My Pilgrimage to Israel (2013) - Part Three

Pilgrimage - 1) a journey to a sacred place or shrine trip, 2) a long journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.

Day Two: this portion of the trip was as significant as any of the week: an early morning departure for a day at a variety of significant sites along the shore of the Sea of Galilee (also known as the Sea of Tiberius which is really a big lake surrounded by very hilly terrain).  Jesus spent a lot of time during his ministry in the area around the Sea of Galilee.  He also gathered his apostles, performed many miracles, and reappeared after his resurrection in this area.  Before coming to Israel, I tried to imagine what it would be like to walk along these shores, but I couldn't quite grasp what the experience would be like.  This is one of the legs of the trip that I was most excited to experience.

The Valley of Winds - Via Maris - picture by James Stewart

On our way to our first destination, The Valley of Winds - Via Maris, we drove past the village of Migdal.  This small village is a relatively new excavation and was once the home of Mary Magdalene.  Jesus was considered radical in so many ways including how he broke with societal norms when he included Mary in his ministry.  He turned the values of the world upside down and that included his treatment of all women.  Mary was with Jesus during his crucifixion, was the first to see the resurrected Christ, and announced that he had risen to the other apostles.  To see Mary Magdalene's humble village, even if just from the road, was inspiring.

Church of the Primacy of St Peter

We started the day at The Valley of Winds - Via Maris which is an ancient trade route pathway that leads through the mountainous terrain surrounding the Sea of Galilee.  It was very heavily traveled during Jesus' time and would have been used by anyone visiting Migdal and Capernaum.  In other words, Jesus undoubtedly used this road when he traveled from Nazareth to visit Peter, James, John, Matthew and Andrew in Capernaum.  Caves at the top of the tall mounts attest the age of this place.  It was serene, extraordinarily peaceful, and beautiful during this early morning.  Many of the group said that this was one of their favorite places.  We were right in the middle of a sacred place.  The atmosphere was palpable.

After considering Jesus' journeys through these valleys, we traveled along the shore of the Sea of Galilee to Taghba.  Within Taghba, there are two significant locations in Christian history: the Church of the Multiplication and the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter.  Among other evidences, these two buildings sit atop two 4th century churches that were built to honor one of Jesus' reappearances after his crucifixion and the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes.  Both of these sites sit along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Sea of Galilee at Church of the Primacy of St Peter

"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize it was Jesus" - this is the story where the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples again and instructed them, after they were unable to catch fish, to throw their net "on the right side of the boat" and they caught a large number of fish.  It is a wonderful story of God reuniting with his followers and encouraging them.  This is also where Jesus asked Peter three times "do you love me?".  After Peter answered each time that he indeed did love Jesus, the Lord instructed Peter to then "feed my sheep".  A wonderful and loving exchange.

After a walk along the road to the Church of the Multiplication (honoring where Jesus fed the multitudes), our bus left for the Mount of the Beatitudes.  Again, there is no absolute proof that this is the area where Jesus delivered the powerful (and extraordinarily challenging) Sermon on the Mount.  But, there is good evidence why these locations have been honored as such for 1600 years.  Even so, as our tour guide Tsippi stated, we didn't come to honor the site but to honor the event...to honor the Creator.

The Mount of Beatitudes is probably the most beautiful of all the sites we visited.  We stood next to the basilica, overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Mount of Beatitudes, while Shelly Hayes read the Sermon on the Mount; Pastor Arturo Maine from Costa Rica by way of New York, read the same scripture in Spanish (Matthew 5-7)...blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven...blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted...blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth...blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled...  I stared over the Sea of Galilee and intermittently prayed silently while these disciples read these cherished scripture.  We entered the basilica, sang a hymn (well, some sang...I usually hum because my memory of lyrics is terrible) and prayed.  I absolutely love this place.

Sea of Galilee from Mount of Beatitudes - the view from where I stood while we read the Sermon on the Mount

Next stop: Capernaum, Crossing the Sea of Galilee, and Jordan River

My Pilgrimage to Israel (2013) - Part Two

View of Nazareth (upon the hills in background) and Mt. Tabor (on the right) from Megiddo

Day One (cont'd) - Our time in Caesarea was followed by a trip to ancient Tel Megiddo which translated to Hebrew is Har Megiddo or Armageddon.  The Book of Revelation describes a great end-times battle when all of the world's kings assemble in the valley of Armageddon.  26 civilizations dating back thousands of years before Christ are known to have been located on this ancient site that juts above the fertile valleys.  King David conquered Tel Megiddo after the failed attempts of others before him.  The city reached its height during the reign of the wise King Solomon (David's son).  This place is incredibly rich in biblical history.  

