Everyone has a Bucket List.
All my life there has been one place I wanted to go before I died—the Holy Land.
I wanted to walk were Jesus walked.
And in the middle of February, 15, mostly, strangers, or at best acquaintances, set out to do just that—walk in the steps of Christ.
For every Christian, there is one place that’s on their Bucket List—Israel . . . to walk and talk where Jesus did. Seeing where He was born, the places He learned, He taught, preached sermons and performed miracles is an intimate encounter with the Son of the Living God-- Jesus. It is a life-changing experience. How could it not be? To see where He died on the cross for my sins, as the PERFECT sacrifice was almost too much comprehend or anticipate.
A couple of months ago, when we found out the day we would be leaving, I could barely believe my eyes—my Mom’s birthday, none other than Feb. 14 itself. The day known for love would begin the pen strokes that made us fall more in love with Jesus! Valentine’s Day has always held a place near and dear to my heart because without it I wouldn’t be here, and I’ve always viewed it more as my Mom’s birthday than for the day I remembered being shot by cupid’s arrow.
She turned 69 Friday and I bought her two cards . . . because someone as special as her simply deserves two! One card couldn’t contain all the gratitude, love and appreciation I have for her. I gave her a little teddy bear and it was off to the airport. Fifteen pilgrims excited to experience a sacred place—The Holy Land, God’s chosen territory! I was certainly no different.
From the moment we arrived at the airport, it was clear God’s divine orchestration had already started. The airport chaplain Karen Cloninger had two connections to our group. As Providence would have it, she learned under Amber in Bible study for 34 years. When I was at the Lincoln Times-News, I wrote about her son Erich, who was a standout baseball player at East Lincoln before starring for the Liberty Flames and playing in the Boston Red Sox organization.
Her enthusiasm, infectious bright smile and joy of Jesus added to our anticipation. She, in essence, prepared the way—she was our John the Baptist for walking in the steps of Christ. There was a palpable excitement in our group aged 40-79. At that moment, we were all simply little children excited to go see where the King of Kings once lived. Looking to the right, left or straight ahead, you saw the same thing—people laughing, smiling and brimming with anticipation to get to Israel.
In a strange, indescribable way, in my spirit, I felt I was going home.
God made provision . . .from us going through security without a hitch, to our flight being on time, to everyone feeling good. It was clear His hand was on us.
The couple of hours, to get to New York, passed in a blur and before we knew it, we were at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Mark Muckler led us through the airport in a fitting, symbolic way. As our shepherd for the next nine days, he made sure all his flock was accounted for and found pasture to eat and rest. With the same love, care and compassion he leads Mt. Pleasant, he took care of us. While 13 sheep found pasture at Buffalo Wild Wings, Mom and I opted for the pasture of Pizza and Vino. How can you go wrong with New York-style pizza in New York?!?
Anyway, I was so happy I got to have my Mom all to myself on her birthday. It was really special being able to take pictures together, share conversation and break bread, errr pizza on her big day! See, I love my Momma! While Jesus was, is and will always be my Big Rock, my Mom is my sweet Little Rock. I love spending time with her. Every now and then we butt heads, like all parents and children, but I love seeing how she loves, how selflessly she gives and I love her big, and beyond generous, heart! I love seeing her eyes light up like a little child, love seeing her earnest smile and love hearing her laugh. If I listed all the things I love about her, even the way it takes her a while to take a picture because she wants to get it just right, we would be here for a while, and I would start to run out of paper!
We had a six and half hour layover at Gate 41-B. Remember how I said it was a trip I know, without a shadow of a doubt, was orchestrated? I would turn 41 in three days, wore the No. 41 playing high school football and as Providence would have it . . . there I sat at Gate 41. God cares about even the most minute details of our lives. He is constantly searching for ways to show His awesome love for us and there’s no doubt He longs for our attention and love as well.
It was a LONG layover, but the last couple of hours went by in a blur.
Next stop Tel Aviv, Israel.
Just a jump, a hop, a skip and 10 hours and we would be there!
I had taken a Valium in hopes of it knocking out for the duration of the flight, but it wasn’t to be. After sleeping just 15-20 minutes, if that, in the first four hours; the next 6 hours were spent with my head stuck in a vomit bag. I was completely MISERABLE! My main objective was to simply make it to the ground without having a repeat performance of how my day started—throwing up.
So, there I was covering my forehead in water, rubbing ice on my head, while I silently pleaded with God to just get me through it. “Your Strength is made PERFECT in my weakness. God be with me. Please help me feel better. You say when we are STILL You fight our battles for us. (Exodus 14:14). I believe You’re able to do exceedingly more than I can dare to dream, ask for or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20). By Your stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:3 and 1st Peter 2:24). Though You slay me, yet I will hope in You (Job 13:15).” I prayed and cried out to the Lord, but it was as if my prayers were being sucked into some cosmic Black Hole before they reached Heaven. I know they weren’t, but that’s how I felt!
