mount of Olives. Bottom right: coming down the Mount of Olives.

Hot time in the old town

Today we left Galilee with many tears. We’ve enjoyed our time in this beautiful, historically rich land. Heading south we encounter dry and barren land.

Our destination was Bethlehem but we stopped first in Jericho to look at the ruins of the old city, see the sycamore tree, the well that Elisha healed, and the mount of temptation. There is a lot to see in Jericho and we enjoyed.a typical Arab meal before shopping.

We did make it to Bethlehem but stopped first at the shepherd’s fields just outside the town and then proceeded to a family owned olive wood shop. It took a little time seeing all the intricately carvings and the variety of offerings that are made from the olive tree.

Our final stop of the day was the Church of the Nativity. There is usually a long line waiting to descend a few steps to look at the traditional site of Jesus’ birth, but today we were first in line so we took advantage of the opportunity.

We arrived at the hotel just in time to sit down to supper and anticipate a full day tomorrow in the old city of Jerusalem.

Top left and center: the cave at the shepherd’s fields. Top right: a very adequate lunch. Bottom left: “The bride arrives by camel” Bottom right: the shepherd’s fields where we heard the story of Ruth and Boaz along with the shepherds who announced Jesus’ birth

Day of tears

Why tears? Today is our last day in Galilee. Tomorrow we head for Jerusalem.

We headed north in Israel to a National Park called Dan. There we was the gate to the city with its high place were the city gods were on display. Inside the city is the place of worship where the calf was set up as a substitute worship site for the Norther Kingdom of Israel. Also next to the old city is a still older city with a gate that Abraham may have passed through at least twice. That gate would be over 2000 years old.

From day we drove just a short distance to Caesarea Philippi, the city where Jesus asked the disciples who people said he was and then who they said He was. Peter’s answer is famous, “You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

Just above Caesarea is the Golan Heights with four Druze villages. We stopped in one for lunch and it was a fantastic meal consisting of mostly salads and fresh vegetables. Everyone enjoyed it. We made one more stop on the way home to look into Syria.

Top left: overlooking the Syrian border. Top center: Very good lunch food, or what’s left of it. Top right and remainder of the pictures in the ancient city of Dan

Let’s go to the other side

The Sea of Galilee or Lake Tiberius, or Kinneret, all names for the same place, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It also happens to be the lowest fresh water lake in the world at 600 feet below sea level. It is not a large lake being 13 miles long and 8 miles wide at its widest.

One of the amazing finds around the lake was a 1st century boat that had been buried in mud and discovered a number of years ago. It is in a museum at the kibbutz were we are staying and we toured the museum first thing this morning. 

In the northwest corner of the lake Jesus spent 18 months of his 3 1/2 years of ministry. It was around the lake that a majority of His miracles are recorded.

The west side of the lake is Jewish in makeup while the east side of the lake was largely Gentile. When Jesus asked His disciples to go the other other side, he was asking them to go to what they would have thought of as pagan territory. Their reaction to his request would have produced some questions as to why they would need to go over there. 

Today we headed by bus across the lake to the other side. It was on the other side that Jesus wanted to teach His disciples a valuable lesson by healing a demon possessed man. After the healing, the man wanted to accompany Jesus and the disciples back across the lake but Jesus told him to go tell everyone what had happened to him. The man did and several months later Jesus returned and found a large group of people who wanted to hear more from Him. Jesus then fed 4000 people who were there because of the healed demoniac and his witness. 

Jesus’ lesson to the disciples was that they were to go not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles after He ascended to heaven. The lesson for us is that we need to step out of our comfort zone to touch people who need to hear of the Good News.

We enjoyed a box lunch sitting in the shade of the trees at the park entrance. Since tomorrow is going to be a longer day, we arrived back at the hotel early. During our touring today we had several special guests accompany us. Amer’s wife and two sons along with Azar and his wife were with us. Azar is one of Walnut Hill’s partners here in Israel. 

Top left: the 1st century boat. Top middle: climbing to where the demoniac lived. Top right: everyone made it down successfully. Bottom: listening carefully to the lessons of the feeding of the 4000 and the healing of the demoniac and how the two are related.

Hot time in the city

Today it was over 90 degrees with a lot of sun and fortunately a good breeze. We stayed close to the hotel visiting three cities/towns that Jesus visited or lived in. We began at Chorizin one of three cities named in the Gospels. Today it is a destroyed and unoccupied city. We visited the synagogue and several houses.

The second city was the home of Peter and two other disciple, Bethsaida. It is on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. As in Chorazin it is a ruin that has never been rebuilt. We spent time sharing some of the personal experiences we have had over the last two days.

After lunch our final stop was Capernaum, the adopted hometown of Jesus. It is a beautiful town sitting right on the edge of the sea. Each of these towns have important lessons to teach us and each of them was cursed by Jesus.

Tonight Azar is joining us for supper and tomorrow as well. We are all a little sunburned and glad for the cool of the hotel. Swimming in the Sea of Galilee is also refreshing.

Top left: the synagogue in Capernaum. Top center: a rock hyrax. Top right & bottom: listening to the lessons we can learn at each of the sites.

Going to new heights

Yesterday being a long day, we started our second day in Israel at a leisurely pace. We didn’t have as strenuous agenda as yesterday. We began with a short drive to Tabgah, the site of the feeding of the 5000 and the sermon on the mount. In the area there are three churches, one a ruin from the 4th century AD and the other two are more modern churches built on the ruins of older churches.

At the first stop Amer taught us about the history, geography, tradition and biblical story of the area. This was so that we would see that the biblical account of the feeding of the 5000, the Sermon on the Mount, and Christ’s confrontation of Peter after His resurrection recorded in John 21 was an accurate account. Mensa Christi is the name of the church and it is a beautiful location right on the Sea of Galilee.

We walked a short ways toward Capernaum where there are currently 2 springs, but in Jesus’ time there were 7 springs. The place is connected to a number of Jewish traditions. Just above the area is the hillside called Eremos, in Greek, a lonely place. We spent some time there as it is a likely site of the Sermon on the Mount.

Our last stop of the day was on top of Mount Arbel. Lunch was delivered to us there and after enjoying either shawarma or falafel we climbed to the top of the mountain. There we had a magnificent view of the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and heard why it was that Jesus moved to Capernaum for 18 months of his 3 1/2 years of ministry. For those of us who were brave enough, the option was to climb down the cliff and be met at the bottom by the bus. It was a steep climb but worth it for the views and history that we took in on the way.

Today had been a hot day and the Spirit had moved again in our hearts and lives as we heard the stories of the land and ministry of Jesus. It is a thrill and joy to be here.

Top left: a mosaic of the feeding of the 5000. Top center: a sculpture of Jesus confronting Peter from John 21. Top right: on the beach by the 2 springs. Bottom left: climbing down Arbel cliff. Bottom right: Mount Arbel with the caves carved in the face.