Off the beaten path

Today I drank from the Jordan River, saw Syria, Lebanon, taught in a synagogue, and much more. It was a different day than our previous two. We didn't spend time in places where key biblical events happened, but we got some additional foundational material for understanding the mindsets of this area, and framing both the past and the present.

I have been told that the Jordan River, in the area where John baptized Jesus is not much more than a ditch now, filled with a small stream of polluted water. I think we will see it later on the trip, once we are staying in Jerusalem, but today we are at the head waters. We were as far east as possible in Israel, and as far north. Thus being able to see Syria (to the east) and then Lebanon (to the North). All of this is visible from the Golan Heights – lost by Syria to Israel in 1967. Up in this corner is Mt. Hebron – from where the waters of the Jordan flow.

As we walked to see Tel Dan (archeological dig of the city founded by the tribe of Dan – one of the 12) we walked by the waters of the Jordan. At one garden spot I couldn't help myself – I bent down on one knee, scooped up the water in one hand, and had a drink of the fresh clean water. (unless it ends up being otherwise, and then I'll regret it...). Each day we have experienced water – standing in the Mediterranean, stepping into the Sea of Galilee, and today the waters of the Jordan – water is vital here. It determines where to live, and what to fight for...

Each day starts at 6am with breakfast at 6:30 – the days are full! Today, as we pulled out just after 7:15 we headed to Gamla. Never heard of it, me neither... but it was a significant city up in the mountains, a city which became a center for the Zealots who opposed the Romans, and it was here that the Jews made a stand. As the Romans attacked with 18,000 experienced and equipped soldiers, the 9,000 people of Gamla used their defenses, their knowledge of their city, and their fervor to repel the Roman army – a humiliation. But then again, the Romans weren't big on humiliation. They regrouped, re-planned, and re-attacked – decimating the city and all who were there. This city is significant as a symbol for many, for various reasons.

In it there were 3 synagogues, and we spent time in them reading together and reflecting on Luke 4 – where Jesus reads in the synagogue in Nazareth. I was able to read this passage as we imagined Jesus in his home town (Gamla is not Nazareth, we go there tomorrow, but it is much more developed and we won't have the place to ourselves). As it is getting late, I will take the liberty of writing what comes to mind. One reason we had the place to our selves is that it is in a valley in the middle of no where, the second is that it is in a valley, so you have to hike down a steep trail of loose rock (with a strong sun shining down)., Another site worth the visit, but one off the typical beaten path.

Then we drove across the Golan Heights. Seeing the remains of the battle of 1967 (dead tanks and the remains of stone houses), and the current military use of the area (by the Israeli forces). We drove to an overlook from which we could see Syria (and how Israel is developing the captured land). Then lunch – felafel in a pita. The restaurant is next to the site of Ceaserea Phillipi (sp), It is this region (two or three days walk from their normal stomping grounds where Jesus asked his disciples - “who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:13-ff A quick trip through this area, seeing the worship spaces for many pagan gods (primarily Pan) and then we were off to Tel Dan.

In this massive city, made with very large river rocks, we considered the history, and how it connects to our situation. As it is late, and my battery is about done... I'll have to leave these thoughts of how they seemingly had everything, but how that lead them into trouble – post this, and get some rest for another day of learning.

Good Night

Jesus' stomping grounds

The sun sets at 5pm, it is now 5:30. We are done for the day, and I am sitting on a stone step, with my back resting against a rock wall still warm from the day's bright sun. From here I can see the moon, which is but a sliver of amber shining between the trees. The lights shine from the massive stone guest house where we are staying, across my silhouette, and faintly illuminate the front of the Church of the Beatitudes. The building is dark gray stone, with arches bordered with light gray. The closed iron work doors form a delicate cross, and the shining light reflects off the brass lettering in a mound toward the bottom of the gates. They say, “Mons. Beatitudinum”

I hear the sound of crickets, the dropping of nuts on a roof, and see the lights in the distance of towns on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. I am at the top of the hill where Jesus taught, above the area where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish, near the shore where Jesus called his first disciples. From this hill top I can see Cappernium where Peter lived, and the homebase for Jesus after being run out of his home town of Nazareth. Today, we walked where Jesus walked, learned where Jesus taught, marveled where Jesus healed. Let me tell you about the start of this day...