Manger from time of Christ - Tel Megiddo

After waiting out the rain while having lunch, we walked to the top of Tel Megiddo.  Despite the historical significance of this place, it is quite open to those who want to wander alongside its excavations. Even the pathways leading to the top are littered with thousands of ancient pottery shards underfoot.

Standing on top of the hill, I was struck by the close proximity of so many other significant biblical sites.  You could easily see Mt Carmel (see Israel - Part One), Mt Tabor, Mt Gilboa, Jezreel Valley and Nazareth.  Names associated with these places include Jesus, David, Solomon, Saul, Josiah, Gideon, Elijah...absolutely incredible.  One of the most inspiring of the Old Testament stories is that of Gideon.  That story happened in the valley in front of us.




Gideon's defeat of the Midianites happened in the Jezreel Valley.  Gideon's army was reduced to 300 men because God directed him to shrink his numbers.  God, in his wisdom, determined it best to demonstrate his strength through this small and weakened military (see "Our Weakness, His Strength").  Thus, there was no mistaking who controlled the outcome of the conflict.

Nazareth from Mount Precipice

As we wound our way from the top of the ancient hill, I was reminded of the same principal [that God demonstrated through Gideon] when Jesus was born.  Along the path sits a 1st century stone manger.  Christian, your King was not born in a position of power; he wasn't laid in a posh palace bed.  He was born in a cave used to house dirty animals and slept in a feeding trough made of stone.

While in Megiddo, I was completely transfixed on the small town of Nazareth that can be easily seen, sitting seemingly quiet atop a range of hills, across the the valley.  Jesus spent most of his childhood and adult years there.  God chose that small, unimportant town to be the home of his one and only Son.

For at least 1,600 years, this stone cave has been
celebrated as the young virgin's home

Nazareth sits in a bowl shaped indention on top of the hills overlooking Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley.   It occurred to me that, during his upbringing, Jesus would undoubtedly look over these same hills and valleys while standing on the ridges surrounding his town.  Before entering, we stood above the city Mt. Precipice - this is the location that is believed to be where the people of Nazareth attempted to kill Jesus before he "passed through the midst of them and went away".  Whether this was the exact cliff on which they attempted to kill him is not important.  I had no doubt that he once walked as a man - probably played as a boy - where we were standing.

Descending into Nazareth, we walked to the Basilica of the Annunciation.  This basilica sits upon ancient sites believed to be where the young virgin Mary lived and where the angel Gabriel appeared before her to say "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son and you are to call him Jesus."  The village was very small during Jesus' time.  So, the likelihood remains that Jesus also lived, learned of His Father, and worshiped in this location.  To think that my God had resided in this humble little village was as spiritually moving as anything that I have ever experienced.

Next stop:  The Sea of Galilee
   

     

My Pilgrimage to Israel (2013) - Part One

Theater in Caesarea where St Paul testified to Herod Agrippa 

I had maintained a list of personal and professional goals for several years.  Some of the goals were short-term in nature.  Those would include items such as "read # books in 2013".  Other objectives would be longer term such as personal and professional aspirations, etc.  Most of my goals seemed noble enough.  However, in January 2012, I decided to clean the slate to "recalibrate" - to assure that I was properly aligning myself with God's plans.  So, I immediately eliminated every line-item on that sheet except one - a trip to the Holy Land.  I had that one marked as a "sometime before I die" objective.  One month after making these changes, my friend Pastor David Hayes, announced that he was arranging a January 2013 trip to Israel.  He was inviting whomever would like to join him in this pilgrimage.  I immediately contacted him to get the details.

Usually, a year in advance, most things seem easily doable.  That is, until the idea of leaving your wife and children behind as you hop a jet bound for the middle-east starts playing tricks on your mind.  It seemed that every fiber in my being was telling me that it wasn't a good idea.  In fact, only 6 weeks before we left, rockets were being sent from Gaza toward Tel Aviv (the very city in which we were scheduled to land). Nonetheless, as the trip approached, God made it very clear to me that this trip was meant to happen...and I followed his lead.

With the exception of a couple that were meeting us in Israel, our entire team assembled in Philadelphia.  We were joined by a group of Christ followers from Tennessee, Alaska, Indiana, North Carolina, New York, and Alabama.   After a long 12 hour flight, we landed in the rainy city of Tel Aviv and jumped on a bus headed for Galilee.  Within 10 minutes of leaving the airport, our tour guide informed us that we were in the land of the ancient Hebrew tribe of Benjamin.  That announcement was enough to start my head spinning and stirred a tremendous amount of reflection and emotion.  Soon after, we could see an outline of Mt Carmel where the prophet Elijah (you know, the guy who flew off to heaven in a fiery chariot) confronted the false prophets.  I was right in the middle of the land of the Holy Bible...of milk and honey...of Abraham, Isaiah, King David, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.  To say that I felt inspired and somewhat overwhelmed is a major understatement.

