It's been a long time ...

It's been five years now since I have been to Israel ... and I have never been there with a digital camera! But on this very day, five years ago, we had the most incredible day studying Psalm 23 out in the desert ~ many of the psalms are desert psalms ~ I had never realized that before.
The most loved and well-known shepherd in the Bible is David, but I learned there were many other shepherds ... all of the patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob ... even Rebecca was a shepherd, wandering out here in the heat of this wilderness. I wondered then and there ... WHY didn't the shepherds head up north and stay in Galilee where there was more water and much greener pastures? The answer was because Galilee was where the farmers lived and raised the crops ... and that couldn't happen if the sheep were eating every growing thing!
We did a lot of walking that day. We hiked down into a wadi and learned that the most dangerous thing in a desert is ... ??? I thought sure the answer would be the LACK of water or heat exposure, but the answer was actually WATER ... flash floods. But the shepherds are well trained and know just how to watch the sky and what to look for ... you can't wait to HEAR water coming because by then it would be too late.
And those green pastures I'd always imagined ... were this! Just tiny bits of grass here and there surrounded by boulders and cliffs. But the shepherd knows all about that too. Do you see the lines on the sides of those hills? Those are actually called "paths of righteousness." We watched sheep follow shepherds along some pretty steep hills. And these shepherds were young children actually, sometimes as young as 10-12 years. We talked a lot about God giving us everything we WANT versus everything we NEED ... and sometimes we need just a sprig or two of grass to keep living!

We hiked some more and learned about the still, quiet waters where the shepherd leads the sheep. These pictures are taken at Ein Avdat (literally, "spring of Avdat"). The shepherd knows where these springs are out in the middle of this vast wasteland. This place is farther south in Israel than I had ever been before.

The tree in this picture is an acacia tree. It can lie dormant for 100 years ... and still live! It gives shelter and shade in the desert.

We walked for miles in the heat (it was wonderful) to a Bedouin camp and learned a little bit about how they live. Their #1 thing is hospitality. You can stay at a Bedouin camp totally free for three days ... even if you are their enemy. They will feed you and take care of you. Our guide knew one of the young men in this camp and he had to beg them NOT to kill a goat to serve us a meal.

See the young girl dressed in red at the right side of this picture? She is a shepherdess. She is attired this way so that she stands out against the desert ... so that no one will approach her and say it was "an accident" ... that they didn't see her. The Bedouin are very protective of their girls. If you are caught anywhere near her out when she is away from the camp, it is assumed you have harmed her ~ and they show no mercy about that.

We did eat their very delicious bread ~ see how she prepares it? ~ and drank the sweetest hot tea I have ever tasted. If we emptied our cup, they were right there to fill it up to the very tippy top every time. The only way we could get them to stop pouring us more was to leave some tea in our cup!

This is our group at Tel Arad, listening to Pastor Ed teach. We were outside almost 15 hours that day. I grew up loving Psalm 23. Understanding its desert context was such a rich experience. All throughout Scripture, when people wanted to meet personally with God, they went to the desert. Moses! The children of Israel! Elijah! The Apostle Paul! Even Jesus! I'm thankful that God doesn't give me everything I want ... but that He faithfully meets the deep needs of my heart.

Michael Card wrote his own rendition of Psalm 23. I can't find it anywhere on Playlist or you would be listening to it right now! Here are the lyrics.

My Shepherd
The Lord is my shepherd
and so I lack nothing.
In meadows of green grass
He lets me lie down.

Beside the still waters
He patiently leads me
restoring my soul ...
restoring my soul.

For His holy name's sake
He guides me by right paths

Though I may stray to

the vale of deep darkness

I fear no evil for You are there with me
Beside me Your rod and staff

they comfort me.

You prepare a table

before my enemies.
My head you've anointed
My cup's overflowing.

Your goodness and mercy

will follow me all the days of my life

and I'll make my home place

in the house of the Lord ...
and I'll make my home place
in the house of the Lord.

Delayed Easter thoughts ...

April 20, 2008 is Passover on the Jewish calendar and is actually celebrated this entire week. It usually corresponds more closely with when we celebrate Easter here in the west, but four weeks separate them this year. However, the Eastern Orthodox churches are celebrating Easter next Sunday, at the close of Passover.

