Jerusalem, the Holy City in a Holy Land. A place of splendor and wonder. The center of where world’s history branches out. Empires, kingdoms, and all foreigners alike have fought for the control of the center of the world, for Jerusalem and for Israel. It is the passage from the east to west, the north and the south. It holds three major continents together and yet separates them entirely. God’s people, hold this place and call it home. In the scale of the world’s total population of about 6.6 billion people, the Jews number roughly 15,000. And for thousands of years blood has been shed in the land of Israel. Is there any wonder that Israel’s enemies lurk at every corner? Do the Psalms of David in his distress or the prophecies of Isaiah make any sense?
Our travels into the Middle East took us into Jordan then by land we crossed into Israel. Once in the country we travelled up to the north-eastern border with Syria as well as the north with Lebanon. In a few days time we’ll even be traveling through the southern border nation of Egypt. Our guide shared with us the vastness of the conflict of the Middle East and gave us some insight (from an Israeli perspective) into the global picture that stems out of this Holy Land. The layout of the country as it was 3000 year ago up until the results of conflicts in the past 20 years.
In my time in Israel, I have been in constant awe walking the ancient streets of Jerusalem, crawling through King Hezekiah’s 3000 year old water tunnels, praying through the path of Jesus’ crucifixion, sitting in the silence of the garden of Gethsemane, reading a piece of the recently shown Dead Sea Scrolls, exploring Herod the Great’s Roman fortress Masada, and experiencing the similar scenery that Jesus did 2000 years before. Israel has been all that I had ever dreamed it would be. The longing for many people to visit this place has become a reality to me. I started out on the World Race on my own sort of Pilgrimage. That giant leap of faith 11 months ago has taken me to the ultimate finish line (of the trip’s race) one could ever dream of…Jerusalem. The place where it all began!
It’s been so unique to walk the same path my Saviour did 2000 years ago. To stand where he was born and grew up. To walk along the shores of Galilee where he shared stories, performed miracles, and turned the world upside down with his teachings. The Via Delarosa (stations of the cross) was a somber experience as this was where Jesus was arrested, trialed, sentenced, and executed…by ultimate humiliation. And the end of it was a stop at both (yes there are 2) places where he was buried.
Now, Jerusalem is a holy place for the 3 of the world’s mono-theistic religions. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. To be honest, I still don’t get why the Muslims hold it so dear. I mean I get it, but it doesn’t make any sense. There is absolutely no evidence of anything Islam in Israel. Only scripture says that Muhammad flew on his magic horse from Mecca to Jerusalem and ascended to Heaven to receive a scroll and then returned back to earth. Of course with no eye witnesses.
Everything here has evidence. And I mean everything. Land marks match the Biblical accounts, Roman historians match with evidence. And look at the course of history in the past 2000 years of what’s happened. It all makes sense. Now the Jews on the other hand I have no doubt are God’s people (we all are), look at their history. Hitler didn’t succeed in wiping them out (the Arabs were with the Nazis in their plan). In the 6 days war of Israel the country was attacked by 3 surrounding nations at once and Israel ended up taking more territory as a result. They are a global minority yet the global center. Israel’s history is a David and Goliath fight constantly. This nation is here for a reason.
And so being a Christian has been tough for me this past week. It’s been so good to have a tangible and realistic view of the Holy Land, but also a more informative understanding of what’s going on when CNN says stuff of about the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. But the hardest thing has been the Pilgrim’s that come to walk the steps of Jesus and visit the Holy Land.
Everywhere we have seen “holy sites” there have been churches or other sorts of monuments. These places have been set up and organized for the past 2000 years. I think it’s great to feel and experience what Jesus did, but where is the line of identifying with him in ritual and actually walking in the life that he himself was saying we should grab ahold of? When I walked into places where Jesus performed miracles there were signs of “silence” and other sorts of things. At the supposed site of Jesus’ burial people were on their faces worshiping the stone in which he was supposedly laid on (in a church I might add). We were even held from going to see a holy site due to a daily procession that had to take place. And to top it all off, a month ago there was a fist fight at another holy site between Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic Monks. It was over a decision within the church that is now standing where Golgotha supposedly is.
Now I’m not harping on people for what they believe or what they do, I’m just putting all of my own understanding from this year into perspective of what the Holy Land is like (I’m talking about the pilgrimage aspect). My saviour, Jesus the Christ from the small town of Nazareth, who was born of a virgin, is RISEN AND ALIVE!
I have come to the understanding that Jesus is the Son of God. He is the ONE worth following, because I know I can’t live this life on my own. God loves me so much that he sent his son to bridge the sin that divides his intimate relationship with me. To show me that he cares and understands me. To show me in a tangible way that there is a way to live life pleasing to the Lord. To live freely and know that there is grace and mercy offered to me. And that was done by his son, Jesus, being misinterpreted by many of the very people that he was reaching out to to die a humiliating death on a cross. He was misinterpreted as one to start a revolt and not one that was the Christ. Yet many, like myself did recognize him. The veil has been lifted off of our eyes so that we may see the TRUTH that is Jesus, the one who died and after 3 days in the grave rose to be seated at the right hand of God. The power and the glory of God incarnate. God became flesh to show the world, to show me, the way he wants me to live.
And so, as the world starts to recognize him, we have a hard time letting go of the worship style in which we have always known. Sure we recognize Him, but we still worship things that we can touch and feel. I think of Baal and how calfs were worshipped because they could be seen, touched, and felt. We try to put a face on God. But that’s not at all who God is. He gave the world what it wanted, a face and something to touch. That was Jesus! Not his death bed. Not his cross. Not his path of teachings.
The most amazing thing I heard all year was at the 2nd supposed site of Jesus’ burial tomb. The place was called the “Garden Tomb”. And at the Garden Tomb there isn’t any church or shrine. Just a tomb in a hill that represents everything the Bible says about the account. I’m not going to tell you which one it is, because archaeologists still can’t pin point it. But, the guide at the site said this, “I’ve given you all the facts about this site and the account from scripture. You can make all the arguments you want, but the bottom line is he isn’t here anymore….HE IS RISEN!”
In all my experiences in Israel this guide captured my heart when he said this. Everything I had seen, tasted, and experienced led to that fact, JESUS IS RISEN. It doesn’t matter where he walked, how he walked, and what I need to worship at those sites. He has risen and is ALIVE.
The Garden Tomb!!