I once read that 80% of Jesus' ministry took place in Israel's northern region of Galilee.  Our home base for three nights was in Galilee's ancient Roman city of Tiberius situated on the Sea of Galilee.  It was from this location that we would drive to visit Caesarea (also an ancient Roman city), Tel Megiddo (Armageddon), Nazareth and Bet She'an on our first day.

Caesarea sits on the Mediterranean Sea where 2,000 year old pottery shards are still washing ashore.  The Apostle Paul was imprisoned here for two years (either in Herod's palace or Pontius Pilate's residence) because of his testimony about Jesus Christ.  As our tour guide, Tsippi, explained the facts behind Paul's imprisonment, a rainbow (a biblical sign of God's promise to man after the great flood) sat over the location of his imprisonment.  Tsippi exclaimed: "God is so good".  There is no doubt in my mind that we were supposed to be there at that very moment - and I was glad that I followed God's lead.

Next stop: The Valley of Armageddon - the location where John prophesied the final battle between good and evil.

  

Gaining Life By Losing It

People from the world's western culture - especially those of us from the United States - seem to love being in control.  I'm not speaking of the type of control that equates to a desire for power (although there is a strong natural tendency for that too).  This isn't about being on a power-trip.  It's a discussion about our natural want to determine our destiny, eliminate surprises, always know where we are going, write our road map through life, or even merely preserve ourselves.

But, God wants his followers to depend upon him and his provision.  We can see this demonstrated throughout the entirety of the bible.  Jesus Christ told his disciples "whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it".  Jesus also said that "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me".  I believe that he was being quite literal about this.  And in the desert, God wanted the Israelites to be completely trusting in him even for their daily sustenance.  He provided food to the them, in the form of manna, for a period 40 years (after Moses freed them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt).  But, he only supplied them with one day's worth at a time.  God wanted them to trust and depend on him...completely...each...and every...day.  He wants that for us today.

That doesn't mean that the Creator wants to make mindless puppets out of his followers, forever in waiting.  This fact was demonstrated from our beginnings - our individual freewill is essential in his desire for us.  We also shouldn't think that relying on God means no motion on our part.  But, he wants us to actively put him at the very center of our lives and our actions.  I heard a pastor once describe the catastrophe that would result if the planet Mercury suddenly replaced the Sun at the center of our solar system...that arrangement wouldn't work any more than when we attempt to remove God from our center.

Unfortunately, my natural inclination does not align itself with these ideals.  Sometimes, it is incredibly difficult to lose my life.  In fact, it is something that I need to do daily...if even 50 times a day.  My notions of "what is best" occur throughout the day, every day.  It isn't until I realize my plans are merely my own human design and that God's are divine, that I realize how much I limit myself by attempting to save my life.  There is a paradox in that it takes real strength to truly release ourselves to God's will.  It can seem somewhat like jumping out of an airplane.  However, in this act of holy obedience, the parachute has never failed to open and the destination is always better than wherever we planned to land.  It is better because it is God's destination.

God is really really big.  He's huge.  He created a universe that has been estimated to have a diameter of 150 billion light years.  We can't comprehend that distance any more than we can fully understand his design for our lives.  But, with his abundant grace, our faith will be sufficient to see where that design leads.  Undoubtedly, our plans for life are small in comparison and these small plans have been outweighed.  This will surely be an exciting ride...if only we have the willingness to jump.

         

   

Religious People Hated Jesus

"Religious People Hated Jesus" was the name and theme of a sermon I was listening to while driving to work.  The preacher delivering the message was explaining that Jesus' ministry was entirely radical, extraordinarily controversial, and maligning to much of the prevailing religious community.  That assessment of Jesus and his message is correct.  Is it possible that he would receive the same reaction today?

During the time of Christ, the prevailing religious leaders thought that by maintaining the appearance of following God's law, they might inherit His promised blessings.  Jesus taught that, while we are absolutely expected to be obedient, the content of our hearts determines whether we are pure.  He taught that no matter how good the external appearances, the internal would finally determine whether we are truly obedient.  Jesus said: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness."  

While being internally corrupt, the religious leaders condemned those whom they felt unworthy of God's grace.  In the meantime, Jesus would dine with sinners and fraternize with the spiritually and physically unclean.  While those same leaders hypocritically preached of excommunication of sinners, Jesus' message was one of grace and forgiveness.  He taught that the poor in spirit were blessed and that the meek would inherit the earth...the last would be first.