I had intended to post some pictures during Easter week of our trip(s) to Israel, to share with you some pictures of the very places "the greatest story ever told" took place ... but we were on vacation Easter week (and the following weeks), on the road, and I just never had the opportunity. So I'll share them now.

The Third Night! There is a passage of Scripture that always bothered me from quite a young age ... "For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights." Matthew 12:40 This is Jesus talking! Three days and three nights?! I used to try and do the math, but I could never get it to work out ... and I was provoked because if Jesus said it, it was true ~ wasn't it? I just never noticed before that Jesus didn't claim to be DEAD three days and three nights ... He said he was "in the heart of the earth." I just always assumed that He was talking about being dead during that duration ...

The picture below (which I did copy from the internet) is of a dungeon, deep down in the earth, all the way down to bedrock. This dungeon was found underneath the excavated home of the high priest Caiaphas ~ remember him? Jesus was brought to his house and questioned the night he was arrested, that Thursday night so long ago. Read the account in Matthew 26:52-74. This is also where Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and denied Christ three times. Chapter 26 of Matthew ends with Peter's denial and Chapter 27 begins with "Very early in the morning ..."
So where did Jesus spend the night that night ... it's possible he spent it right here in this dungeon ~ deep "in the heart of the earth." Look at it closely! There are holes in the stone that were used for chaining prisoners to suspend them just above the floor ~ and it's totally dark! Our tour group in 2001 was taken down here and all of the lights were turned out! Such blackness! One of the pastors read Psalm 22 by flashlight down in this hole in the ground.

"My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? (verse 1)
... I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads saying
~ is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him! (verses 6-7)
My life is poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax, melting within me. (verse 14)
My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet ...

They divide my clothes among themselves
and throw dice for my garments. (verse 16-18)

Perhaps this is the first of three nights Jesus spent in the heart of the earth ... he had not yet been crucified ... but he could have spent part of Thursday night right in this dungeon. Because Scripture says Jesus died on Friday and was buried and rose again on the dawn of Sunday morning ... that's only two nights ...

I know it's like splitting hairs, but it was a huge comfort to me to be in this place ... and terribly sobering to read the prophecies of Christ's suffering from Psalm 22 right there, down deep in the earth ... and think that perhaps, just maybe, my Savior agonized the last hours of his life in this cold dark place.

"He was crushed for our iniquities." This is a quote from Isaiah 53. I have always loved this chapter of Isaiah. Another translation puts it this way: "He was wounded and crushed for our sins." (verse 5). This passage took on a real visual meaning from our 2004 study trip to Israel.

The last Thursday Jesus was alive, he and his disciples walked over to the Mount of Olives to a garden where they hung out on a regular basis ... Scripture says so ... the Garden of Gethsemane! The Mount of Olives is just across the Kidron Valley from the city of Jerusalem and it's not a mountain like we think of a mountain ... it's actually a hill ... and guess what it was covered with? Olive trees (hence the name) ... and there are many olive trees that remain there even today.


We had a Bible study right inside this small garden up on the Mount of Olives ... overlooking the old city of Jerusalem ... it was so awesome to be there! Let me tell you what I found out about olive trees ... most of what I write here will be direct quotes from our teachers and guides, so I'm going to highlight it and post it in a different color so that you know it's not me talking here ... you all know I only have average intelligence, so I'm going to give proper credit to my teachers.

First of all, Josephus says when the Romans came and sacked Jerusalem (70 AD) they came up here and cut down every tree on the Mount of Olives, put all of it into the city, and burned everything down to the ground.

WHY?

Olive production was central to the heart of Jewish economy ... and even their worship revolved around the production of oil from the olive. The picture below is of a machine ... it's called a "gethsemane" ~ it is an olive crush. The olives would be gathered, put in here, and some kind of animal or person would push the huge stone around, and it would crush the olives. Around it would go, until it made kind of a pulp. This pulp would be gathered up and placed in woven baskets.

The picture below is of an olive press. The crushed olives (pulp) would be placed into woven baskets and stacked and then put into this press where huge stones were tied and the weight of the stones would push hard against the baskets and drops of olive oil would come out into a basin below. There were many different pressings, the "virgin" one being the best one (just like today).
So what was the oil used for? In the early centuries, olive oil was essential for light. You needed it for your oil lamps in your home as well as the huge menorahs and the candlebras in the Temple. The best oil was used for this purpose.

