Saturday, April 25, 2009

The day began with a drive south along the Dead Sea to Masada. Along the way Julie pointed out an ibex to those who were quick enough to see it. Masada is the site of the final battle/siege of the Jewish Revolt against Rome that started in 66 AD. Here the last 960 Jewish rebels were besieged by 10,000 Roman soldiers for 3 years before finally admitting defeat by committing suicide and thereby denying the Romans the glory of defeating them. We took the cable car to the top of the mountain. The weather, which is often very hot on Masada, was nice and cool with only a slight breeze and made the visit really enjoyable. Herod’s engineering on this, one of 7 fortresses he had throughout his kingdom, was once again impressive. And we were amazed at the incredible determination and courage that characterized the ancient Jewish people in the face of overwhelming odds and pondered anew God’s plan for His Chosen People.

We left Masada and drove back to the northern end of the Dead Sea, to Qumran, generally viewed as home of the devout Essene Community. There we had lunch and learned about this special sect of Jews to which John the Baptist may have belonged. Jesus, too, may have had a connection with the Essenes. Part of their piety was expressed in studying the Old Testament Scriptures, and they developed principles for community life that they carefully wrote down. Their Scripture scrolls and the documents of their community life are what became known as the “Dead Sea Scrolls.” It is thought that when the Romans passed Qumran on their way to Masada, the Essenes heard of their approach and quickly hid the scrolls in a myriad of caves in the cliffs above the community to protect them from the invaders. As they feared, the whole community was wiped out and the scrolls were left safe and undiscovered for almost 1900 years. In 1947 a shepherd boy lost one of his goats into a cave. When he threw a rock into the cave to scare out the goat, he heard the sound of breaking pottery. Upon further exploration, he found clay pots holding scrolls. Eventually this led to the discovery of over 900 documents in many nearby caves. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has been acclaimed as the most significant archaeological discovery of the 20th Century.

Upon leaving Qumran, we stopped to swim, (well really float) in the “Dead Sea,” 1300 feet below sea level. Everyone that braved the briny water seemed to have a great time and savored the unusual experience. While our oceans contain 2-3% salt, the Dead Sea has over 30%!
The afternoon found us in Jericho where we climbed over the “Jericho Tell,” viewing a ten thousand year old watch tower and various remnants of the ancient city of Jericho, where “the walls came tumbling down.” Dr. Bob shared the historical context and Bruce offered a devotion based on how God guided Joshua, encouraging him to be “strong and courageous” because God would always be with him (Josh 1:9). We continued our commitment to enrich the local area with our shopping, first at a very nice market at the “Jericho Tell” – just opposite Elisha’s Spring, still flowing sweet after over 2500 years (2 Kings 2:19-22) - and then off to the Hebron Glass Outlet in Jericho where many picked up some unusual and beautiful gifts.

It turned out to be a long day but filled with lots of new information and fun, culminating with a late dinner, after which everone was ready to relax and plan for our day off in Jerusalem tomorrow.

~ Clergy Comment ~

As our time in Israel draws to a close, I think we are all feeling a little wistful. Some of us will head for home tomorrow night, most will head on to Egypt Monday. I travel to Lebanon tomorrow afternoon. Our time in Israel has been extremely successful in so many ways – we have had a terrific guide (Julie) and a superior driver (Hazem)… logistically most everything has worked well… the group has held together in a supportive and positive way… the program content has been excellent. Israel has worked hard to make it possible for pilgrims like us to have meaningful experiences. The sites are generally well maintained and visitation is organized so that groups like ours can access the biblical sites without waiting too long or being crammed in with crowds of other pilgrims. It has been a great visit in Israel, due in no small way to the commitment to excellence and the longstanding relationships of our host, Masters Tours’ Dr. Bob Anderson, whom we were blessed to have with us for this trip.

The complicated issues related to the “Palestinian question” or to the continuing tension between Arabs and Jews remain frustrating to us as onlookers. The shrinking Christian presence in this area is troubling to us. And yet we have seen and talked with Jews, Arabs and Christians who live next to each other in peace. Our driver Hazem told us that in the villages, these 3 groups know how to live “as brothers – not just friends – brothers.” The Wall – still being constructed – reduces violence, but it is hated or lamented by many. In Bethlehem, business has dropped by 70% since the wall went up, according to one shop owner I talked with.

We have people in our group who represent a “Christian Zionist” point of view, and others who are “pro-Palestinian.” But almost all of us can see the logic of point of view of both sides when we hear it expressed by people who are living here with these tensions every day. I expect we will return home with no better answers to the questions we had when we came… but at least we will understand our questions better, and have greater compassion for those who live in this complicated situation.

And we will return home with new perspectives that will help us in our Bible reading. We will return understanding that our Lord and the heroes of the Bible are rooted in real human history. And with the Spirit’s help, we will continue to draw closer to the Lord after this trip is over. - Graig.