Does our modern religious culture have any parallels to that which Christ preached against?  Do our outward religious practices belie our inward spiritual state?  Then, do we condemn the afflicted while we ourselves are also afflicted (we are all afflicted)?  Or do we act with grace in accepting the shortcomings of others...while duly recognizing our own? 

Are we like those proud teachers of the law, about to stone the woman to death for her transgressions, unable to see their own shortcomings?  Jesus - in his amazing way - offered to allow the stoning if someone, who hadn't sinned himself, would throw the first stone.  Even these Pharisees realized that they could not measure up to this standard and walked away.  Do we Christians realize that our own shortcomings should prevent us from this same condemnation of others?  That we are only justified through grace and not our own doing?  Should these passages make us uncomfortable?  With "fear and trembling", they should. 

Paul said: "...while we were still sinners, Christ died for us".  Being in an infinitely smaller state than God, we might challenge ourselves by asking whether we should feel [even remotely] justified when we self-righteously reject those for whom he died.

Humility as a Hallmark

Mother Teresa was one of the most beloved Christians in recent history.  She was known around the world for her care for the poor and dying.  She claimed to see the face of God in those for whom she cared.  Her ministry started in the very desperate streets of Calcutta, India.  By the time of her death, her centers that cared for the poor, orphaned and dying grew to include 133 countries.  The stories of her caring for maggot-infested dying street people are some of the most beautiful of our time.  She didn't care about their background, religious faith, social or criminal background.  Her concern about the dying was that they die with dignity...with someone who loved them by their side.  Someone holding their hand.    

Knowing some of this background about Mother Teresa, I bought her book entitled "No Greater Love".   I was thunderstruck by the opening sentence that read:  "I don't think there is anyone who needs God's help and grace as much as I do".  As I read this sentence, I was completely frozen.  I thought, how can someone who has accomplished so much feel that they need the grace of God "more than anyone"?.  Well, as it turns out, maybe she accomplished so much because of this humility. 

Respected Christian leader, Charles Spurgeon, stated that if he were to give one sermon, "it would be a sermon against pride".  Jesus said: "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.".  Jesus despised pride.  So, why are many Christians quiet on the topic while scrutinizing so many other behaviors? 

The verse mentioned in the last paragraph was toward the end of a parable Jesus told his disciples.  In this story, Jesus compared two men.  One, the religious leader, was perfectly behaved.  In fact, he would have been a model member of his church.  He tithed, didn't cheat, was true to his spouse, and fasted twice per week.  He did it all!  Or so one would think.  The other fellow was a tax-collector.  Tax collectors were despised in Jesus' time.  They were the lowest of the low because they were considered traitors.  This wasn't just an IRS agent.  This man collected taxes from his own people on behalf of the hostile occupying Roman government.  He was definitely shunned by his community.  

In Jesus' story, the religious leader thanked God that he was not "like this tax-collector".  What did the tax-collector say?  He looked to the ground and admitted his failings before the Lord.  For this humility, he went home justified before God.  The religious leader did not.  "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."  

Still, pride seems to be widely accepted by Christians while other behaviors are vehemently judged.  As followers of Christ, should we demonstrate the humble nature of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (and of Christ)?  The world does not recognize such humility.  But, I think we would do well to strive for this as a hallmark. 

A New Command

I can be narrow-minded.  Sometimes when I say "in my faith", I am referring to the people that believe and worship the same way that I do.  I may be referring to those that belong to the same denomination or maybe a larger group of followers that are dispersed throughout the many denominations of Protestantism and within Catholicism that generally profess their faith in the same manner as do I.  If I make this reference (in this manner), I am narrowing what it means to be of a follower of Jesus to fit within my definition.  

Sometimes, I can be even more narrow-minded by referring to people that are "in my church".  Considering the fact that the biblical definition of church is the entire body of Christ's followers, I am incredibly negligent in excluding followers that attend other "churches" when making this particular reference.  

These two references don't usually offend other followers because they are not meant to be negative.  Plus, they are used so prevalently by other followers.  But, these references might point to a problem within our faith (OK, this time "within our faith" truly does mean everyone that is on the journey to/with Christ).  The problem?  A lack of love.

Jesus said:  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35).  Note:  I chuckled as I copied-n-pasted this from Biblegateway.com because he repeated the command three times in this very short passage.  So, I think he meant it.

To our own chagrin, today's Christian isn't known for his/her adherence to this command - our tendency is to gravitate toward our differences and focus on those places of our disagreement.  The result is that we cast our judgement on others, disassociate ourselves from them and consequently, tend to shrink the church.  Let us open our hearts to all believers...yes, even to those that may be in a very different place within their journey than our own.  Perhaps by accident, we might be an attraction to those who do not yet believe.