Thank you for being a part of my blog following my travels through Israel! I couldn't have done this trip without the love and support of friends and family at home. I hope this blog can help bring to life the Bible and its many amazing characters, landscapes, stories, and histories through seeing first hand accounts.  Feel free to ask questions and leave comments, I'd love for this trip to open up an ongoing dialogue. 

Every promise fulfilled

embedded in the land

growing upward

expanding outward

resting in your hand

Pictures of Life in Jerusalem

Road to Emmaus and Caesarea

(Picture: Walking on the Road to Emmaus)

Today was a really fun day, and it was our last day of field trips. I leave for home late tomorrow night and arrive early Sunday morning! I'm really excited to be back and see family and friends, but I know I will miss things about Israel and this unique group of people.

The object of today was to follow Jesus' great commission to the disciples to go to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth and spread the gospel. But first we began with Jesus' post resurrection appearance on the road to Emmaus (which is in Judea). This is about a 7 mile road leading from Jerusalem to Emmaus. We walked on a portion of it and could see the remains of a Roman road from the 2nd century, which was after Jesus' lifetime, but would have preserved an earlier road like the one Jesus walked on. These remains were big round limestone and were actually pretty intact (as far as ancient ruins go!). The main thing I took away from this experience was Dr. Wright's more pastoral message: today the road is overgrown with thistles and bushes, and as we walked along they kept pricking into my feet that were in flip flops and my legs that were in shorts. We could still see where the road was, but it was challenging to walk on and even painful at points. This is like many points of our lives...our roads may have difficult periods, often times caused by things completely out of our control. Yet we continue to press on because we know the pathway is still there and we can follow it through.

After this we went to Samaria, which was such a fascinating region. We started at the church that is the traditional site for Jacob's well (and this site actually seemed to be THE site of Jacob's well, unlike some sites that are there based mostly on tradition). Jacob built this well as a way of claiming the area by tapping into the water resources, and then it is referenced in John 4 when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the same well. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Jesus is passing through Samaria, which is a bold move because there was division between Jews and Samaritans. He stops for a drink and asks a Samaritan woman to draw him some water from the well. Jesus tells her that the water she has will make people thirsty again, while he offers living water. This leads into a discussion about the correct place to worship: Samaritans believe it is on Mount Gerizim while Jews believe it is in Jerusalem. But Jesus says a time is coming when this discussion won't matter because we will worship in spirit in truth rather than a physical location.

The church and the well were amazing. The church has huge paintings all over it that are done in bright colors with images that take up almost the whole frame. They even had framed pictures on the ceilings. There were also bright colored stained glass windows. So the whole church had a fresh, inviting, colorful vibe. Then you go downstairs and there is a small room with a well in it. The well is made out of the same limestone that is all over Israel, and had a bucket that we got to drop down into it and draw water with. The well was really deep and was connected to a fresh spring. After drawing the water we got to drink it, and it tasted pure and sweet. So...if this was the well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman, I was standing where Jesus stood and drinking from the same spring he did!

After this, we stopped at Mount Gerizim and talked to a Samaritan from the priestly line! He said there are only about 700 Samaritans remaining in Israel (and therefore the world) and they are comprised of three tribes: Levi, Ephraim, and Mannasah. They do not consider themselves Jews. They believe in God, Moses, and the five books of Moses (which they consider to be different than the Jewish Torah). In the first five books Jerusalem is never mentioned, while Mt. Gerizim is: "When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings" (Deuteronomy 11:29). Therefore, they believe Mount Gerizim is the holy place of worship rather than Jerusalem, hence the Samaritan woman's question in John 4. They associate the following events with Mount Gerizim: Abraham sacrificing Isaac, Moses' tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, Joshua's twelve stones of remembrance, and Noah's ark. Today this line continues, and is extremely exclusive (even to the extent of only marrying within the Samaritan community which has caused genetic defects). They continue to do animal sacrifices, and we saw the small wells where they do this.

After this we went back to Caesarea, which is "the ends of the earth" because it is on the sea closest to Rome. We talked about Herod some more (it is between Galilee and Jerusalem so it gave him control over both areas). This is also the place where Peter meets Cornelius after receiving a vision, and in doing so extends the gospel to the Gentiles.

