Golgatha and the Garden Tomb

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… "

Galatians 6:14

"I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you… that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. "

1 Corinthains 15:1, 3, 4

We finished our tour yesterday at the rock called Golgatha (literally “the place of the skull"). This is believed to be the location of the crucifixion. Nearby is a tomb in a garden, dated to the first century in which no body has ever decomposed!

In this place we shared in communion as we worshipped our crucified and risen Lord! The simple yet significant truth of the gospel sank in yet once again. He died for us! He rose that we might live! Jesus is indeed a friend of sinners and all those who believe in Him shall never perish, but have everlasting life. Praise the Lord.

See you all Sunday for our 20th anniversary worship service. We are looking forward to it!

The Desert and Kadesh Barnea

We began our day after an overnight stay at Beersheba (the southernmost city of Israel). We traveled south to the border of Egypt where we were able to view and walk in the desert where the children of Israel spent forty years wandering.

It was here at Kadesh Barnea that the twelve spies originally entered the land of Canaan and saw that it was indeed a good land, flowing with milk and honey. As you remember, only Joshua and Caleb sought to go up. The remaining ten spies discouraged the people. The punishment for their unbelief and disobedience was forty years in the desert (one year for each day in which they spied out the land.)

This desert region is so dry and dusty and hot. It is so much different than the lush and green land of Galilee and the fruitful fields off the Mediterranean Sea coast that stretch toward Jerusalem. God had indeed promised a good land to the people. Yet in their unbelief they failed to enter His rest.

The Lord has promised good to us as well. When we trust Him and obey Him, we will be blessed. As we walked through this dry area to a desert oasis, we were reminded of how the Lord even gave them drink in the desert from the rock. The Lord satisfies our every need - and even when we have erred, He will answer us and help us when we call to Him.

We ended our day early after a lunch of authentic Jerusalem cuisine - and headed to our hotel on the Dead Sea. We had a chance to float in the salt water - you just lay on your back on top of the water – impossible to sink!

Tomorrow, we will head back to Jerusalem for our last day here. We will visit Golgotha and the Garden tomb then head to the airport for 40 hours of travel, until we arrive home Friday night.

Pray for us – we can’t wait to see you all.

The Jordan River and Beth Shan

The Jordan River

We departed from Galilee this morning heading south along the Jordan River, the way Jesus would have travelled to Jerusalem. We made two stops along the Jordan, first in a warmer tributary where several in our group were baptized.

Next, we stopped at the actual place where John would have been baptizing. Interestingly enough, there was a group of Jews here looking at the site as well. We asked our guide, “Why are there Jews here who do not recognized John as a prophet, nor Jesus as Messiah?” He replied by explaining that this is also the place where Joshua is believed to have led the children of Israel into the promise land. Off in the distance, the desert region where Jesus was tempted by the devil was visible.  

Putting it all together, I recognize the power of Christ in our lives – not only to forgive us our sins, but also to anoint us to serve Him with joy and blessing! When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan John tried to stop him. But Jesus said it was necessary to fulfill all righteous. We know our baptism is an outward picture of an inward work of salvation – even so Jesus’ baptism was a picture of His future death and resurrection that would secure our salvation. He became sin that we would become the righteous of God in Him.

Yet, also at Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove. This is a picture of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives that brings us into the life of blessings and victory. Even as the children of Israel saw the waters of the Jordan stand still as they walked across into the land flowing with milk and honey, so Jesus removes our greatest obstacle (sin) to bring us into a life of fullness with Him.

Beth Shan

Next, we were on to Beth Shan where King Saul’s body was fastened to the wall after his death at the hand of the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. The Philistine city, which was eventually rebuilt and inhabited by the Greeks and then the Romans, was a debauched city filled with commerce, immorality and idolatry. It was a mile high and an inch deep. The temples housing the foreign gods speak a clear story.

The outside of the temple was grand with its amazing pillars and high staircase, but inside a small god on a small table.  The outside promised so much, the inside was empty. Like an ancient Las Vegas, these ruins paint a perfect picture of the alluring yet unfulfilling nature of sin, and they stand in sharp contrast to the blessing of salvation told at the Jordan River.

Other News:

We saw the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found! We came in second in the camel races! We enjoyed some Abraham style hospitality for dinner. Our Jewish guide Rony makes everything interesting (and quite fun)! Somebody’s losing their hair. Yikes!

Caesarea Philippi, Galilee, Capernaum, and the Sea of Galilee

Caesarea Philippi

Our day began north of Galilee at the headwaters of the Jordan. It was here that Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?”  In Peter’s reply “You are the Christ the Son of the Living God” – Jesus announced He would build his church on this rock.  As you can see in the photos the rock of Mount Hermon actually produces the actual springs of the Jordan.

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in Me – out of his heart will flow rivers of living water!”

Galilee

We then ventured down to Galilee and had a very fun lunch eating Peter’s Fish in a seaside restaurant

As you can see – Cheryl wasn’t as excited as Pastor Jerel and some of the others!
Eyeballs are nutritious!

Capernaum

	We saw Peter’s house (where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law).
And the synagogue where Jesus preached!	Better to have a millstone (this one is about three feet tall)  hung around your neck than to cause a little one to stumble.

Sea of Galilee

Our day concluded with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We were greatly touched by God’s sovereign ability to empower us and equip us for the ministry.  It was here Jesus called His disciples to follow him and calmed their fears on the raging sea. It was on the shores of this sea where he cast out demons and multiplied fish and loaves! On the boat ride it just seemed that our whole group was greatly touched by the presence and Spirit of God as he reaffirmed His great care for us and His power available to us!

	The Jesus boat: a two thousand year-old boat found in 1986 – much like the one Jesus and his disciples used!

Caesarea and Megiddo

Today we went to Caesarea, the prominent Roman city on the coasty of the Mediterranean Sea where the gospel first went to the Gentiles (Acts 10) and where Paul spent years under arrest (Acts 24-26). You can see the pictures here where we sat for Sunday morning worship in the very theatre where Paul was tried before Agrippa and where the proud Herod was struck by the angel of the Lord during his oration.

It was a beautiful day on the coast of the Mediterranean.  We enjoyed seeing the ruins of this old city and also just the blessing of being in this place with such rich biblical history. It was a very pleasant day here.

After Caesarea, we went to Megiddo, which overlooks the valley where the battle of Armageddon will be fought. From up on the hill we could see many hills and valleys dotting the landscape where prominent biblical events took place. I just thought to myself in that moment, “I am in Israel!” To be in the land of the Old Testament, where the battles of Joshua and Gideon and David took place - to see the hill where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal or where Abraham slept in tents with Isaac - Amazing! To be in the land of the New Testament – to see the hills of Nazareth where Jesus grew up or the mount of Transfiguration – wow!

Also, this evening we had a special treat in joining an orthodox Jew named Menachem in his “biblical village” where we saw things as they simply would have been 2,000 years ago. He was quite a funny story teller. We baked and ate our own unleavened bread over the fire, had donkey races, enjoyed some olives and drank tea made from hyssop. Walking around the property (which was just outside Nazareth) made me think of Jesus’ surrounding as a child and a young man. What a blessing to be where the Savior lived – to see the sunset as he would have seen it many times!

Check out the picture of Menachem’s ten-year-old son – 

he has memorized the five books of Moses (187 chapters!)

Tomorrow we will be in around the Sea of Galilee – another full day.  Hope your Sunday in church was God glorifying and encouraging.  We miss you and will see you next Sunday!