I grew increasingly more miserable. I kept in mind that since God allowed His only Son to suffer that it was a badge of honor He was allowing me to suffer, and I wish I could tell you that helped my morale as much as it should’ve.
But such is the case with life . . . often times, I have found Jesus in the least likely of places, an unexpected one—a vomit bag! My disappointment had become an appointment with Him, and I was grateful for that. But couldn’t my growth happen some other way? LOL
I am 100% sure this wasn’t the first time I had uttered those words to Him. But His ways are not our ways and what we regard as wisdom if beneath His foolishness.
After reaching ground, I found I wasn’t the only one who was having some issues. May Barber was also nauseated and Amber’s right ear was still closed. I prayed for all 3 of us, despite just a few minutes prior I wasn’t even able to muster up any excitement when my Mom said, “John Mark, we’re in the Holy Land!” Did I mention I was miserable?
The Lord, Who never ceases to amaze me, opened up her ear right there on the spot. Mrs. Barber started feeling better too. What a faithful and awesome God we serve!
If He cares for the sparrows, every single hair on our head (even those who don’t have many), hung every star, and knows them ALL by name . . . how much more does He care about the one creation made in His Image—US!
With prayer being one of the best gifts—inviting our Savior and Creator of the Universe into the situation—it baffles me why we don’t give it more!
Our EO guide Tamar picked us up from the airport, and she was friendly, sweet, welcoming and you could tell she was a woman of faith. One of the first things she said to us, after we were seated on the bus, was, “Welcome home!” The strange thing is in some ways that’s what it felt like—home. She taught us the meaning of the word “shalom,” which is used in three ways in Israel—hello, bye and peace. Over the near-hour bus drive to the hotel in Netanya, she poured information, and interesting facts, into us. She was engaging, but you could tell from the outset, she was also no-nonsense, leaving us all to believe we were going to be learning a lot during our Pilgrimage.
We arrived, after the 45-minute commute, around 6:15 p.m. at the Lagoon Hotel in Netanya and it was beautiful, sitting right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. The view from our hotel balcony was simply breath-taking—in foreshadowing of what was to come.
The hotel was top-of-the-line. It was modern, had amazing views from our balconies, of the well-lit boardwalk and city lights, and had friendly staff at every turn. We went to dinner at 7. It was buffet-style, contained a smorgasbord of options and a plethora of dessert options. After a day of traveling 20 hours, there was just one way to complete the day—thanking God for His Protection and traveling mercies! Finally, it was time to hit the hay.
Even though I’ve been very sick over the past year, I was the most exhausted I had been in a very long time and one thing was certain . . . I am sure I wasn’t the only one.
Day 2
After eating breakfast, Mom and I went on our own little adventure.
Since we had less than an hour, we had to stay close, but we got a lot done in the small window. We walked up the hill, on the boardwalk to a gazebo that perfectly overlooked the Mediterranean. As is the case with adventures, you never know what you’re going to find. This was no different. First, we ran across a large mosaic whale sculpture, made by Ruslan Sergeev, made of many different colors, sitting right next to the sea.
As we checked out the whale and took pictures of it, I couldn’t help but notice two HUGE wings across the road, which I later learned is The Victory Monument. The monument, which was opened by Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, is poignant and powerful. On the right side, the vile, heart-breaking nature of the Holocaust is depicted, while on the left side the war between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany is depicted. After walking through the black-bunker of a maze, you end in front of the wings—symbols of victory, hope and peace against the coastal backdrop.
Hurrying back to the bus, we were then whisked away to Caesarea Maritima. Let me preface the rest of this writing with a disclaimer . . . while I did take notes; I did not take copious notes on every place we went nor transcribe all the facts about every site. I did pay careful attention, but I tried to BE in the moment. Everybody has their own idea of being in the moment. Mine didn’t involve writing every single detail down as much as the significance of the place to me and how it made me feel.
Now, that we got that out of the way, let me continue.
After watching an informative video on the history of Caesarea Maritima, one I wish I could insert here, we went to the second coliseum I’ve ever visited. The first being THE coliseum in Rome, Italy, which even as a 12-year-old kid, I was blown away by! The architecture, the beauty, the enormity all were impressive, but the coliseum in Caesarea was different in that we actually got to sit in it. Just like that, in the snap of a finger, I felt 12 again! Other than the architecture, the rich history of Maritima was impressive. How it bounced back and forth from Roman ownership, Christian ownership and even Muslim ownership.
For 1800 years . . . let’s close our eyes and imagine all the happy times, the smiles, the laughter, the joy those grounds saw, all the money exchanged, deals made, ships sent out on voyages and all the heart break, war, sadness and despair. While this is true of Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, and the Holy Land, in general; it’s particularly true of this ancient city in the Sharon Plain.