We are spending 4 nights here at this Christian guest house, retreat center and holy site. Last night we arrived after dark. This morning after a brief introduction to where we are, we were encouraged to go, find a place on the grounds (there are gardens and quiet places with benches throughout) to read the Sermon on the Mount – and to read it out loud. It starts in Matthew 5 (with the Beatitudes) and is three chapters packed with Jesus' teachings. I found a stone bench at the edge of the facility, overlooking the Sea of Galilee – and started to read the sermon on the mount. Though they were coming from my mouth, I could hear the words of Jesus, feel the breeze, listen to the birds. Then at 7:55am everything changed. The first tour bus pulls in! Before I'm done reading the teaching of Jesus 5 buses have arrived, pulling into the parking lot directly behind me. The coffee shop starts its business, the gift store doors open, and the people start to make their way to the church to see the church commemorating this site. The large tour buses have their diesel engines rumbling, the people are chatting, the guides are leading, in 10 minutes I was hearing the words of Jesus in a very different world.

My thought – hearing Jesus can be disrupted by the noise of this world. I could still hear Jesus, but I had to concentrate more. I had to ignore the world, and listen for Jesus' voice. Jesus was not just for the people of the few towns here surrounding the lake, he was and is for all the world. But the world is noisy and distracted. People must concentrate, we must listen, Jesus is still speaking.

More on Monday

We started on the Mount of the Beatitudes, then hiked down to the Church of Multiplication. On the way, we walked through they areas where Jesus would have walked, talked, and taught crowds. At one point two of us stayed up the hill, and the remaining group went down 300 feet (est). They stood by a road with occasional passing cars, and Vicky read from Matthew 5. She was projecting her voice, but straining or yelling at all. With her voice only slightly above conversation level, they could hear every word below. There was room for thousands – yes, in the right places on these hills, one man can teach thousands...

The Church of Multiplication is not some the result of some church growth strategy, but commemorating Jesus multiplying the loaves and fish – this is the area where that happened. We received some great teaching here. Then we were off to climb Mt. Ardel – Rabbi mountain.

It looks to be the highest point in this area, and it was a serious climb! Some parts required steel hand holds put into the rock. On this ridge there were many small caves, places of shelter for shepherds, and retreat for rabbis over the millennium. It is likely this was an area Jesus escaped to when he needed time away from the crowds. All but a large handful of our group made the hike to the top (those who were unable to road the bus to the top). For many it was a mental challenge (heights & falling), and some a physical challenge, but together the whole group made the climb.

After lunch (meats in pitas, no McDonalds) we visited the site which commemorates Peter's reconciliation with Jesus. During Jesus' arrest, passionate Peter denied Jesus three times. Then, after the resurrection, here by the shore of the Galilee Peter came to Jesus, and three times asked Peter if he loved him. Peter replied, “Lord, you know that I do.” “Peter, feed my sheep.” was Jesus' reply. This happened just down the shore from Cappernium, Peter's town which was our final destination today. Seeing the Synagogue where Jesus taught (actually it is the remains of the one build 400 years later, on the foundation of the one where Jesus actually taught). Then, 150' away, maybe less, are walls from Peter's house – the site of probably the first church. There have been many churches there since, but today the church is build above the ground, So you can see the ancient stone walls from Peter's house! While some sites are just guesses (which hill of many did Jesus teach from, or multiply food upon) this site is the real deal. They can truly say “Jesus slept here” it is real.

With darkness we returned to our rooms, and I still sit on the steps leading down to the Church of the Beatitudes. It is probably 70 degrees, (so the warm rock feels nice) and there is a slight breeze.

Good Night...