On the Mount of Olives, there were olive crushes (gethsemanes) and caves for olive presses and olive production. This is where Jesus went to pray with his disciples. What does Scripture tell us happened that night in the garden? It tells us that Jesus agonized and sweat "great drops of blood." The image is right from the olive press ... Jesus was afflicted, a very heavy weight was on him, pressing him down. Matthew 26:38 quotes Jesus this way: "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death."

Also, by what other name do we know Jesus? Christ! And what does the name "Christ" mean? Messiah, or anointed ... anointed with what? OIL is what kings were anointed with ... I now have so many visual pictures of what this means.

The place of the cross. Golgotha is the Hebrew word for skull. The word Calvary is the Greek equivalent. The picture below marks the place where Jesus was crucified. There is a huge church built over the site and it is perhaps the holiest site in all of Christianity, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The church was built in roughly 330-340 AD! It was built and destroyed many times through the centuries, although parts of it are the original structure. Five (or perhaps seven) major religious groups control this church: the Armenians, the Greek Orthodox, the Catholic Church, the Egyptian Coptics as well as Ethiopians and others ... sometimes many services are going on all at the same time in various chapels within the structure.

At the time of Jesus' death, this area was just outside the city wall. And according to Roman law a person had to be crucified outside the city on a main street, at eye level. So the pictures of Jesus on a cross up on a hill? According to Roman law ~ no way! It had to be on a busy street (which this was), on a main intersection next to a city gate (which this was) ...
Our entire group spent about a half hour at the site of the crucifixion ... it's way down underneath the structure of the church ... archeologists believe this was an old abandoned quarry in Jesus' day ... an appropriate place for Jewish execution, as well as a place where the Romans would bring people to be executed. The main road ran right past it.

We toured the entire church building and then were allowed to separate and explore the place for awhile. I wandered back down here and spent about 15 minutes all alone ... I will remember my time there for all of my life. This church has changed hands many times. When the Crusaders finally took control of it from the Arabs (in about the year 1100 AD) they made a deal. They made some changes to the building and restored parts of it that had been destroyed but because this was still Muslim, they made a deal with them. They gave the key to this place to two Arab families. To this very day, two Muslim families who live in the Old City of Jerusalem, still have the key to the door. Every morning at 4:00 a.m. they come here and open the door; and then the key changes hands to the other Muslim family and they close it at 7:00 p.m. It's a way of keeping peace among the various Christian groups that control the church! So the Arabs have the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and it is the very same key that was passed on by the Crusaders over 800 years ago!
The picture above is of the cupola in the main chapel area ...

The Empty Tomb. Pictured below is part of a tomb complex underneath the same church, a little walk from Calvary.

Archeologists have studied these tombs and have concluded they are first century tombs. It is very possible that this complex of tombs was where they laid the body of Jesus after he was crucified.
This picture of the door is from another site that folk speculate was possibly the burial site of Jesus ~ but archeologists say these tombs are actually second century BC ~ but I love the Scripture here from the angel on that first Easter morning. "Don't be afraid! he said. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying." Matthew 28: 5-6

I believe with all my heart that Jesus was crushed for the sin of every human being, took the punishment that should have been ours, was in the earth three days and three nights, and NOW LIVES ... I never ever get tired of hearing His story told again and again ...

"The poor will eat and be satisfied.
All who seek the LORD will praise him.
Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him.
People from every nation will bow down before him.
For the LORD is king! He rules all the nations.
Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
Let all mortals ~ those born to die ~
bow down in his presence.
Future generations will also serve him.
Our children will hear about the wonders of the LORD.
His righteous acts will be told
to those yet unborn.
They will hear about everything he has done."
PSALM 22:26-31

Hosanna!

Have you ever wondered about those palm branches that little kids wave around walking up and down the pews on Palm Sunday morning?

Me too! When we were in Israel, we heard the story of Palm Sunday right where it all happened. It's too long to write out for you, and I'm not a good storyteller! There is so much detail, and I would not do it justice! I will tell you, though, that palm branches were a symbol of liberation and freedom going back (at least) to the time of the second century BC. There was a great revolt and Judas Maccabee won the battle against the Seleucids. The coin the Jews used soon after had a palm branch on one side and "God save us!" inscribed on the other.