The two most notable figures relating to this seaside community are Cornelius and Paul, while Pontius Pilate, Herod and Caesar Augustus, for whom the site was named after, also are notable figures. Cornelius was the first Gentile convert. Although, it was relatively inevitable, sooner or later, there would be one; it’s not a stretch to call Cornelius a trailblazer of the Christian faith and a fearless Roman who blazed his own path. Cornelius was a centurion in the Cohors Italica Civium Romanorum. He was stationed in Caesarea-- the capital of Roman Judea Province. Before his conversion, he was known as a devout man and for his good works. But as I walked around, the gravity of Cornelius was not lost on me. Without Cornelius, who knows if we, ourselves, would believe.
What’s so powerful and beautiful is the series of events, which led to Cornelius’s salvation found in Acts 10. An angel appears to him and tells him his prayers have been heard and for him to send the men of his household to Joppa where they would find a man called Simon Peter. Peter then has a vision, which includes many different animals being lowered from Heaven. He refuses to eat some of them, the first time, keeping in accordance of Mosaic Law. A Voice then challenged him, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean. (Acts 10:15).
As Peter was struggling to understand the meaning of the vision, the Spirit spoke to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So, get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” (Acts 10:19-20).
Peter reached Caesarea two days later. Once there, Peter asked Cornelius why he sent for him. Cornelius told him about his encounter with the angel. Peter told him of his vision.
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Many Gentiles were there, the Holy Spirit fell on all of them. Peter, and the circumcised, were amazed as they heard them speaking in tongues, praising God, so, he ordered they all be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (verse 48).
The second figure linked to Maritima is none other than Paul . . . yes, that Paul! The Romans sent Paul to Caesarea for his bold preaching of the Gospel thus fulfilling the prophecy of Agabus, who prophesied that would happen 16 years after 42 A.D. when he prophesied there would be a worldwide famine. Paul was imprisoned two years. While here, Governor Marcus Antonius Felix, and his Jewish wife Drusilla, would regularly send for Paul to listen to him speak about his faith in Jesus.
Pontius Pilate, whose name will forever be linked to the trial of Jesus, had a seat in the amphitheater—one which bared his own signature and remains on the grounds. Caesarea Maritima was built approximately 25 to 13 B.C. and named by Herod the Great. In 13 B.C. it became the Roman civilian and military capital of Judea.
Simply put, the grounds were filled with history. Standing on the beach, taking in the picturesque views of the ruins and what was reconstructed, along with the Mediterranean Sea, rocks and beach, was breath-taking, refreshing and peaceful.
I was impressed with the grounds—both natural and built—but the most powerful part of Maritima came in the form of a revelation. The amphitheater, which sits over 4,000 people, stood out to me. Ever since seeing the Roman Coliseum in Rome, as aforementioned, I’ve been intrigued with coliseums and architecture in general.
But it was a hidden, pun intended, fact that completely blew me away! After the Byzantine reign, the theater was covered by sand . . . for hundreds of years . . . it was FORGOTTEN! Out of sight, out of mind, it was not relevant and was, for all intents and purposes, discarded. Here’s what I find interesting. The sand could’ve DESTROYED it, but it instead PRESERVED it, which speaks to God’s Grace and Mercy with us as the Potter, but it also brings to mind Genesis 50:20—“That which the enemy intended to use to destroy me, the Lord has turned it around to give me life, so that I can give others life.
That’s powerful enough, in and of itself, but then it called to mind the Scripture Psalm 118:22, “The stone the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”
Around 10 times this stone is mentioned in the Bible, which explicitly refers to Jesus as he was the stone rejected, which/who became the cornerstone. Making this connection, through the Holy Spirit, completely rocked me.
It’s not that the theater was rejected, as much as neglected, but what was once neglected has, indeed, become the cornerstone of Maritima. Throughout Israel, if a singer wants to say, “I made it! I’ve finally arrived,” they have to perform at Caesarea Maritima. This is what went through my mind . . . many people will neglect you, forget you or treat you as if you don’t matter—but the theater, once, neglected has NOW become the STANDARD—the cornerstone! WOW!!
Where do you go from a place so doused in history, doused in
culture, doused with empires—a place where, if you shut your eyes, you can
envision the busy harbor, the busting markets, the joy and happiness, the wars,
the tragedy, the rebuilding, the ground we stood on rising once again like the
Phoenix from the ashes—how about to one of the most holy and special places in
the world . . . Nazareth.
Nazareth-- the hometown of Jesus . . . the place He lived 30, of His 33, years. My mind was blown. My thoughts raced. My spirits soared. As we pulled up to the town square to get off the bus, all I could think of was His footprints were all over this town—literally. I activated my imagination and pictured little Yeshua/Jesus—like seen in the movie “Young Messiah”—maybe run to the well for his parents Mary and Joseph to get water, go buy something at the market or just playing with his friends. Who knows maybe He played “Hide and Go Seek,” raced down the dirt streets, splashed each other at the spring like kids do.
