Israel: Day 17

A Good Samaritan

I hate to admit it but today I was ready to go home. I am exhausted and missing my family something terrible. However, it was not to end. We were on our way to Samaria. That’s right, I said Samaria. We began with a quick stop over the city of Levoram. This is the location of the very odd, possibly disturbing story of the replacing of the lost wives of Benjamin (Judges 21). Since the women of Benjamin had been destroyed, so it had been commanded that the men lie in wait in the vineyards and when the dancing girls of Shiloh came prancing through they snatched the one they wanted for a wife, or simply the one you could catch… whoa! This is gonna be an interesting day.

In Samaria, our next stop was a Greco Roman city of Sabastia. This is one of three potential sites where John the Baptist was beheaded. While that in itself is worth mentioning, it was far more strange to realize that according to the very excited shop owners that this was the first time in TEN YEARS that a tour bus had stopped here… and we brought two full buses! Here we listen to the story of Ahab inviting Jehosephat up to help him attack an Aramean king (1 Kings 20; 22). A very odd story indeed.

As we cruised through Samaria in our tour buses, people gawked warmly at the touring Americans and Canooks. It had apparently been awhile since they had seen us in such numbers. Then, we arrived at Shechem. Shechem is a very important site. This is the town Abraham first comes to (Genesis 12) and Joseph searches for his brothers (Genesis 37). Shechem was also important in Joshua and Judges to name a few. Judges has the sadly humorous story of Abimelech who is squashed by a mill stone dropped by a fleeing woman who had it in her purse. I don’t know. If I am fleeing for my life, why would I grab the 30lb (I have no idea how much they actually weigh) and stuff it in my bag. Have you been to Israel? I am pretty sure that you could find another rock…

Our next stop in near Shechem was the traditional site for Jacob’s Well inside an Orthodox Church. As beautiful as the churches are, I find myself sometimes struggling to sense the Lord’s presence amongst the souvenir stands and flash photography. Oftentimes, I leave feeling sterile and saddened. I pray that others find His grace in such places when I am distracted.

Up from Shechem, we climbed (in our blue buses) Mt. Gerizim for lunch at the Good Samaritan. After lunch, we walked across the street and entered into a Samaritan Synagogue to learn about this very different from Judaism faith. Their faith ends with Moses as the last prophet and they only keep the Torah (1st five books of our Bible). After this oddly more worshipful experience, we walked up a block or two to the Mt. Gerizim site. It was interesting to look at the altar used for sacrifice until very recently when the Samarians moved to a newer, closer location.

Our final destination, stop and final location for this entire trip was at Shiloh. This is another important biblical location. Joshua reports the tribes of Israel meeting in Shiloh and this is the place Samuel hears the voice of the Lord calling him (1 Samuel 1-4).

We crawled back up the hill to the JUC from our final trip and prepare for dinner. As I begin to ponder the days gone by, my thoughts continually return to home. The Child of God within has been awakened and I pray that this son returns to his family, bringing joy and direction. The Lord has begun another work within me and I am excited to see what unfolds in the days and weeks ahead.

Blessings again from the Holy Land!

Israel Day 16

The Big Surprise

Another beautiful morning waking up at the Sea of Galilee, we are waiting to board the bus. A few of us were standing around discussing the events of the trip and a few of the guys start discussing a snake that they had run across the week prior and how they had “determined” that it was probably a black cobra. Scott Engebretson (aka: Mr. Dramatic) reveals that just the mentioning of the said snake makes him uneasy. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, I casually look behind me at the bushes behind us and without saying anything begin high stepping as though my life depended on it. Poor Mr. Engebretson had been had. My stomach was a little upset the remainder of that morning from laughing so hard; epic morning.

The first stop of the day was at Sepphoris. This was an interesting biblical/historical site. It was close enough that Joseph, father of Jesus, could have worked here. It is also the site where the Jewish oral law was collected and written down in the Talmud. However, the numerous preserved mosaics made the site stand out. This is the site of the famous “Mona Lisa of Galilee.” It was another site that provided an interesting look at the Roman influence among the Israelite culture.

Our next location took us to Nazareth. We stood at the “Jumping Hill” overlooking the Jezreel Valley. This is the traditional site where presumably Jesus was taken after His reading of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue and the leaders wanted to toss him off said cliff, and Jesus passed through the crowd. Oddly enough, many Muslims believe that Jesus flew away off the cliff. That does make the story a little more interesting… This site overlooked an Old Testament story of Deborah and Barak (Judges 4-5) where God delivered the Canaanite army of Sisera to the Israelites. If you have never experienced the animated stories of Dr. Stone, you have truly missed out. The story unfolded before our eyes on the valley far below.

