Quick Views from the Bus

Although I'm calling this "quick views" I am afraid this post will get way too long!

Some views are highlights, while some I just want a record of for future reference. 

So, bear with me. Skim. 

Our days began with a six or six-thirty wake up call, always with a buffet breakfast,

and ended with a seven o'clock dinner back at the hotel. 

We stayed at five different hotels over 10 days

and quickly had to get into the rhythm of packing up,

suitcases on the bus when we moved and 

our backpacks, whispers (audio headsets), water, hats, notebooks etc. with us.

There were about 48 people on our bus and we had one local Israeli tour guide

as well as one American Bible Teacher.

The views fom the bus were amazing!

Israel is smaller than Vancouver Island, so you can imagine why one can cover a lot in one trip!

This is a view of the Dead Sea from the bus, the white being salt.

It intrigues me that this is where Sodom and Gomorrah used to be. 

I only waded. It is interesting how one comes out feeling like your skin has been dipped in oil. 

One of the towns we visited was Capernaum, the place that Jesus spent a significant amount of time

in during His ministry years. This synagogue (dating back to the 4th or 5th century was built on the one that was there in the 1st century, 

which is believed to be the actual synagogue of Capernaum in Jesus' day.

An interesting view we had, near this synagoue, 

was what is believed to be the house church of Peter the apostle. 

It is interesting how archeologists gather these facts. 

Today there is a floating church above it. 

On the Mount of Beatitudes.

A beautiful spot to imagine the crowds listening to a teaching they had never heard. 

I found it hard to believe that ancient towns are still being unearthed 

(even by accident) in the 21st Century!

Located on the shores of Galilee, this was the hometown of Mary Magdalene. 

She was the one of whom Jesus said, " Those who have been forgiven much, love much." 

Situated at the base of Mt Hermon, we visited Caesarea Philippi, an ancient place of pagan worship.

This hole was referred to as the Gate of Hell in the time of Jesus.

Upon Peter's declaration of who He believed Jesus to be, Jesus told him that upon this rock (confession) He would build His church and the Gates of Hell would not overcome it. 

We got a beautiful view of the Golan Heights and Syria from Mt. Bental. 

At the Jordan River we witnessed eight in our group get baptized. 

The ruins of yet another ancient city, Bet She'an is one of the oldest in Israel, unveiling a lot of history through archeological remains. 

The Name En Gedi, is familiar to those who have heard Old Testament Bible Stories. 

It is the  mountain site where David and Saul basically played "hide and seek" with their troops. 

Another, more familiar Bible story portrayed in 3D here,

is the one of David and Goliath in the Elah Valley.

Situated between two hills, it is easy to imagine the stand off as David runs down

and takes up five rocks out of the, now dry, creekbed. 

We got to Jerusalem,

and this is where I'll camp a bit and finish off. 

We walked the Palm Sunday Road.

Also, crossed the Kidron Valley. I was busy taking pictures of the wild flowers again.

It was surreal to look over to see an Arab community and the city of David in the distance.

While in Jerusalem, you can't miss seeing the Al aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

I'm not in the know how of the significance of these.

All I know is that they are now on Israeli soil and cause conflict.

The original Jewish temple was huge!

 Today you see remnants of the destruction and learn what history has to teach us.

We sat on the Southern Steps, where worshippers would have gone to get into the temple.

The wailing wall is also part of this complex. 

A highlight were the places that have special significance for me.

The Garden of Gethsemane is one of those.

The place is still the same place;

olive tree roots keep regenerating even when the above structure of the tree decays. 

So it was sobering to stand there and remember Jesus' last hours before his death,

 broken and spilled out in love. 

The garden where the tomb was, also had deep meaning for me.

Again, here we were given reasons why this is believed to be the place 

where they laid the body of Jesus.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was crucified at the place of the Skull.

Golgotha has the same meaning. 

In this garden one can still see the rock formation of the skull,

however the nose was broken during an unusually heavy snowfall.

Obvioulsy, no one really knows for sure,

but Protestants believe it to be the place

because of the location, the tomb in the garden and

 the fact that the Bible refers to Mary thinking Jesus was the gardener after He arose, 

Wherever the tomb, it's empty! 

And that is where we place our hope. 

Jesus said, "I am the resurection and the life. 

Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies."

So much more I could write down, 

but hopefully there are memories that remain, either way.

The food was wonderful, especially the breads with olive oil and roasted vegetables.

It was an enlightening time as well as a sobering time.

We are both so grateful for having been able to take a trip like this. 

Masada (A Bit of History)

We took the tram up to the Masada fortress, 

situated in the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea

It was built by Herod the Great as a resort for himself and his friends,

a castle built into the top of a mountain,

complete with aqueducts, cisterns, spa and bathhouse for meetings!

Today we see what remains.

Arches and murals give us glimpses of some of the beauty

Fire under a raised floor made it possible to push heat up through a piping system.