In my near 41 years on earth, my journey had never crossed with my Savior’s. Sure in my heart, in my mind, in my spirit, there had been a beautiful intersection of His life and mine, His Love, His forgiveness, His Grace, but never where He actually walked. That fact wasn’t lost on me as I fought the temptation of being in tourist mode and treating this place like just another place.
This would not be the first time I would have to fight this fight. When your days start at 6 a.m. and you don’t reach the hotel until 6 p.m., going in non-stop, break-neck fashion, and you’re taking so many pictures it would make National Geographic blush, if we weren’t careful, like grains of sand slipping through our fingers, the gravity of what each place meant would’ve been lost.
And this land . . . this Holy Land is simply too special, too holy and too amazing of a place, filled with Biblical history, echoes of the past and the fabric from which all of us were cut to let a single grain meet the ground before we’ve squeezed it for all its worth.
Our first stop was the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation also known as known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Gabriel, which was completed in 1769. In relation to Biblical times, 1769 sounds fairly modern, and young, but when remembering the United States was founded in 1776; that thought is quickly whisked away!
Many believe this is the very place Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce she would become pregnant with the only Son of God, our Savior and the Messiah Yeshua, Who is more commonly referred to as Jesus. This story is found in Luke 1:27-35.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
The exact location of this holy event—the BEST news the world has ever received, or ever will receive—was not recorded, but according to a 2nd century apocryphal text called protoevangelium, meaning prior to the Gospel, the announcement took place at both places the spring and at their home.
"She took the jar and went out to fetch water. Then a voice spoke to her: 'Greetings, you who have received grace. The Lord is with you, you blessed among women.’ The text continues to state that having looked around and seen no one, Mary returned home, placed the jar of water aside, and began to spin, whereupon the angel appeared before her to continue to inform of her appointed role.”
According, to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, this is also the place Mary sent Jesus to get water at six-years old. When I read that, what I had imagined, when I first got off the bus, likely actually happened as Jesus came to fetch water and probably played in the spring too.
The spring was located at the far end of the church. You had to descend seven steps via the underground chapel, built in the medieval era, to get it. The little tunnel was comprised of brick with Armenian tilework and framing with crosses making up the arch. It was fenced in, but it was still a sight to behold, knowing the spring we were looking at is the same spring Jesus, along with his parents Mary and Joseph and brothers James, Simon, Judas and Jude, came to! To make the moment even more powerful-- there was a spigot that pumped the water of the spring into the church . . . so we were able to anoint our heads and hands with the same water Jesus drank.
I couldn’t help but think of Jesus and His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
This water, in all actuality, is just water, and can never, as holy as it may be, compare to the Living Water (Jesus), but it was really cool and special we were able to touch the same water His hands once touched.
The church itself appealed to me. It was made of white brick and honestly just looked like an ancient church. Aesthetically, it was nothing special. From the outside, it was what it was . . . just like us. But on the inside, it was beautiful! The dichotomy between the exterior and interior was sobering as soon as we walked in. It was yellow and baby blue representing the sky featuring decorative murals on the columns and walls. We all come in different sizes, shapes and colors, some short and some tall, but it’s what is on the inside that makes us special. Sure, I’m talking about our hearts and who we are, but more than that I’m speaking of Jesus! Jesus lives inside us, any and all believers, no matter how many times we’ve failed Him . . . He stays right there, inhabiting our very being in the form of the Holy Spirit! Is that not an incredible thought!?!
Leaving the church, walking the streets of Nazareth, making our way down Casa Nova Street to the Basilica of the Annunciation, was surreal. I was walking where Jesus once walked. I tried to take it all in, making sure I didn’t take these steps for granted. Sometimes, it’s just a good thing to remind ourselves how big of a blessing it is to be healthy and be able to walk—a blessing I was reminded time and time again with Debbie fighting to take more than just 20 steps at a time. She was a trooper, demonstrated the heart of a warrior and was determined not to let her health condition prevent her from being in each moment she could—a fact I admired.
As you walk onto the grounds, into the courtyard, you are met with beautiful mosaics—43 of them to be exact—with each providing a cultural glance of Mary, the chosen virgin Mother, alone and some of her with Jesus. These gorgeous pieces of art and adoration are found on the West and South wings. The mosaics were exquisite, a rainbow of colors and plethora of styles, which left an indelible impression on each one of us. Audible gasps, me saying WOW, which would become a staple of the 10 days, and wide-eyes abounded as we took in these beautiful pieces of art.
Nothing about this modern-basilica was common—including the door. The door, which is approximately 10 or 11 feet, was made of bronze and depicts 12 scenes of Mary throughout Jesus’s life. Above the relief, there is a statue of the 14-year-old virgin Mary as you enter. The lower floor is giant circle with a grotto sitting down in the middle of it. The feature piece of the grotto is the cave where Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived. This is also, in Catholicism, believed to be where Gabriel announced to the teenager the awesome news she would bare, in her womb, the Messiah.
