Saturday evening, March 13, in Jerusalem
Today was another great day. We had some incredible experiences that I’ve listed below. We probably will add another posting on Monday evening. We’re having a great time, although we find ourselves napping on the bus as we are still catching up on sleep.
We began our day at 7:00 AM with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The whole group pulled the boats together in the middle of the sea, and Chuck Swindoll spoke on Mark 6. Jesus fed the 5,000 (really about 15,000 when you include women and children) and then sent the disciples out onto the Sea of Galilee to go to Bethsaida. As the disciples traveled to the middle of the Sea, a terrible storm came up. Shortly before dawn, Jesus walked to the disciples on the water and calmed the seas. One of the saddest verses in the Bible then follows. Matthew 7:51-52 reads, “They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” Chuck challenged us to consider the condition of our own hearts. In what direction are we sailing? For some on this trip, this challenge may be more memorable and more important than the sites that we are visiting.
We then traveled to Beth Shan. In 1 Samuel 31 the wounded King Saul took his own life. The Philistines then took his dead body and the body of Saul’s sons, who were also killed in battle, and fastened them to the wall of Beth Shan. 2 Samuel 1 follows with David’s beautiful lament. Later, during Roman times, the Romans renamed this city Scythopolis and built a gladiator arena, theater, temple, and stone city. These ruins were incredible.
From there we had lunch at the Spring of En Harod. This is the spring where God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 10,000 to eventually 300 men – those who had good manners and did not drink the water like a dog by lapping it up with their tongues (Judges 7). God used these 300 men to overrun the Midianites with trumpets, smashed jars, and torches, to show that it was not their own strength that saved them. We saw the spring, and could look across the valley to where the Midianites would have been.
A highlight for the day was then going to the Jordan River to the place where Jesus was baptized. This is a site that just recently opened up. Many of the guides had not been there before. It is directly on the border. Across the river is the country of Jordan. There were Israeli soldiers posing with some of the women in our group, and Jordanian soldiers waving from the other side of the river. The evidence for this site being the actual baptism site is strong, because of the proximity to Jericho and the presence of churches on this site since the third century. As I looked up to the sky, I imagined the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus like a dove in this place (Matthew 3). With Mt. Nebo behind this area in Jordan (where Moses died), and Jericho just across the river, this is also the likely site of Joshua leading the people of Israel across the Jordan River to fight the battle of Jericho and enter the promised land. It was incredible for me to touch the water and image the men carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepping into the Jordan River at flood stage. The water from upstream stopped and piled up “in a great heap” 16 miles away so that the nation of Israel (numbering more than a million) could cross the river on dry ground! (Joshua 3)
We ended the day going up to Jerusalem. We actually traveled south along the Jordan to go to Jerusalem, but in Scripture it is always described as going up to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is physically up because it is on a hill. But is also spiritually “up” because it is a place to experience God. The people of Israel traveled to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. As they went they sang “songs of ascent.” These songs are listed in Psalms 120-134. These songs encouraged the Hebrew people as they traveled in the wilderness up the dry, rocky, hot, and at times dangerous road to Jerusalem. Chuck Swindoll read some of these psalms for us as we went up the highway.
“I will lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
“He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber.” 121:3
“The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.” 121:5-6
“When they said, ‘Let’s go to the house of God,” my heart leaped for joy. And now we’re here, oh Jerusalem, inside Jerusalem’s walls! Jerusalem, well-built city, built as a place for worship! The city to which the tribes ascend, all God’s tribes go up to worship, to give thanks to the name of God – this is what it means to be Israel. Thrones for righteous judgment are set there, famous David-thrones. Pray for Jerusalem’s peace!” Psalm 122:1-6 (The Message)
