Can There Any Good Thing Come Out of Nazareth?

Phillip had already accepted Christ's invitation to "follow me" and was

eager to show Nathaneal that he had found him of whom Moses in the

law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

And Nathaneal said unto him, "Can there any good thing come out of

Nazareth?"

Phillip saith unto him, "Come and see".  ( John 1:45-46)

For the next few days we would spend time in Nazareth as well as other

parts of Galilee, walking where Jesus surely walked during his childhood

and ministry.  I was to learn that many of the sites we would visit were 

termed "traditional" sites, meaning tradition holds that these sites could

have been the actual site, but historians aren't absolutely sure.  But there

were many places that were "without a doubt" places where Christ had 

been.  We were going to see those places for ourselves.

 

Nazareth, the humble town where Jesus spent his childhood looks like

this today, a busy and bustling city of more than 70,000 people.  Not

at all as I had expected.  

October 29-  I am in Israel.  I am in Israel.  I had to keep repeating this to

myself, because it was hard to believe.  I was excited to be back on our bus,

headed to the area around the Sea of Galilee.  As we drove out of the city, 

I was mesmerized by the beautiful landscape, dotted with olive, avocado,

pomegranate and mango trees.  

Our first stop of the day took us through the town of  Migdal.  This was 

the hometown of Mary of Magdela.  Brother Porter (our guide) wanted us

to experience a short walk on the caravan road.  He loves to bring groups

here because it has been unchanged for thousands of years and this was one

of those "no doubt whatsoever, that Jesus walked here "locations. He would

have used this road when he traveled from Nazareth to Capernaum.  The road

lay in the valley between rock cliffs.   

If you look closely you can see openings in the cliffs.  These are caves

and were places of refuge for the Jewish people when the Roman soldiers

invaded this area.  In order to drive the people out of the caves, the soldiers

threw gas and fire into them.  They would then use long tools that looked 

like shepherd's crooks to reach into the caves and drag the people out to 

their deaths.  Isn't that a horribly sad story?

We took a few minutes to walk on this historic road.

We spent the rest of the day around the Sea of Galilee, which of

course is not really a sea, but a large lake.  It's thirteen miles long

and seven miles wide.  It's  Hebrew name is Kinneret because it

is shaped like a kinnor or harp.  

It was in the numerous fishing villages around the Sea of Galilee  

that Jesus found his first followers.

We visited the ruins of the ancient village of Capernaum, on the 

northern tip of the lake.  This became the second home of Christ,

where he preached more sermons and performed more miracles

than any other place.  Ninety percent of his ministry took place

here and at least five of his disciples came from Capernaum.

Jesus taught daily in the synagogue in Capernaum and the famous "bread

of life" sermon was delivered here.  (John 6:24-71)

Ruins of the ancient city include this olive press

and what is believed to be the earliest known Star of David (4 BC)

found on this lintel.

In the picture below, you can see the foundation of what is considered to be 

the home of Peter and his mother in law, located directly across from the 

synagogue. It is believed that Christ lived here while in Capernaum.  The 

black steel beams over the foundation are actually part of a church that has

been constructed over the ruins.

I loved the way Capernaum sits right on the Sea of Galilee.  It's a beautiful place.

In Matthew 5:1, we read that Jesus left Capernaum and went up into a

mountain.  There is only one mountain nearby, so it's pretty certain we

were headed to the right place.  From the mountain you can see the Sea 

of Galilee in the distance. 

Jesus was followed up this mountain by his disciples and the multitudes.

He would preach his famous Sermon on the Mount in this location.  As I

rode up the mountain in comfort on the bus, I was reminded of how much

walking, and not always easy walking, people did two thousand years ago.

They had to be much healthier than we are. 

Today the Monastery of the Beatitudes stands on this mountain.

Later in the day, we visited a museum that housed an ancient Galilee

boat that has been dated to the first centuries AD.  

This is the type of boat referred to in the Gospels in use among 

Jesus' disciples.

From the museum, we went to the Jordan River.  The entire time we

were here, I kept humming the primary song about Jesus' baptism.

"Jesus came to John the Baptist in Judea long ago,

  And was baptized, by immersion

  In the River Jordan's flow."

This is how I always imagined it would look and I had to work hard

to find such a quiet and serene location for this photo.

This is a busy and popular destination with pilgrims coming from all over

the world to be baptized in the Jordan River.  I wasn't prepared for the loud, 

party like atmosphere.  I heard someone make the comment that it was like a

Christian "Disneyland" - and honestly it was.  It was so unlike the sacred 

settings I've been accustomed to for baptismal services.  

I wanted to put my feet in the River Jordan and was joined by Shannon

and Debi who had the same desire. ( I'll be sharing more about these 

"adopted sisters" of mine later.)

Our last event of the day was to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. 

We boarded the boat in the seaside town of Tiberius.

The sun set while we were on the lake.