An altar, believed to built in the 18th century, was built on the holy site with Byzantine and Crusader remnants found around the grotto A column, from the 4th century, on the right side of the altar designates where the messenger appeared to Mary. This, like many of the other sacred places in Israel, I believed to be symbolic. There is no way really of knowing where Gabriel appeared, but what we do know is this . . . we were in the vicinity of and that thought was amazing in and of itself. See, people sometimes get bogged down by specifics, but, honestly, I don’t feel the exact spot is what matters.
I also believe this is by Heavenly design. God does not want us to make to take these holy places and turn them into idols, so, yes time, destruction, poor records have all played a role in not being able to point to an exact place and say, “Here is the exact spot ______ happened,” but I also feel we’re simply not supposed to know. We walk through life looking through a glass darkly (1st Corinthians 13:12) and walking through the Holy Land is no different. While it’s undisputed the land is special, certain things also remain a MYSTERY and I believe that is intentional. After all, God cares about the details, doesn’t He?
Growing up, my Mom and Step-Dad always said, “Close doesn’t count except horseshoes, hand grenades and the Holy Land . . . OK, that last part isn’t true, but I discovered it is true nonetheless.
The words on the altar are, “Verbum Caro Hic Factum Est,” which means, “Here the Word was made flesh.” That phrase comes from John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
On the second level of Basilica there are 16 paintings on each side of two rows of pews, which are used for mass and those who want to pray. While the outside courtyard is known for its Mosaics, the upper church, or second level, is known for it’s stunning cupola, which is a dome on the interior of the Basilica. The 195-foot high dome represents Mary’s purity as it’s in the form of a white Lily. Slightly beneath is the dome are stained windows.
With the sun shining through these broken vessels, there is a warmth, peace and tranquility that reminds you of the Lord and also makes me think of us.
I’ve heard broken vessels are the ones that shine the most light. While that saying likely refers to the refraction and reflection of the light, it also makes me think of how people who have been broken tend to have the most compassion, enjoy serving and putting others ahead of themselves and love speaking words of Life (Proverbs 18:21) . . . because they know what hard times are, they know what it’s like to need an uplifting word and not receive it, they know what hopeless feels like, so they go out of their way to lend Hope. I think people who have truly been broken are NEVER the same again because they live from a beautiful intersection of Brokenness and Gratitude! That’s the way I try to live my life. I know what it’s like to be broken and I realize I don’t deserve the embarrassment of riches, in terms of blessings, that flood my life. But more importantly than any blessing, is the posture of gratitude.
Gratitude—three syllables, but there is so much power in that word and so many reasons to have it! I’m beyond grateful for God’s Love, that Jesus died on the cross for me and paid a debt I could never pay and one He didn’t owe, I’m grateful for my life, my five senses, a house to live in, food and drink, my family, my friends, for life’s lessons, for the great times, the terrible times, the awesome times and the sad times, for the victories and failures because all of it is undeserved!!
Once you come to that startling realization, you have perspective and once you have perspective, you’re UNSTOPPABLE because you learn to find it’s never as bad as it feels, even losses can be turned into victories and God truly makes BEAUTY from ASHES!
Gratitude, remaining broken, not in terms of emotionally broken, but from the standpoint you never forget, and perspective have the capability to radically transform our lives!
Perspective is a hidden key, which has the power to unlock the silver linings for many of our dark clouds and allows us to feel the warmth of the sunshine right smack dab in the middle of the storm!
See, God has restored my life from Rock Bottom—a place I’ll never return, but one, ironically enough, I’m thankful for! When the Lord takes that which was meant to destroy you and turns it around to give you life, so that you can give others life Gen. 50:20 . . . you smile bigger, laugh harder, cry more, say I love you more often and the little moments you used to miss, you now embrace and treasure!
Like Spurgeon said, “There is no university for a Christian, like that of sorrow and trial,” and I’m thankful I’m learning what it means to have compassion, what it is to love, how to encourage and what it means to be a servant. It’s simply much easier to live a selfish and defeated life instead of living from a place of victory.
Speaking of gratitude and perspective, it was easy to be grateful as I took a step back, with immense perspective, and pondered I was looking at the place Jesus lived 30 of his 33 years on Earth. This was truly beyond a special place!
After leaving the Basilica, we went to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and ate falafel, think hush puppies, chickpeas and one of my new favorite foods shawarma, which is chicken or beef cut into thin slices. I had mine in a gyro and it was delicious. This was my first taste of local cuisine. Now, every time I eat shawarma, I will think of the first time I ate it being in the hometown of Jesus.
Our final stop on the day was Mt. Precipice, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you of two other places we passed through—Mt. Carmel and Cana. Mt. Carmel is the site of one of my favorite Biblical stories. It’s where Elijah, who had more faith in his pinky than most of us have in our entire bodies, challenged the followers of Baal to a showdown, which is found in in 1st Kings Chapter 18.