The final destination initially seemed very odd. We approached the back gate and waited to be let in. This was very peculiar and wondered if we were entering from the back side as to avoid an Israelite checkpoint as we were very close to both Lebanon and Syria. However after cresting the hill, it became very apparent that Dr. Rasmussen was adding the “Awe” factor to the visit. From the dead tree (from Jesus Christ Superstar – where Judas hung himself), we looked down upon one of the most impressive Roman cities Scythopolis. Massive pillars lined the well constructed Roman road. There were bathhouses, places of worship and a nice size amphitheater. It was a stupendous way to end the day.

We left the Sea of Galilee field trip and returned back to home base at the JUC. After dinner, I decided to check emails and Facebook (aka: electronic crack). I had an email from the Financial Aid department concerning my awards. Upon opening it, it was revealed that I had been awarded a full scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year! In the land of God’s promise, God has proven faithful and I pray that I continue to seek obedience to His will.

Blessings to all!

Israel Day 15

Touching Antiquity

Today began atypical of our usual “site” seeing. We began with a trip across the Sea of Galilee. Since it is about 7 ½ miles across, we opted to take a boat instead of walking… Being on the water has always been a delightful experience for me and cutting across the sea so significant to Jesus only added to my delight. We had a demonstration of casting a net into the sea. When he came up empty handed, we suggested he try to other side of the boat… no dice. We should’ve walked. Once on the other side, we viewed a boat believed to be floating the sea in the days of Jesus. This 2,000 year old boat was a pretty amazing discovery and the challenges of preserving this find were tremendous.

Our next three stops were memorial churches of specific gospel events. The first celebrated the feeding of 5,000 along the shore of Galilee, the second celebrated Peter’s revelation of Jesus as the Son of God and our final church celebrated the beatitudes. At the Church of the Beatitudes, a few of our Asbury team members prepared a short worship service for our larger group. We read through the first two chapters of the Sermon on the Mount after a time of singing praise and prayer. Though cut short by another group needing the space, it was a tremendously powerful worship event that I will cherish.

We ate lunch at Chorazim, a 4th/5th century ruin and explored the amazing basalt synagogue and pondering the pagan symbols etched in stone. It seems our fallen nature cannot help but defile what God has intended for us for our good. I found the head of Medusa especially ironic etched in stone.

Our final official stop took us to Capernaum, the “home” of Jesus. We walked amongst the places that Jesus, Peter and the disciples were surely to have been. Though the external of the commemorating church appeared to be a replica of the Millennium Falcon of Star Wars, I am in agreement with Dr. Stone as the amazing testimony to the history of the Christian Church. The church is built over a church of the Byzantine era which has been built over an early home church, built over the “home” of Simon Peter. The message this architecture speaks is that although our church is modern, its foundation is literally built upon the ministry of Jesus Christ.

After dropping off the majority of the larger group back at Ein Gev, about 10 of us ascended a nearby tel, Mt Hippos. It was an out-of-the-way place seemingly “untouched” by the commercialism so prevalent at many of these sites and especially after a day visiting these commemorative sites. With such a smaller group and not another soul around, we were able to really explore and drawn close, touch, thus truly having experienced discovery of a time gone by. It also provided an eerie reminder of a more contemporary ongoing challenge of this Land Between. Up the tel, we passed signs encouraging us to stay upon the well secured path so as to not walk out into the mine field intended to discourage Syrians from entering Israel. Modern bunkers were also present and Sam Long and I discovered a really neat tunnel that we were unable to fully appreciate due to lack of lighting… I had just taken my flashlight out of my pocket and left it on the night stand prior to leaving! Doh! Anyway, I do not believe the bat we startled truly wanted us to proceed any further.

Another day of adventure in the hot sun deserved another day in the water. We bobbed in the waves and I got to assist some group members in digging a trench/tunnel to bring water to the moat of a massively intricate sand castle on the beach. A quick shower before dinner and another tasty meal ends another amazing day.

As I am becoming more and more eager to return home to see my family and friends, I am also saddened as I realize that words, pictures or souvenirs will never be able to capture this experience to any acceptable level. As these ruins have impressions upon the earth for centuries, this place has left its mark upon my life and cannot begin to imagine the future implications or graces that this will have in the days and years ahead. I sincerely appreciate all those who have been my prayer warriors, my encouragers or even my financial supporters. I truly believe that the seeds have been planted and through the power of the Holy Spirit, good fruit shall come. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Blessings from the Holy Land.

Israel: Day 14

In His Steps

I am flat pooped. I have no idea how to capture the day in words. With each passing day, the mental, emotional and spiritual overload becomes more overwhelming. I woke up this morning overlooking the Sea of Galilee and after a long, exhausting day, I watch the changing colors of the sky as the sun slips behind the hills to the west. If only, I could walk on water.

On our way to our first stop, we made an impromptu stop to step along the banks of the Jordan River. It has been challenging to put into perspective these places that actually exist outside the biblical text and hear the sound of the water passing as I stand dumbfounded along its banks. I pondered my baptism and now wish I had taken the time to dip my hand into the water in remembrance… next trip.