PSALM 118:25-27 ~ "God save us; O LORD grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar."
This is the road Jesus and the crowds would have used to travel down the Mount of Olives and right into the city of Jerusalem. I can't describe to you how awesome it was to walk it and remember ... LUKE 19:38 ~ "Bless the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven and glory in highest heaven!"On the slopes of the Mount of Olives is the oldest and largest Jewish cemetary in the world. It existed in the time of Christ. The Hosanna Road (that's what people call it!) goes right by these grave stones. The Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke his followers for shouting, "Hosanna!" We learned it was against Roman law for any one to give honor to anyone but Caesar ~ and the waving of palm branches was outlawed as well.
And what did Jesus say to the Pharisees? "If they (the people) keep quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!" (Luke 19:40). WHAT STONES? Take a look at the graves! Our guide told us Jesus could be saying that if the people kept quiet, even the dead would get up from their graves, even the unclean would give praise, honor and glory to God! Isn't that awesome? We were also reminded that Jesus didn't enter Jerusalem rejoicing ... but weeping. We had a long discussion about that as well. There was so much to study about!
It was incredible to be there, study these texts, walk the road to Jerusalem and worship the King! Above is a picture of the Mount of Olives taken from Temple Mount.

Four years ago today ...

It was February 27, 2004 and Mr. Jones, myself, and 23 others took a nice long spring-time walk on the road that leads from Chorazin to Capernaum. It was day five of our 12-day walking/study tour of Israel. As we walked along, we talked about the stuff Jesus taught his disciples as they would stroll between these towns together all those many years ago.

It was a pretty intense hike to Capernaum. Sometimes we were ankle-deep in mud ... and always, always, always, there were ROCKS and then more rocks. We talked about the significance of having your feet washed after a journey like this. Imagine wearing thin sandals and taking this difficult hike!

At various intervals, we would stop to rest and read Scripture. I really enjoyed reading some of the parables Jesus taught like the one about the farmer sowing the seed along the path and about some seed falling in rocky places, some falling on good soil, and other seed falling among thorns. As we walked along, we could see with our own eyes exactly what Jesus had been teaching about!
Can you see Mr. Jones walking along the path? It took us over two hours to walk the two miles to Capernaum. It is a hike that I will never forget.
Later that evening, we went to a site commonly thought to be the Mount of Beatitudes and had a great time of Bible study there. We read all of Matthew chapters five, six and seven sitting right here on this hillside. It was awesome!

The acoustics are great on these hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee! Our guide demonstrated how clearly a person's voice could carry over a very long distance. It was a misty evening when we were there, and it's difficult to actually see much of the Sea.

These pictures were actually taken a few days later, on the other side of the lake. It was incredible to actually walk around the areas where Jesus called his disciples, where he performed tons of miracles, healed so many folk and taught about the kingdom of God!

I am tremendously thankful for the three times I have been able to travel to Israel. The trip we took four years ago was the very best and we made the most of every minute we had! Many of our days were 12-hour days of climbing, hiking, talking, praying ... to study there is so faith affirming! Some day, I would like to spend several months in Israel ~ studying, walking, digging at an archeological dig, and taking thousands of pictures! I hope we don't have to wait another four years before we return to this beautiful place.

May your WHOLE LIFE be radiant ...

I was reading from Luke's gospel this morning and came across such a great passage. By now you know I have a high interest in lighthouses ~ that I love to photograph them and make cards out of them, etc. I love them for many reasons, one of which is because they are such a clear picture of the spiritual truth of light versus darkness. As I read through my Bible this year, I was really impacted by how many verses contain this illustration, and it is very beautiful to me.

When we were in Israel in 2004, we visited on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee a place by the name of Qatzrin. It was a small village that had been excavated and restored to look like a first century town -- very much like one that Jesus would have been familiar with. This first picture is a wall, with a lampstand on it. The very dark stains are from the oil that burns in the lamp. See how the lampstand is up high on the wall? When the lamp was lit, it would light up the whole room.
The next picture is another room in a typical house. The black bag-like thing is a wineskin.
"No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then YOUR WHOLE LIFE WILL BE RADIANT, as though a floodlight is shining on you." LUKE 11:33-36
The picture above is a first century lamp. Olive oil would be poured inside, a small wick inserted into the opening at the end and then lit ...