Where it all began

Sunday morning in Israel we visited where it all began. Not Bethlehem, nor Jerusalem – those destinations will come. This morning we were at the start of “our” belief – Caeserea. The “our” that I'm referring to is anyone who is a Christian, but not Jewish. For the first 10 to 15 years of Christianity is was only a movement within the Jews, those who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the waited for Messiah. They did not stop being Jews, but now they had “the rest of the story.” It was an act of the Spirit, that sent Peter (a prominent disciple and church leader) to Caeserea to the house of a Gentile. Take time to check read the story in Acts 10 http://www.biblestudytools.com/nlt/acts/10.html Peter went against what he should do as a Jew (never be in the house or eat with a Gentile), followed God's spirit, and shared the message of hope with Cornelius. The Spirit of God moved, and it became clear this wasn't just a message for the Jews – it is for the rest of us. For everyone – we read this amazing story from Acts 10 in the amphitheater built in the time of Christ – overlooking the Mediterranean Sea – surrounded by the ruins of this once great city

Caeserea (named after Caesar) was conceived and built by Herod the Great in the decades before the birth of Jesus. In fact, this port city was created virtually from scratch in only 12 years. They made breaker walls, a full port, storage facilities, Roman temple, Palace which was ultimately used by Pilate (who hated to spend time in Jerusalem, but loved Caeserea), main street, massive bath house, and a 13 mile long aqueduct, fortified gates, etc – after the Crusades it was abandoned, and in time the ruins were covered. It has only recently been dug up and is now an amazing archeological site. But more than that, it is where the door of following Jesus was first opened to everyone of us outside of the descendants of Abraham. A good thing to celebrate on Sunday.

Then for lunch we ended up at McDonalds! Trust me, it is not the same (well the fries are). The entire menu is only in Hebrew characters, the burgers, buns, chicken, etc.. . are all different sizes and shapes, and the green tomato wasn't expected... we were told this would be the only time we would go to McDonalds – so why not. Tomorrow and the rest of the days will be more native.

Then we went to the oldest archeological site here – Magiddo. They estimate that the first civilization on this hill was 3500 BC (or earlier). Hard to explain the depth of history here – very little in terms of dramatic stories which we know, but from this area, with its layer upon layer of civilizations (somewhere between 25 and 35) you look over the valley – Armageddon – the connecting point of many different peoples at many different times. Some estimate that more battles have been fought here than any other location in the world, from ancient times to major warfare in WWI. (it's the common meeting ground from North, South and West) It is also the imagery of the final battle of Armageddon in Revelation (16:16). But from this point surrounding the valley are the places of the Bible. You can clearly see the hill of Nazareth, the trade route where Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, etc... this is where it happened!

Oh, then there is the water supply they created for this city. Digging down some 120 feet, and then carving a tunnel 250' through bedrock to get to a spring outside of the city wall. There were 180 steps down to the botton, and then a tunnel I could walk through without ducking- through solid rock – all done with hand tools – thousands of years ago – AMAZING

Our final stop of the day was Mt Carmel. Remember the story of Elijah challenging Israel to decide who they were going to worship? A show down of power between Elijah and 400+ prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18) It was a great end to the day to read the story together on the Mountain. We then scrambled down a steep rocky trail to an ancient olive orchard, and then back up to the very top for a great view as the sun was setting.

In between these ancient sights, the roads are modern, the shops are plentiful, the cars are a bit smaller, and there is no feeling of insecurity. Since arriving in Israel I have not seen guns, nor tight security. I understand it will be different in Jerusalem where the different religions and cultures rub shoulders, but here on the coast it is life uninterrupted. By the coast it is primarily Jewish, now tonight we are by the sea of Galilee – primarily Israeli citizens who are Muslims.

Good Night!

Dirk

There was night, and there was day - day 1

When I was in French class in high school my teacher talked about elevator questions/answers. I don't remember my French, but I do remember her talking about being asked whether she was going up or down, and in a state of bewilderment, she answered yes. Tonight, after a night of travel, waiting hours in the airport for the rest of the tour members, and then an 1 ½ bus ride to the convent where we are staying – we had the opportunities to get to know each other (all 48 of us).

