Sunday in Israel

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Our first stop today was Beth Shean, an ancient site that has been continuously occupied since 2500 BC. Its history includes King Saul's final battle against the Philistines, whom he chose to fight in spite of God's warning avoid them, so he faced defeat, with three of his sons killed. Rather than be captured, he fell on his own sword. We climbed to the top of the tel and could see the rich valley they were fighting over and the mountains nearby where Saul tried to retreat. We could also see the elaborate city created by Alexander the Great, much of it destroyed by an earthquake in 739 AD.

Beth Shean - a beautiful city, broken by an earthquake

Theater at Beth Shean

Our guide gave us a brief history of the Holy Land since ~1920...so much division, so many seeking a homeland, turning to bitterness and anger on one side and ultra protectionism on the other. Violence and frustration, oppression and power, as one people sets itself in opposition to the other. We headed to Jericho, inside the West Bank, going through checkpoints along the way--to territory where land has been "assigned" to the Palestinians and Jews are not "welcome," but where some 5,000 Jewish settlements are staking their claim. The water pumps are controlled by the Israelis, but the Palestinians are allotted 5 gallons of water per person per day while the nearby settlement has enough to water lawns and gardens. So much trouble, so few answers.

We held a Sunday service in a semi-cave in desert land. Afterward, we revisited Psalm 23, and together thought about what green pastures and still waters really mean to those living in the desert. There were no lush green pastures anywhere that we could see, and water is scarce. But a good shepherd finds just enough grass for each day in this arid land if the sheep follow him. As we shared words and phrases that meant a lot to us, we heard God speaking--he leads and guides, the dark valleys, goodness and love, a cup overflowing, God's house, forever.



Our Sunday included time in the wilderness
reflecting on Psalm 23.

But Jericho was the highlight of the day. As we sat on a rocky hill overlooking the remains of one of Herod the Great's palaces, we revisited two Jericho stories. One of them describes Jesus leaving Jericho by the "poor" people's gate, where he met Blind Bartimaeous and asked him, "What would you have me do for you?" This is the same question he asks each of us today.

Another time Jesus was arriving at Jericho through the "rich" people's gate, where he was met by another man who desperately wanted to see him--Zaccheus. Once each of these men "saw" Jesus, they chose to follow him--at considerable cost to themselves.  As we looked at the barren Jericho Road that led Jesus to Jerusalem, the question that still comes to us is, "What cost are we willing to pay as we follow Jesus?"

Passing through another check point as we left the occupied territory, we too turned our faces to Jerusalem.