Our first “official” stop of the day was the site of Hazor. I am not exactly sure why but I was pretty excited about this site. It may have to do with the fun pronunciation of the city. The “Ha” sounds like the hocking sound when you are clearing your throat; “Hakkkk” and the ending “zore.” It could also be that this place was torched. Not just burned but melt mud bricks into glass and cause Basalt (volcanic) rock to fissure. I am no scholar but this sounds hot. After a brief introduction to the site, we were free to roam a bit and so I wondered over to the cistern (If you remember, a favorite place to get out of the sun) and started down the staircase to realize that it was really deep; 46 meters deep! At the bottom, I further realized that I had to climb those stairs that I had just descended into the abyss. Seeing the evidence of the destruction with my own eyes was pretty incredible.

The next stop of the day dropped us off at the site of Dan. Dan had several surprises. It contained an amazing spring. It apparently held a horned altar of tremendous size. Dan also had a more contemporary significance as from the back of the site we could look across into Lebanon and Syria. We stood along the trenches above the dividing road seeing a burned out tank across the valley. Archeologically, the site also contained some amazingly preserved artifacts. I am kind of drawn to the gate areas and this site had three (we only could view two)! I always seem to imagine the strategies needed to defend these fortifications. I apparently watch too many movies.

Lunchtime, we pulled into the New Testament and had lunch at Caesarea Philippi. The Greco Roman influence was obvious with the numerous structural artifacts on display. I made bad jokes about the temple for worshipping Pan but they were “panned.” It was a nice change of pace as we entered into a “life of Jesus” kind of place.

Sadly, as I was growing tired and weary, I do not remember the next site. It was interesting in that it was a more fully reconstructed site that really allowed you to get a sense of how people lived within the ruin walls that we find. You can arrange people easier in the imagination preparing dinner, sitting to visit or lying down for sleep. As a boy who loved building with blocks but knows better, I might think building something with stone might be fun.

Our final stop of the day was a proposed site for Bethsaida. Evidentially, this site was a tough sell for Bethsaida but was more significantly more relevant as an Old Testament site… It was really cool to see where an artifact I had seen and talked about in the Israel Museum was actually found (and to know that it probably was a Naue type II sword on “its” back).

We got back to En Gev in time to have a quick swim in the Sea of Galilee before dinner. It was a fantastic way to end the day. After dinner, I stood on the shore and hoped and prayed for the time I can return with my family so that they may be able to share in this experience beyond words.

Blessings to you all!

Israel: Day 13

Walking on Water… or at least very near the water

After a late night doing laundry, checking emails and… playing ping pong, a 7 am departure was a little difficult. However, the ride north gave ample time for a quick power nap and felt raring to go once we arrived at Caesarea on the Mediterranean.

What an amazing place that seemed to be built to flaunt itself against nature and see the fury that nature has inflicted to reclaim much of the landscape. To see Herod’s (Agrippa) palace, or the remaining foundation, jutting out into the sea was an invitation to scurry out as far as the rocks would let me. A few of the guys ran a short race on the game field a mere yards from the lapping waves of the sea. There were baths and places of worship from many differing time periods to be explored. A quick bus ride up the beach found the remains of an ancient aqueduct that perfectly framed views of the Mediterranean.

I found myself wondering if Paul had stood in similar places overlooking the same sea. Could he have walked down this same path?

This will be on the list for a return trip for sure.

Our second stop was atop Mt. Carmel of the infamous showdown between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal.

We took in the breathtaking view of Jezreal Valley below and the Israeli Air force above. We listened to a classmate discuss the Carmelites who came to this place to listen for the still, calm voice in a life of contemplation. On our way from Mt Carmel to Megiddo we stopped by a well preserved tomb complete with its roll-away stone

(He wasn’t there either… Risen!). When we arrived at Megiddo, it became obvious the importance of this place overlooking, monitoring the 3 important passes (Jezreal, Megiddo & Dothan). It also contained a cistern walk, a fast favorite place to avoid the sun for a few minutes before leaving a antiquity site.

With little time left in the day, our Professor Rasmussen convinced our bus driver to take our monstrous bus (that didn’t have the air conditioning working well) up a narrow, winding road so that we could take in the Sea of Galilee from a beautiful overlook over Tiberius. This was a nearly perfect way to finish a long, hot day. From there, we wound our way back down and around the sea to our 3rd home-away-from-home, bungalows seaside looking across to Tiberius. After getting our room assignments, I discovered that I was rooming with the infamous Lawson G. Stone, PhD. Lord, help us all!

With each passing day, I miss my family more and more and hope to bring them, especially Amy, to this place so that we may share in this experience that words nor pictures can capture. As I ponder walking across the Sea of Galilee, I wonder… is this were Jesus walked? Praises to Him, blessings to you all!