Day One: Our Introduction to Jerusalem

After spending some time early this morning reading some relevant Scriptures, reflecting, and praying, we headed out for our first full day of following in Jesus' footsteps. We started by visiting the massive Temple Mount which Herod built in an effort to understand the world into which Jesus came. We focused on both the Sadducees and the Pharisees who so often came into conflict with Jesus in this place. Getting through the tight security to gain access to the top of the Temple Mount is always a challenge because this is such hotly contested real estate, but this year was worse than ever. They wouldn't even let us carry Bibles in our packs and when I was trying to give some historical background, we were asked to close our trip notebooks. Sort of made me want to turn over some tables, but that has already been done!

​Our group hiking down into the Kidron Valley

We continued down through the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives for a breathtaking panorama of the city.  We made it to the Dominus Flevit Church just in the nick of time to convince (with a small donation) the groundskeeper to allow us to stay after the lunch closing time. There, in a small grove of cedar trees overlooking Mount Moriah (also called Mount Zion) we reflected on Abraham's journey 3,000 years ago to this very mountain at God's direction to sacrifice his long-awaited only son Isaac. What a test of Abraham's faith for him to lay on his son's back the wood of the sacrifice and be willing to take it all the way to the point of wielding the knife! Because he was in Covenant with God, Abraham knew the Lord's intent for him was always good no matter how crazy it seemed ... It was powerful to see the hill of Golgotha just beyond and remember how another Father led his Son up that mountain carrying the wood for his sacrifice and, by establishing a New Covenant, became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

​The Western Wall and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

We made our way back into the Old City and had a refreshing falafel lunch at Basti's Pizza, complete with their signature fresh lemon and mint ice drinks! Those who still had some energy went to the Jerusalem Museum in the Tower of David to get a better sense of the different chapters in the history of this most amazing of places. After dinner we took a fascinating tour of the tunnel which stretches north of the Western Wall plaza further along the retaining wall of the Temple Mount. We saw stones measuring 9 feet by 15 feet by 45 feet long, weighing nearly 600 tons (the weight of two fully load jumbo jets!). It's hard to imagine the engineering and determination it took to build such a massive monument and to see how it has endured for 2,000 years!

Tomorrow we head out into the desert to visit Qumran and Masada while we reflect on the Essenes and the Zealots who made up part of the complex fabric of Jesus' World .... 

​One of the 600-ton stones in the now-buried western wall of the Temple Mount

Final Preparations

We had a great day today scouting some more new sites for our pilgrimage in the footsteps of Jesus. We drove east from Jerusalem down into the Jordan Rift Valley and hiked into the desert wilderness. This is the area where Jesus fasted for 40 days and was tested by the devil. Our goal was to explore the hike up the Wedi (dry river canyon) to an ancient spring which almost certainly would have been the place Jesus went to get water during this time. There is a rugged beauty this this place, but you can well understand how the harsh, unforgiving environment would provide a serious test even if you weren't famished and being attacked by the devil!

​Bethany, Beyond the Jordan, site of Jesus' Baptism

​Luke and Bob at the ancient spring in Wadi Kelt

Next we visited the site of Jesus' baptism on the Jordan River, which has only recently been opened to the public. Because the Jordan River is the border between the country of Jordan and the West Bank which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, it is still considered a military zone and is very sensitive. When Israel and Jordan were technically considered "at war" with each other, this area was strictly off limits. Pam and I discovered 23 years ago when we tried to hike down to the site of Jesus' baptism. and were picked up by an Israeli military patrol and "removed" from the area! The new visitors site there is really nice and allows access into the river itself. It will be a great add to our journey in Jesus' footsteps!

​After returning the rental car and picking up the rest of the arriving group members, we gathered at the Lutheran Guesthouse, our home for the remainder of our time in Jerusalem, for dinner and our initial orientation. Tomorrow we will be exploring the city on foot as we begin to reflect on the world into which Jesus came, particularly the role and impact of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It is great to be together and we are all looking forward to what God has in store for us. Thanks for all the prayers!

A Scouting Trip

Last night was our first in the amazing Old City of Jerusalem where we are staying at the Christ Church Guesthouse. On top of the normal challenge of trying to sleep when your body's clock is set ten hours earlier, there was all kinds of commotion outside our windows in the wee hours of the night. At breakfast this morning we found out that the city gates had been shut down, preventing anyone from entering or leaving the Old City as a security measure in light of the huge crowds of Orthodox Christian pilgrims expected to converge on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the annual Easter Eve Service of Holy Fire. You just never know what adventures are going to confront you in this unique city!