21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
Although, we weren’t able to get off the bus on Mt. Carmel just knowing we were driving over it was enough for me. I want to have Elijah-like faith and obedience.
Cana was the place of Jesus’s first miracle where He turned water into wine at a wedding feast found in John Chapter 2.
2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Driving through this town, it was hard not to think of what it must’ve been like to see such a miraculous feat—his first in a long line of miracles. As we passed through, the Bible verse John 21:25 came to mind, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
And this was the very first one!
Reaching the summit of Mt. Precipice, after passing by a craggy garden of trees on a short walk to the summit, was absolutely breath-taking! We were blessed with a clear, sunny day, with blue skies, and the result was spectacular. Mt. Precipice is believed to be the site of the rejection of Jesus described in Luke Gospel 4:29-30.
"The people of Nazareth, not accepting Jesus as Messiah tried to push him from the mountain, but "he passed through the midst of them and went away."
Turning to one side, we had an amazing view of all of Nazareth, which made for some great pictures of the Jazreel Valley as well. In the middle, there is a big olive tree with three stones and a pillar marking the place as Mt. Precipice. On the other side, looking at the Mt. Tabor, in the distance, is the one of the most extreme dichotomies I’ve ever seen.
Taking in the beautiful green, lush pastures of Har-Megiddo, it was hard to fathom this is the place of violence and chaos that Zechariah referred to in Zechariah 12: 9, 11): “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem… In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”
This peaceful and serene valley is the future site of the final battle Armageddon referred to in Revelation Chapter 16 (specifically verse 16). “16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
As I stood there, gazing into the distance, the prevailing thought I had was I do not know when that final battle will be waged, but what I do know is Who wins! Actually, it’s more accurate to say . . . I do know who ALREADY WON . . .
When the stone was rolled away from the tomb!
Yeshua, King Jesus, is VICTORIOUS! He is RISEN!!
Yahweh, Father God, won my soul, won my heart and slowly, but surely, my LIFE!
So, while the final battle has not been fought . . . the war has already been won!
Nazareth-- the hometown of Jesus . . . the place He lived 30, of His 33, years. My mind was blown. My thoughts raced. My spirits soared. As we pulled up to the town square to get off the bus, all I could think of was His footprints were all over this town—literally. I activated my imagination and pictured little Yeshua/Jesus—like seen in the movie “Young Messiah”—maybe run to the well for his parents Mary and Joseph to get water, go buy something at the market or just playing with his friends. Who knows maybe He played “Hide and Go Seek,” raced down the dirt streets, splashed each other at the spring like kids do.
In my near 41 years on earth, my journey had never crossed with my Savior’s. Sure in my heart, in my mind, in my spirit, there had been a beautiful intersection of His life and mine, His Love, His forgiveness, His Grace, but never where He actually walked. That fact wasn’t lost on me as I fought the temptation of being in tourist mode and treating this place like just another place.
This would not be the first time I would have to fight this fight. When your days start at 6 a.m. and you don’t reach the hotel until 6 p.m., going in non-stop, break-neck fashion, and you’re taking so many pictures it would make National Geographic blush, if we weren’t careful, like grains of sand slipping through our fingers, the gravity of what each place meant would’ve been lost.
And this land . . . this Holy Land is simply too special, too holy and too amazing of a place, filled with Biblical history, echoes of the past and the fabric from which all of us were cut to let a single grain meet the ground before we’ve squeezed it for all its worth.
Our first stop was the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation also known as known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Gabriel, which was completed in 1769. In relation to Biblical times, 1769 sounds fairly modern, and young, but when remembering the United States was founded in 1776; that thought is quickly whisked away!
Many believe this is the very place Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce she would become pregnant with the only Son of God, our Savior and the Messiah Yeshua, Who is more commonly referred to as Jesus. This story is found in Luke 1:27-35.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
The exact location of this holy event—the BEST news the world has ever received, or ever will receive—was not recorded, but according to a 2nd century apocryphal text called protoevangelium, meaning prior to the Gospel, the announcement took place at both places the spring and at their home.
"She took the jar and went out to fetch water. Then a voice spoke to her: 'Greetings, you who have received grace. The Lord is with you, you blessed among women.’ The text continues to state that having looked around and seen no one, Mary returned home, placed the jar of water aside, and began to spin, whereupon the angel appeared before her to continue to inform of her appointed role.”
According, to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, this is also the place Mary sent Jesus to get water at six-years old. When I read that, what I had imagined, when I first got off the bus, likely actually happened as Jesus came to fetch water and probably played in the spring too.
