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