So many surprises as to the ingenuity of the times,

but ultimately what it is now known for is a monument to one of the saddest stories I've heard.

We were not told what it was used for after the death of Herod the Great,

but the story goes that while the Romans were destroying Jerusalem around 70 AD,

nearly 1000 Jews fled and locked themselves up in the old fortress.

They were protected there for about 3 years,

its defensive site challenging the highly developed siegeworks of their enemy,

before they also met their death.

This was the last and longest final conquest of this nation, by Emperor Titus.

The Jews became scattered around the Mediterranean and many sold into slavery.

It took another 1900 years for them to finally become a nation again 

and claim a homeland that continues to be fought over. 

 

On The Sea and the Shores of Galilee

I write this post having seen a number of other places since,

knowing now that it's one of my favorite places.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, as we headed to church on the boat!

On the path, a local musician was playing Blessed be the Name on his clarinet!

I can't explain the feeling!

Obviously our boat was a lot larger than the one the disciples travelled on with Jesus,

but it was just so surreal, to say it again, 

to be in this place where most of the ministry of Jesus took place.

The captain turned off the engine and it was very quiet on the water as we sang, 

all of us from different parts of the continent.

The Judean hills around us.

It is on this lake that the disciples cried out in fear one night when a storm came up. 

Now the lake does not look like it could get that stormy,

but the Israeli guide told us that because the lake is like a bowl

that heats up, when the winds come it can be prone to sudden violent storms. 

Our message was that, after Jesus asked the disciples why they were afraid

and calmed the storm, they were overwhelmed with a different kind of fear,

asking "Who is this, that even the wind and waves obey Him?"

The storm on the Sea of Galilee is the only seascape ever painted by Rembrandt. It depicts Jesus calming the waves, saving the lives of fourteen men. Why fourteen? It is because Rembrandt included a self portrait (a selfie) of himself on the boat, next to Jesus and his twelve disciples. 

I love that!

The following day, after seeing other places, we came back to the shores of this lake

to a somber teaching about Peter, 

the one who said he'd be willing to die for Jesus, but denied him three times.

It is believed to be on this site that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He arose

and three times Jesus asked him if he loved him.

John 21: 17 says that Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" 

He said, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

It was the shore that Jesus had first called him to follow Him,

and now, as He found him fishing again, Jesus gave him another chance.

And Peter never turned back.

He died for his faith. 

These are a couple of the precious lessons we had, not new, 

but impactful as we sat on the boat and on  the shores of Galilee. 

 

Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Caesarea

We flew into Tel Aviv about midnight last Thursday, after approximately  24 hours of travel.

I had not expected at all to get emotional, but as we saw the twinkling lights along the shoreline, 

I was surprised by some unexplainable tears.

The next morning we woke to this gorgeous view of the Mediterranean.

We met our friends, who had flown in a day before, for a walk on the boardwalk 

and lunch on a beach patio. 

In the evening we met the rest of the tour group, mostly people from the USA. 

Our first morning the bus driver took us just a short ways away to Jaffa (Joppa),

a city that is maybe 4,000 years old. 

For us today, it is hard to imagine a city could last that long.

The first story that was brought to our memory was that of Jonah and the whale

as we read it in the book of Jonah. 

It's possibly one of the first Bible stories I ever heard as a child,

never imagining that I'd someday see the port he escaped from.

We walked through the narrow, winding cobbled alleys

adorned with arches and balconies.

The ancient architecture is unbelievable.

Obviously it has been refurbished in many spots, but it is easy to

see the original coming through.

It was on a rooftop in this city, while staying at Simon the Tanner's home,

 that the disciple Peter had a vision

which led him to realize that he had to share the gospel

with more than just the Jewish people.

Our tour guide, an Israeli, not a Christian, led us to this spot.

I find it interesting that he knows the Bible so well, without claiming any kind of faith. 

It just tells me that spiritually he has nothing to prove.

Of course, he said, it may not be the exact spot, 

but stories of any significance to a family tend to be passed down from one generation to the next,

they guard the facts and therefore have merit. 

We stopped for lunch.

It was amazing!

And then we headed to Caesarea by the Sea, the place Peter was called to go in his vision 

to see a Roman centurion named Cornelius, who was waiting for him.

It's a story that changed everything for us as Gentiles

and somehow becomes more real, seeing that these places are actually there. 

Now the house of Cornelius has disappeared  ... 

but the park that has been built around the archeological sites tells quite a story as well.

This city was built by Herod the Great and dedicated to Caesar Augustus,

during the time that Judea was ruled by Rome.

(This explains to me why Cornelius would have lived there)

Today we see glimpses into the kind of entertainment that was enjoyed in their open theatre as well as in the hippodrome, watching chariot races.

all with a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean. 

And just beyond the view of a field of wildflowers, 

are the remains of Herod's palace ...

a small picture of the reality of life. 

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

Jesus