The spring was located at the far end of the church. You had to descend seven steps via the underground chapel, built in the medieval era, to get it. The little tunnel was comprised of brick with Armenian tilework and framing with crosses making up the arch. It was fenced in, but it was still a sight to behold, knowing the spring we were looking at is the same spring Jesus, along with his parents Mary and Joseph and brothers James, Simon, Judas and Jude, came to! To make the moment even more powerful-- there was a spigot that pumped the water of the spring into the church . . . so we were able to anoint our heads and hands with the same water Jesus drank.
I couldn’t help but think of Jesus and His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well found in John 4.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
This water, in all actuality, is just water, and can never, as holy as it may be, compare to the Living Water (Jesus), but it was really cool and special we were able to touch the same water His hands once touched.
The church itself appealed to me. It was made of white brick and honestly just looked like an ancient church. Aesthetically, it was nothing special. From the outside, it was what it was . . . just like us. But on the inside, it was beautiful! The dichotomy between the exterior and interior was sobering as soon as we walked in. It was yellow and baby blue representing the sky featuring decorative murals on the columns and walls. We all come in different sizes, shapes and colors, some short and some tall, but it’s what is on the inside that makes us special. Sure, I’m talking about our hearts and who we are, but more than that I’m speaking of Jesus! Jesus lives inside us, any and all believers, no matter how many times we’ve failed Him . . . He stays right there, inhabiting our very being in the form of the Holy Spirit! Is that not an incredible thought!?!
Leaving the church, walking the streets of Nazareth, making our way down Casa Nova Street to the Basilica of the Annunciation, was surreal. I was walking where Jesus once walked. I tried to take it all in, making sure I didn’t take these steps for granted. Sometimes, it’s just a good thing to remind ourselves how big of a blessing it is to be healthy and be able to walk—a blessing I was reminded time and time again with Debbie fighting to take more than just 20 steps at a time. She was a trooper, demonstrated the heart of a warrior and was determined not to let her health condition prevent her from being in each moment she could—a fact I admired.
As you walk onto the grounds, into the courtyard, you are met with beautiful mosaics—43 of them to be exact—with each providing a cultural glance of Mary, the chosen virgin Mother, alone and some of her with Jesus. These gorgeous pieces of art and adoration are found on the West and South wings. The mosaics were exquisite, a rainbow of colors and plethora of styles, which left an indelible impression on each one of us. Audible gasps, me saying WOW, which would become a staple of the 10 days, and wide-eyes abounded as we took in these beautiful pieces of art.
Nothing about this modern-basilica was common—including the door. The door, which is approximately 10 or 11 feet, was made of bronze and depicts 12 scenes of Mary throughout Jesus’s life. Above the relief, there is a statue of the 14-year-old virgin Mary as you enter. The lower floor is giant circle with a grotto sitting down in the middle of it. The feature piece of the grotto is the cave where Mary, Joseph and Jesus lived. This is also, in Catholicism, believed to be where Gabriel announced to the teenager the awesome news she would bare, in her womb, the Messiah.
An altar, believed to built in the 18th century, was built on the holy site with Byzantine and Crusader remnants found around the grotto A column, from the 4th century, on the right side of the altar designates where the messenger appeared to Mary. This, like many of the other sacred places in Israel, I believed to be symbolic. There is no way really of knowing where Gabriel appeared, but what we do know is this . . . we were in the vicinity of and that thought was amazing in and of itself. See, people sometimes get bogged down by specifics, but, honestly, I don’t feel the exact spot is what matters.
I also believe this is by Heavenly design. God does not want us to make to take these holy places and turn them into idols, so, yes time, destruction, poor records have all played a role in not being able to point to an exact place and say, “Here is the exact spot ______ happened,” but I also feel we’re simply not supposed to know. We walk through life looking through a glass darkly (1st Corinthians 13:12) and walking through the Holy Land is no different. While it’s undisputed the land is special, certain things also remain a MYSTERY and I believe that is intentional. After all, God cares about the details, doesn’t He?
Growing up, my Mom and Step-Dad always said, “Close doesn’t count except horseshoes, hand grenades and the Holy Land . . . OK, that last part isn’t true, but I discovered it is true nonetheless.
The words on the altar are, “Verbum Caro Hic Factum Est,” which means, “Here the Word was made flesh.” That phrase comes from John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth”.
On the second level of Basilica there are 16 paintings on each side of two rows of pews, which are used for mass and those who want to pray. While the outside courtyard is known for its Mosaics, the upper church, or second level, is known for it’s stunning cupola, which is a dome on the interior of the Basilica. The 195-foot high dome represents Mary’s purity as it’s in the form of a white Lily. Slightly beneath is the dome are stained windows.
With the sun shining through these broken vessels, there is a warmth, peace and tranquility that reminds you of the Lord and also makes me think of us.