Today was our last walk around Jerusalem as a school. We followed Jesus' journey from his triumphal entry on the donkey on the Mount of Olives, to the garden of Gethsemane, to the church of the Holy Sepulcher (where Jesus' tomb is), to the garden tomb (the alternate site of Jesus' burial). Jesus' entry on the Mount of Olives took place on the Passover, indicating that he would have been among a crowd of people. The palm branches were a symbol of freedom and redemption, which would have had both political and spiritual meaning. When Jesus approaches the city, he sees it and weeps. This parallels David's crossing the Mount of Olives, after his son Absalom revolted against him (2 Samuel 15). David also weeps at this time (vs. 30). There is a church built on the Mount of Olives that is called "the Church of Jesus Crying." The architect built to look like a tear drop.

Today was my third visit to the Garden of Gethsemane and the All Nations Church. This and the Western Wall are my favorite places in Jerusalem. Every time I have come here I have an overwhelming sense of peace and calm. I start getting excited when I walk through the 2,000 year old olive trees because (apart from the mere fact of walking through 2,000 year old olive trees) I know I am about to walk into a place where I can sense God's presence. I think it has to do with the purple stained glass that makes the whole sanctuary dark, but also what it represents and does such a beautiful job of commemorating. When I sit down and listen to God everything becomes obsolete: the millions of clicking cameras, time, the monks and nuns that wander around. I feel kind of thrilled that I found a specific location that holds peace and where I have so clearly heard from God.

Dr. Wright spent some time describing the crucifixion. It would have taken place on ground level, rather than how we may have envisioned it on a hill. The bodies would be left to hang on the cross after their death for birds and dogs to eat away at, then the bones would fall to the ground. However, Jesus had loved ones that took his body and laid it in a tomb. Returning to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was stressful. There are so many people, and I can just feel the tension of so many traditions competing for the same space. They even have designated times during the day for each tradition to use the church. A priest in robes kept walking through clanging a bell and spreading incense. People were frantically lining up to go inside Jesus' tomb, touch the rock from calvary, and the stone where he was laid after his death. And by touch I mean kiss, rub cloths over, and put rosaries on. There are so many shrines, altars, icons, and things that there isn't even room for Jesus!

We ended the walk at the Garden Tomb, where the exact same tour guide gave us our tour to the exact same script...jokes and all. It was pretty entertaining.

We ended the day back at school with a Roman dinner. They had set up the room with tables in a U shape, all low to the ground, with mattresses for us to lie on while we ate. They hung rugs and brought in plants, all to create an authentic environment. Two of the guys dressed in togas and served us our meals of dried fruit, nuts, flat bread, dips, and soup. This was in honor of the last super, where Dr. Wright explained all the particulars of Jesus' meal with his disciples. At these meals everyone lay on their left side and the host would be among the three at the end. Therefore, Jesus would have been lying in front or against Judas, which creates a powerful image of Jesus perhaps against Judas' chest/heart.

In keeping with Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth," we are now moving our journey to the ends of the earth...Cesarea and the road to Damascus. But that will be tomorrow.

Today we went back to Caesarea Philippi, which is where Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" (Mark 16:13). They answer, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets" (14). Then he says, "Who do you say I am?" (15) Peter answers, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (16). Then Jesus goes on to say, "I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church" (18).

Caesarea Philippi is the site of cultic worship for the god Pan. This was a Hellenistic deity. There was also a temple for Augustus found here, a ruler who deified himself. This creates an interesting backdrop for Jesus' questions, because Jesus is asking the disciples to confirm his identity as the one true God against the worship of these false gods. In addition, this site has huge cliffs. The rock the cliffs are made out of is "jurassic," which is the best in terms of water, soil, shelter, strength, and building material. This creates a really nice metaphor for what the church is to built on. The word "church" is only used twice in the gospels, and in this instance Jesus is the farthest distance he ever gets from Jerusalem. This also creates a powerful image of what the church is meant to be...its out in the world, reaching to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

After this we went to Gamla, another site from the Jewish Revolt. We did a hike to a waterfall that was really pretty. In order to get there we walked through wheat fields, and my friend from Illinois kept saying it looked just like home! I keep running into the most unexpected terrain here in Israel. This site itself is a big hill with a city built on top of it. Josephus describes it as a camel.