​The Modern City of Nazareth

Pam,. Luke, Taylor and I, along with our new friend from Australia, Malcolm Potts, managed to convince the officials to let us out of the city and we headed north to Nazareth by way of Jericho and the Jordan Valley. We visited two new promising sites for the group to experience later in the trip .

​The Mountain of Precipice in Nazareth

The first was Nazareth Village, an archaeologically accurate reconstruction of a first century village the way it would have looked and functioned in the time of Jesus. It was great and will be a nice add to our trip plans. We also found a lovely park at the top of Mount Precipice, a commemoration of the cliff where the Nazarenes tried to throw Jesus to his death. It offers beautiful views of the Jezreel Valley and will be a great place to eat lunch. 

We decided to make our way back to Jerusalem using the western route which follows the ancient Via Maris, the major trade route that connected Egypt and the Middle East via a coastal highway. It was a beautiful drive and got us back just about the time the city gates were being opened up again. We were delighted to welcome six more of our group members who joined us for dinner and a stroll around the Old City. Things are still exciting here as people are gearing up to celebrate Orthodox Easter tomorrow. We are tired from the jet lag and lack of sleep so hope to do some catching up tonight. The five of us will be heading out again on another scouting run tomorrow before the trip begins officially at dinner time. I will report more of our adventures when we get back ...

Bob

We Made It!

After a last-minute flurry of activity, one u-turn to go back for something left behind, and realizing I never retrieved my sunglasses which fell behind the couch, we departed LAX with great joy and anticipation for what God is going to do in these next two weeks. After a short transit in Newark we took off for our long leg over the Atlantic and Europe into Tel Aviv. 16 hours in a plane is simply a lesson in patience, but we did enjoy reading, watching movies, and some dozing--Luke and Taylor even managed to play some cross-aisle cards.

​As we made our way off the plane and up the jetway into Ben Gurion International Airport we were struck by the unseasonable heat wave hanging over the Holy Land right now. Our transit through customs was surprisingly quick, but picking up our reserved rental car was a bit tricky when we found they had lost our reservation and had no extra cars! We were praising God as we finally drove out of the airport in our sporty white Mitsubishi and headed for Jerusalem. Driving across the coastal plain, through the hill country, and up into the mountains, it took less than an hour to get to the Old City where we rolled our bags through the ancient gate in the city wall. Psalm 122 was certainly on our minds: I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem."

We checked into our temporary home at the Christ Church Anglican Guesthouse and then joined the just-arrived Rasmussens and Eppersons for a lovely rooftop dinner overlooking the city with the gold Dome of the Rock in the background. This Sunday is Orthodox Easter (who can keep track of all the different religious calendars?) so there was a major military presence overseeing the throng of Greek and Russian pilgrims gathered around the entrance to the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. 

​Realizing a visit to Christianity's holiest church was futile, instead we strolled down to the Western Wall Plaza, Judaism's holiest site, where we caught the end of the Shabbat eve festivities. There is something inexpressible about standing at those massive Herodian stones, placing your palms on the cool limestone, and realizing that over the twenty centuries since Jesus and the disciples walked by this wall, countless millions have traveled from every corner of the globe with the simple desire to draw closer to God. It's amazing to be here, but even more amazing still to realize that the infinitely holy and powerful God who created the universe draws near to all those who would draw near to him, no matter where we are!

​Tomorrow we are going to be up early to scout some possible new sites to take the group in Nazareth and Bethlehem. Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement as we prepare for this journey in the footsteps of Jesus!

Bob

Bon Voyage!

​Finally, after months of preparation, we are ready to head out on our spiritual adventure in the Holy Land! I am really looking forward to sharing this experience with a group of 22 Christian leaders from Australia, England, and across the US. Mike Breen, founder of 3DM and leader of The Order of Mission, will be teaching daily on Covenant and Kingdom. I am most excited that my beautiful wife Pam, our youngest son Luke, and his lovely girlfriend Taylor will be helping me lead the trip!

The four of us are leaving tomorrow, Thursday May 2nd, arriving a couple of days before the trip begins so we can scout out a couple of new sites. The rest of the group will be arriving on Saturday and Sunday and we will assemble at the Lutheran Guesthouse in the Old City of Jerusalem for dinner on May 5th to officially begin our adventure together.​

I am hoping to post a brief update and a few photos each night to let you know what we are experiencing on our journey, although some nights I might be too exhausted to do so. It would be great for you to post comments to encourage us along the way. Please do be praying for us as we will be encountering some great spiritual opportunities as well as some significant challenges as we seek to walk in the footsteps of Jesus!​

Feel free to share this blog with anyone who might enjoy following our journey ...​

​Grace and Peace,

​Bob