I read more of chapter 11 of Luke to see what context Jesus spoke these wonderful words about light and darkness. Doesn't He give quite a warning when He says to "make sure that the light we think we have is not really darkness?" Wouldn't that be so tragic? That's exactly what the religious leaders of Jesus' day were doing and Jesus called them down for it. So I have to ask myself -- where are my "dark corners"? Jesus is clearly saying that He wants all of me, every little thing I do and say and think about ... everything I own, everyone I love ... everything is His! I want MY WHOLE LIFE TO BE RADIANT, don't you? No dark corners! Wouldn't that be awesome? Jesus also said, "You are the light of the world ... don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:14-16

Let's have 2008 be a year where our whole lives are radiant! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

The Light from heaven ...

"That night some shepherds were in the fields
outside the village,
guarding their flocks of sheep.""Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them,
and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.
They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them."

"Don't be afraid!" he said.
"I bring you good news of GREAT JOY for everyone!

" The Savior -- yes, the Messiah, the Lord --
has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!"

"And this is how you will recognize him:
You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly
in strips of cloth!" LUKE 2:8-12

These desert pictures are from our 2004 Israel study tour.
Did you know that Bethlehem was out in the desert?
(although these pictures are actually 30+ miles further south)
Did you know that shepherds were very young girls and boys?
Don't you wish you could have been there
on that desert hillside to see the brilliant light
of the angel's announcement
and hear them proclaim the glory of God?!!

"Because of GOD'S TENDER MERCY,
the LIGHT FROM HEAVEN
is about to break on us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace." LUKE 1:78-79

I hope your Christmas is full of JOY
and LIGHT ...
GOD'S TENDER MERCY
and PEACE ...

Mark 1:1-13

LET'S WALK AROUND THE LAND OF ISRAEL TOGETHER -- and as we do it, let's do a pictorial version of Mark's Gospel a little bit at a time -- that way, we can be reading God's Word together and seeing something of His Land at the same time. Why do I want to do this?

Because --

1. I love God's Word, and it is constantly changing the way I think and live!
2. This 2004 trip to Israel changed my life -- I have not been the same since!
3. I want to share this with all of you!

Most all of the photos will be from the trip we took to Israel in 2004. Some of them will be grandpa's pictures but others will be ones our friends took; namely, Bob and Kay Scott as well as Dennis Arbogast (just to give credit where credit is due!) Occasionally, we'll cheat and take some off of the Internet; but that will only be now and then.

All Scripture will be from THE BOOK, a very conversation translation, which I love very much.

AUTHOR: Mark (This is John Mark who traveled with the Apostle Paul). He is telling Peter's story; you know -- Peter, the disciple of Jesus!
PLACE: Rome
DATE: A.D. 60-65

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Here begins the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said,

"Look, I am sending my messenger before you,

and he will prepare your way.

He is a voice shouting in the wilderness:

'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming!

Make a straight road for him!'"

The Judean desert

This is where sheep were raised and still are today!

A broom tree

(used for shade/shelter from the heat

as well as fuel for fire)

This messenger was John the Baptist. He lived in the wilderness and was preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

The Jordan River at flood stage, February 2004

People from Jerusalem and from all over Judea traveled out into the wilderness to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. His clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. He announced: "Someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am -- so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he was baptized by John in the Jordan River. And when Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on him.
And a voice came from heaven saying, "You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you."

Immediately the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness. He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.

The Judean Wilderness

See how rocky and dry it is?

An Acacia tree

Used for shade/shelter in the desert

This tree can remain dormant for decades

without water!

Remember? The Ark of the Covenant was made from acacia wood!

Jesus would have been familiar

with the harshness of desert life!

THOUGHTS: The desert is a difficult place to live! Right Jesse? When we were out in the desert, we studied about people in the Bible who lived there like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and their families -- women and children! In the desert, you depend upon God for everything! For water! For shade! For fuel to make a fire so that you can cook! Life gets right down to the nitty-gritty there -- how can you survive? And God comes and meets those daily needs, as well as the deep needs of your heart. I like thinking about Jesus being out in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan. He knows! He has gone before us and knows how hard it is! Thank you, Jesus, for coming here to earth, becoming human, so that you could give us victory through every desert in our lives!