We ended the day in Jericho. Every time the gospel writers talk about Jesus going to Jerusalem it's always through Jericho (interesting fact I learned today). We visited the New Testament site this time, whereas last time we saw the Old Testament site.

I love driving back into Jerusalem after being gone. First you drive through the desert for a long stretch, then go under the Mount of Olives (literally, you drive through a tunnel that cuts through the mountain), then you shoot out into a full skyline view of the city. The first thing that catches your eye is the gold Dome of the Rock. It takes my breath away every time.

Galilee: Fishermen and the demon-possessed man

(pictures: location of Mark 5)

Today was our second day in Galilee, where we continued to follow the life and ministry of Jesus (his ministry was primarily in Galilee). The districts surrounding the Sea of Galilee were divided between degrees of Hellenisation but they were also united as Jews in each area were seeking after God. In Jesus' ministry he was able to identify with each district and as Dr. Wright said, tap into their essential human needs. We've had several views overlooking the whole sea, which creates a nice visual of how Jesus' ministry would have progressed throughout this area.

In calling the disciples, Jesus chose fishermen. Fishermen in Galilee would have been considered brave, bold, resourceful, and cross cultural. Canaanites believed that the god of chaos was the god of the sea, so they had all these associations of the sea with death and evil. As fishermen, these men would have appeared fearless and capable in navigating in the water. In addition, fishermen would have traveled from district to district, interacting with people at other ports who had different cultures (Galilee as a whole was Jewish but it was being pulled more and more into the Roman world/Hellinism). Mark 3:14 says, "He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons." Dr. Wright said there are three criteria for the disciples: 1. God wants you 2. You want him 3. the rest are details. This really highlighted to me the way Jesus appointed the twelve first and foremost that "they might be with him." What a beautiful image of Jesus desiring for the disciples to be in his presence and share in his ministry. Our ministry is really secondary to just being with Jesus and really receiving his love towards us.

In Mark 5 Jesus heals a demon-possessed man, which can be placed in the city of Gergesa. This city is on the hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is really a beautiful city with farm land, grazing land, a boat doc, and rocks and tombs above. In this story, the demon-possessed man was living among the tombs, too strong to be subdued, and would cry out and cut himself with stones (5:5). But when he saw Jesus he fell down before him, and Jesus casts the demons out of him into nearby pigs. The pigs rush down into the lake and are drowned. The pig owners find the man "sitting there, dressed and in his right mind" (15). When Jesus leaves the region the man begs Jesus to be taken with him, but Jesus responds "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you" (19). So he tells people and they are amazed. The next time Jesus returns to this region, a whole group of people are waiting for him...showing how the man had continued to spread word about Jesus' healing act in his life.

It was so interesting connecting this story with being in the actual area where it is likely to have taken place. We climbed around in the tombs on the hill, that look down on the city. I could picture this man living just outside of his community, afflicted by this possession that was separating him from his family, land, and God (the three things most valued in Jewish culture). When Jesus healed him, he restored all of this to him. Rather than letting him come and join him in leaving the region, Jesus restores him to his community, home, and land. I never understood this before and it was really eye opening to me. This was really the most merciful thing Jesus could have done. In a way, he is telling him that it is ok, he has made him well and he can be healthy and restored in his own environment.

In Capernaum we saw the synagogue as well as a house right next to it, which could have been Simon and Andrew's house, as well as the home of Simon's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29). Which by the way is interesting to think that Simon was married, how many of the other disciples were married? What did their wives do while they were away with Jesus? If Jesus' ministry was mainly around Galilee, did the disciples go back to their homes a lot to be with their families? Anyhow, in this story Jesus also brings restoration when he heals Simon's mother-in-law. As soon as she is healed she "began to wait on them" (31). The feminist in me never appreciated this part of the story, but today it made more sense. Women in this culture found their value in the context of family and land (the ongoing theme), so being able to serve people in her home would have restored her role and value. In addition, her healing took place on Shabbat, which is a time where women can serve people in their home and find honor in doing so. In other words: Jesus heals her and gives her role and honor back.