We recently spent a week in the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine) seeing innumerable holy sites, experiencing local life, and walking where Jesus walked. We stayed in Bethlehem for the week, just a few minutes from the Church of the Nativity (birthplace of Jesus) and the Shepard’s field, where the angels declared the coming of the newborn King. Bethlehem is a part of Palestine, and it was interesting to see how the locals interacted with us (being as we are obviously American, and Christian). When I say interesting, I mean that we had received many warnings from home about safety and hostility in this region. We did see the wall that divides Israel and Palestine which is covered in political paintings, and we did experience the extreme security precautions within the region. However, our conversations with local Palestinians left me thinking about the humanity (and inhumanity) of people of all backgrounds.
As you may know, shortly before our arrival in the region, President Trump announced that the United States officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This announcement, while nothing new, did create a tension in the area, and understandably so considering the history of this conflict filled land. If you do not know much about what has gone on in this area, check out this great blog by Catherine Read, it is informative and includes some powerful pictures of the wall:
The locals that I interacted with, however, did not express anger or violence, but rather a feeling of heartbreak. The first man that I met in Bethlehem asked if I was American, I said yes, and he responded, “You do not need to be afraid here in Palestine. I know what they say on the news, but we are all people. We are all human after all. Do not be afraid.”
“Do not be afraid”…a shockingly similar proclamation to the one that the angels made 2000 years ago when our savior was born, just a few meters from the place we were standing.
The next man I met was a store owner. Same question, are you American. This man expressed more about his sadness. “Look around,” he said, “no one is coming to shop here anymore, people are afraid to visit this place because of the Jerusalem decision. Now I cannot sell anything because there is no one here.” Then he looked at me with a smile, “We are all just people, and this is our home.”
One day we all bussed to the Sea of Galilee. This was an especially impactful day, as much of Jesus ministry took place in this region. It was surprising to me how close everything was together. Towns and locations mentioned throughout the Gospels were all within sight of each other. We took a boat out onto the Sea of Galilee and were able to look at the shore and say, “there is Capernaum, where Jesus taught in the synagogue, and called many of his disciples.” (Matthew 4:12-22) “There is the shore where Jesus cooked breakfast for his disciples and called Peter the rock on which he would build his church.” (Matthew 16:18) “There are the cliffs on which Jesus cast demons out of a man into pigs.” (Mark 5:1-20) and “This is the water that Jesus walked on, and the Sea that he calmed the storm on, and where he told the fishermen to cast their nets on the other side…” (Matthew 14:22-23, Mark 4:35-41, John 21:6).
We also visited Nazareth, Cana (where the wedding was held and Jesus turned water into wine), and the Mount of Beatitudes. On the way to the location where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, I was handed a microphone and asked to read the first 12 verses of one of the most famous speeches ever given. I swallowed really hard and nervously read the passage aloud:
Matthew 5:1-12
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up to a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Our time in Jerusalem was also filled with a feeling of realism. We visited the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the two possible locations of Jesus crucifixion and resurrection. One possible location is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, an immense cathedral built on the traditional site of skull rock and the empty tomb of Jesus. More recently, another location, outside of the walls of Jerusalem has been considered by many to be the true site of Jesus death. This place is called the Garden Tomb. Here, there is a large rock formation that resembles a skull, and yet another…empty tomb. It cannot be proven which the “true site” is although there is strong evidence for each. With this in mind, we visited both, and guess what, both tombs were empty!
Our walk through Jerusalem also included the 14 stages of the cross, the Tomb of King David, the Upper Room, Razzouk Tattoo (the oldest running tattoo parlor IN THE WORLD), the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and so much more. Jerusalem is an important religious site for each of the three major world religions: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. It is powerful to see the reverence, hostility, beauty, and faithfulness of each of these in such close proximity. On the day that we spent the most time in Jerusalem, cold rain and ignorance made me into a picture of this diversity. The Western Wall is considered one of the most holy sites in the world for Jews because it is all that remains of the Temple. As we were walking through the cold rain, a man offered to sell us an umbrella. The price was right so we bought it and continued on. In a rush due to the cold rain, we hurried down to the wall, all together, Emily, Emily, and I huddled under our small umbrella. There were a few things that we did not realize in our haste:
- The wall, as any Jewish holy site, is divided into men’s and women’s sides.
- The umbrella we bought was a traditional Muslim design called Arafat.
At this moment, I was a Christian man, standing under a Muslim umbrella, on the women’s side of a Jewish holy site. More importantly, in the words of a Palestinian stranger, “I was a human.”