The question we were to answer was expected – What do you hope to get out of this trip? My real answer was “yes.” My verbalized answer of mental pictures and stories to help the Bible come alive is true, as the answer given by about ½ of the participants of better understanding the current conflict (especially the Palestinian perspective) – but there is also just being open to God as a break just about every routine in my life, building a better bond with my father, getting to know other Christians and hearing their perspective... so my answer is “yes”

A few details – dinner was soup, pitas & hummus, followed by baked chicken, thoroughly cooked green beans and carrots. I think we are in an amazing old convent, but we arrived in the dark, but the walls to our rooms are 2 ft thick, and it is on a hill over looking the Med (at Haifa). We have breakfast at 6:30 in the morning so we can be the first group at our first destination.

Dirk

I can't read modern Hebrew

FYI - when you open up blogger in the Tel Aviv airport all the menus are in Hebrew.  Makes it a challenge to figure out which says, "sign-in"  (okay, maybe I should use twitter)

I'm in Israel (if the airport counts)

How to get a good night's sleep? Well, I know it doesn't involve an 11 hour flight, wondering if you are going to be hassled about your passport. My passport? Yep, hours before leaving I noticed that my passport expires 5 months and 2 weeks – and the Israeli government requirement is 6 months from your departure date... a great chance to put Phil 4:6-7 into practice. It was out of my control, time to trust.

No problem, it was probably the easiest immigration and customs I've done. Now I am sitting with about 1/3 of our group, waiting for the last plane to arrive. So far all I can say is that it is a fine international airport, and spoken Hebrew (via public announcements) has a pleasing almost Japanese sound.

So, realizing I'm barely coherent, I won't write more. We are here safely, and looking forward to a wonderful journey! 

In Christ

"Do not worry about anything.  But in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus"  - Phil 4:6-7

For those who like itineraries...

I have a rather detailed itinerary of our study tour in Israel.  However, when I look at the names of the places it is a bit like being in a crowd where you know you are supposed to know everyone - but putting names with faces can be a bit of a challenge.  Some like "Dead Sea" and "Jordan River" jump out like those characters who you will never forget, others like "Gethsemane Grotto" are familiar sounding, and then there are things like 'Ein Gedi" or "Masada" - for them I'll have to use my "I know we've met before, please remind me where," line.

It is exciting to have the opportunity to get to know all these places so much better.  Here are the details for those who want a preview:

Departing Delmar Friday afternoon
Saturday, Nov 6 - Orientation in Haifa
Sunday
   Caesarea, Megiddo, Mount Carmel
   Hotel Mount of Beatitudes in Tiberias (till Thursday)
Monday
   Mount Arbel, Capernaum, Church of Multiplication, Mount of Beatitudes
Tuesday
   Gamia, Banias, Tel Dan, Jordan River
Wednesday
   Church of Annunciation, Church of Gabriel, Sepphoris, Wadi Hamam
Thursday
   Ein Gedi, Qumran, Dead Sea, Wadi Qilt
   Hotel Golden Walls in Jerusalem
Friday
   Nativity Church, Bethlehem (shopping), Refugee camp, Herodion
Saturday
   Overviews, Mount of Olives, Gethsemane Grotto, Kidron Valley, Galicantu
Sunday
   Via Dolorosa, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Yad Vashem, Ein Karem, Israel Museum
Monday
   Masdada, Tel Arad, Beer Sheva, Bedouin Tent, Valley of Elah, Beth Shemesh
Tuesday
   Temple Mount/Western Wall, Archeological park (southern steps), Mount Zion
Wednesday
   St. Ann's, Church of the Resurrection
Thursday & Friday - personal exploration
Departure at midnight Friday - back in Delmar Saturday (Lord willing)

They tell us to plan on walking 5 to 7 miles a day, have clothes for picking olives, headlamp and water proof sandals for the tunnel, and supplies for a dip in the dead sea - so despite the insulation of traveling with 46 people, it should be an active adventure.