I’ve heard broken vessels are the ones that shine the most light. While that saying likely refers to the refraction and reflection of the light, it also makes me think of how people who have been broken tend to have the most compassion, enjoy serving and putting others ahead of themselves and love speaking words of Life (Proverbs 18:21) . . . because they know what hard times are, they know what it’s like to need an uplifting word and not receive it, they know what hopeless feels like, so they go out of their way to lend Hope. I think people who have truly been broken are NEVER the same again because they live from a beautiful intersection of Brokenness and Gratitude! That’s the way I try to live my life. I know what it’s like to be broken and I realize I don’t deserve the embarrassment of riches, in terms of blessings, that flood my life. But more importantly than any blessing, is the posture of gratitude.
Gratitude—three syllables, but there is so much power in that word and so many reasons to have it! I’m beyond grateful for God’s Love, that Jesus died on the cross for me and paid a debt I could never pay and one He didn’t owe, I’m grateful for my life, my five senses, a house to live in, food and drink, my family, my friends, for life’s lessons, for the great times, the terrible times, the awesome times and the sad times, for the victories and failures because all of it is undeserved!!
Once you come to that startling realization, you have perspective and once you have perspective, you’re UNSTOPPABLE because you learn to find it’s never as bad as it feels, even losses can be turned into victories and God truly makes BEAUTY from ASHES!
Gratitude, remaining broken, not in terms of emotionally broken, but from the standpoint you never forget, and perspective have the capability to radically transform our lives!
Perspective is a hidden key, which has the power to unlock the silver linings for many of our dark clouds and allows us to feel the warmth of the sunshine right smack dab in the middle of the storm!
See, God has restored my life from Rock Bottom—a place I’ll never return, but one, ironically enough, I’m thankful for! When the Lord takes that which was meant to destroy you and turns it around to give you life, so that you can give others life Gen. 50:20 . . . you smile bigger, laugh harder, cry more, say I love you more often and the little moments you used to miss, you now embrace and treasure!
Like Spurgeon said, “There is no university for a Christian, like that of sorrow and trial,” and I’m thankful I’m learning what it means to have compassion, what it is to love, how to encourage and what it means to be a servant. It’s simply much easier to live a selfish and defeated life instead of living from a place of victory.
Speaking of gratitude and perspective, it was easy to be grateful as I took a step back, with immense perspective, and pondered I was looking at the place Jesus lived 30 of his 33 years on Earth. This was truly beyond a special place!
After leaving the Basilica, we went to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and ate falafel, think hush puppies, chickpeas and one of my new favorite foods shawarma, which is chicken or beef cut into thin slices. I had mine in a gyro and it was delicious. This was my first taste of local cuisine. Now, every time I eat shawarma, I will think of the first time I ate it being in the hometown of Jesus.
Our final stop on the day was Mt. Precipice, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you of two other places we passed through—Mt. Carmel and Cana. Mt. Carmel is the site of one of my favorite Biblical stories. It’s where Elijah, who had more faith in his pinky than most of us have in our entire bodies, challenged the followers of Baal to a showdown, which is found in in 1st Kings Chapter 18.
21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”
Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
Although, we weren’t able to get off the bus on Mt. Carmel just knowing we were driving over it was enough for me. I want to have Elijah-like faith and obedience.
Cana was the place of Jesus’s first miracle where He turned water into wine at a wedding feast found in John Chapter 2.
2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Driving through this town, it was hard not to think of what it must’ve been like to see such a miraculous feat—his first in a long line of miracles. As we passed through, the Bible verse John 21:25 came to mind, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
And this was the very first one!
Reaching the summit of Mt. Precipice, after passing by a craggy garden of trees on a short walk to the summit, was absolutely breath-taking! We were blessed with a clear, sunny day, with blue skies, and the result was spectacular. Mt. Precipice is believed to be the site of the rejection of Jesus described in Luke Gospel 4:29-30.
"The people of Nazareth, not accepting Jesus as Messiah tried to push him from the mountain, but "he passed through the midst of them and went away."
Turning to one side, we had an amazing view of all of Nazareth, which made for some great pictures of the Jazreel Valley as well. In the middle, there is a big olive tree with three stones and a pillar marking the place as Mt. Precipice. On the other side, looking at the Mt. Tabor, in the distance, is the one of the most extreme dichotomies I’ve ever seen.
Taking in the beautiful green, lush pastures of Har-Megiddo, it was hard to fathom this is the place of violence and chaos that Zechariah referred to in Zechariah 12: 9, 11): “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem… In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.”
This peaceful and serene valley is the future site of the final battle Armageddon referred to in Revelation Chapter 16 (specifically verse 16). “16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.”
As I stood there, gazing into the distance, the prevailing thought I had was I do not know when that final battle will be waged, but what I do know is Who wins! Actually, it’s more accurate to say . . . I do know who ALREADY WON . . .
When the stone was rolled away from the tomb!
Yeshua, King Jesus, is VICTORIOUS! He is RISEN!!
Yahweh, Father God, won my soul, won my heart and slowly, but surely, my LIFE!
So, while the final battle has not been fought . . . the war has already been won!
Wow ! I so enjoyed taking that trip again.Thank you John Mark.
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