I wish I could fully explain how I felt as I sat in the dark on this boat on the

Sea of Galilee.  As a group, we sang, "Master the Tempest is Raging" and I

could imagine how frightened the disciples must have been on this lake in a

great storm.  I would have been terrified.  Brother Porter asked each of us to 

consider how much faith it would take to step over the side of that boat and

start walking on the water.  Of course he was referring to the scripture

passage from Matthew 14 ,where Christ calls to Peter to join him as he 

walks on the water.   When Peter takes his eyes off Christ, he is filled with

fear and begins to sink. This has always been one of my favorite scripture

stories.  I will never be able to read this passage the same way again, now

that I have sat inches from that water and peered into it's depths.  How Peter 

must have loved his master and what great faith it took to step over the side

of that boat. 

We watched a fisherman cast his net from the boat and draw it back in. 

I wonder if he felt  the same way Jesus' disciples felt when they fished all

night and found their nets empty?  This fisherman caught one,very tiny fish.  

This day had been amazing and the scriptures were coming alive!  

When we returned to our hotel we found a wonderful surprise waiting

in our room.  Our luggage had finally caught up with us, and of course,

I hugged it!  Sherri did the "our luggage has arrived" dance.

We were two happy girls 'cause we were soooo tired of the clothes we

had been wearing for the last three days.

*MYOF Goal #25- Travel to Israel

I Crossed the Ocean and Landed in Jordan

* The first in a series of posts on my travels to the Middle East.  

  Thanks to Sherri for the use of many of her photographs.

October 27 - Here I am with my sister Sherri, who I was lucky enough to
call my traveling companion for the next few weeks, preparing to board
our plane in Charlotte.  Considering that we had been planning and preparing
since January, we were more than a little excited to get this journey
underway.  An hour later, we were in Atlanta, getting ready to cross
the ocean.  Unbeknownst to us, our luggage would not be accompanying us.

We had an eight hour flight to Amsterdam, during which we pretended
that we were at home in our beds, getting a good night's sleep. Armed
with earplugs, our eyemasks, and a double dose of melatonin (and other
drugs), we tried our best to get some sleep, knowing that we would need
to hit the ground running when we landed in Jordan.
My idea of a good night's rest involves stretching out my legs and reclining,
both of which were impossible.  And as the lucky recipient of the middle seat,
I dozed beside a strange, little dutchman who kept creeping into my personal
space.  It was a tough night folks.

After a short layover in Amsterdam, we boarded a six hour flight to Amman,
Jordan. This was my drink of choice on this flight.  Ginger ale on steroids.
Oh yeah, feel the burn!!!  Loved this stuff!

I enjoyed watching the inflight map as we moved into the Middle East, 

feeling the need to pinch myself often just to make sure this was really

happening.

Upon arrival, I knew I was in a different world.  I have never seen 

this in an airport before.

And for the next few days, I  would see pictures of  King Abdulla ll 

everywhere I looked.

It would be 1:00 am on October 28 when we arrived at our hotel,

completely exhausted and so ready to fall into these beds.

But alas, the tour group had other plans for us, as they herded us

into the dining room for a buffet dinner.  It looked wonderful, but 

really, who wants to eat dinner at 1:00 am?  All I could think about

were those beds!

October 28-  On the bus by 10:00 am, we were ready to begin our day.

This entire day was a bonus for us, as we were supposed to fly into Tel 

Aviv on  the 29th.  The tour group added a day onto our trip (at no additional 

cost to us!) and we were able to spend a little time in Jordan.  I was thrilled

with the arrangements, as I could now add Jordan to my list of countries

I have visited.   I found the people in Jordan to be kind and gracious.

 Our tour guide Zaid, was very knowledgeable and shared much 

information about the country of Jordan as we drove from one place 

to another. Some facts like: the old city of Amman dates back to 

32 BC , the law dictates that all construction is done with limestone,

which explained why everything was various shades of brown, the

kingdom of Jordan was established in 1921 and the Jordanian 

people love the royal family.

I was surprised at the amount of trash that was everywhere.  It made

me sad and I wanted to "adopt a highway" right then and there and 

clean things up. Among my traveling companions were,  Relief

Society presidents, Bishops and Stake Presidents who could have

whipped up a service project in no time, I'm sure!

Our first destination was Madaba and the Greek Orthodox Church of 

St. George. 

This church was filled with mosaic art, with the map on the floor being

the main attraction,

as it is the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land and took over 15,000

hours to complete.  We would gain a better understanding of how the

mosaics were made a little later in the day when we toured a mosaic store.

Walking down the streets of Madaba, I would have my first experience

hearing the Muslim call to prayer.  Broadcasted from loud speakers, it

could be heard by anyone, anywhere.  Of course, I couldn't understand

the language, but I was moved by the sound.  I came to enjoy the 

predictability of hearing it up to five times a day, depending on my

location.  I was in a country that is 92% Muslim and 8% Christian.

Our next stop was Mt. Nebo, the highest of a ridge called Pisgah.  With

scriptures in hand, now I found myself back in the Old Testament times,

as we talked about the children of Israel who camped around this mountain 

and where God showed Moses the promised land.

"Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, unto mount Nebo

which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho;

and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the 

children of Israel for a possession."      

Deuteronomy 32:49

I tried to imagine how Moses felt as he looked down on the promised

land and knew he would not be entering with his people.  Sadness or

maybe relief... he must have been weary from the rebelliousness.   The

landscape looks as though it hasn't changed in thousands of years.

The patch of green in the distance were olive trees that were growing

around the Spring of Moses.   This valley we were overlooking is called

the Great Rift Valley and includes the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. 

The view from Mt. Nebo was beautiful and we could see for many

miles.

"And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they

bit the people; and much people of Israel died.  Therefore

the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, for we

have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the

Lord, that he take away the serpents from us' .  And Moses

prayed for the people.  And the Lord said unto Moses,

Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it 

shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he

looketh upon it, shall live."

Numbers 21:6-8

We decided to forego a lunch break, so we could tour the mosaic 

store and see how this art is created.  Who needs food when there

is so much to see and do, and so little time for doing it?

There were many beautiful things to look at and purchase.  I was amazed

at the patience that one must have to master this skill. The pieces are so

tiny, they have to be placed with a special tool that looked like tweezers.

It definitely gives you a new appreciation for the hours it takes to complete

mosaic art.  I thought back to the art we had seen in the church earlier that

morning and I was amazed all over again.

I didn't realize it, but the best was yet to come.  We were headed to Jerash,

which to be quite honest, I had never heard of before.  I didn't know what 

to expect.  Here's what I learned: 

Jerash was founded by Alexander the Great about 332 BC and continued

to be an important city until about 300 AD, when a shift in trade routes

helped to cause it's decline.  When Rome declined, so did Jerash.  Afterwards,

it had a Byzantine Christian recovery, but late in the eighth century an 

earthquake destroyed much of the city.   Jerash has been called the Pompeii

of the East.  Evacuations of the site began in the 1920's.  What I was looking

at today had laid buried under the sand for centuries.

People from Decapolis followed Jesus during his travels in Galilee.  He

must have been well known in Jerash and may have visited there when

he travelled through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

"And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and

Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the

midst of the coasts of Decapolis."

Mark 7:31

As I walked the stone streets, I could imagine crowds of  Roman citizens and

soldiers who made this city the amazing place we see today.  Even the ruins

were breathtaking.  At one time, there were theatres, two temples, hot baths,

fountains, colonnaded streets and even a hippodrome (where the chariot

races were held). I was mentally making plans to pull out Ben Hur when

I got home.  I love that movie!  Sherri had been to Jerash on previous travels,

so with Zaid's permission, we took off on our own, trying to beat the sunset

and get some good pictures.  We race walked through the city, snapping shots 

and looking in amazement at the ruins of Jerash.

Hadrian's Triumphal  Arch built in 129 AD on the 

occasion of the visit of the Emperor Hadrian.

The Forum was a large oval marketplace and the heart of 

the city's social and political life.  This complex was surrounded

by 56 Ionic columns.

Temple of Zeus

Just so you can get an idea of how big these columns

are, and because I like to hug things....

The colonnaded street called the Cardo Maximus,

was the main thoroughfare of the city.

We could see the evidence where chariot wheels

had worn pathways in the stone.  Amazing.

This young man greeted us as we

entered the hippodrome.  Yes, I'm

thinking about Ben Hur again.

View from the very top of the South Theatre.  This theatre

could hold 3000 people and many of the seats are still 

marked with Greek numbers.

This is what the modern city that surrounds the ruins

looks like.  How would you like to live here?

The sun was setting and our tour was over.

Jerash, you were amazing!

When we got back on the bus, we looked

down at our feet and just laughed. 

The sun had set, but the day wasn't quite over.  Since we missed our 

lunch, we were all starving at this point, but with no where to eat, our 

bus driver kindly stopped at a roadside fruit stand and bakery to buy

snacks to sustain us.

The Jordanian bananas were tiny, but delicious and a contrast in size

to this bread called khobiz, which I think was just a giant tortilla.  We

were hungry and it tasted so good.

The last surprise I had in Jordan was when I went into the public restroom,

which by the way are called water closets, and found a hole in the floor

instead of the beloved toilet I'm so used to.  Sherri laughed at the look on

my face when I saw it and with some quick instructions on how to make this

work and with her "toiletry bag"in hand (more on that later) I had my first 

experience on a squatty potty.  All I can say is that if I lived here, I would

have strong thighs.

We crossed over the Jordanian border into Israel and that was an

adventure in itself.  On the Jordan side, we stopped the bus and the

officials came on and checked everyone's passports.  Then we 

unloaded all our luggage , and ran it through security.  When we 

crossed into Israel things became a little more intense.  Soldiered men 

and women stood around our bus (with big guns) while one proceeded

to come on the bus to check all our passports.  The bus was completely

inspected, even underneath (by what looked like a large dental mirror). 

One of the tourists on the bus thought it would be fun to document 

this with her camera and was promptly asked to come off the bus by 

one of the soldiers who then asked her to delete the pictures from her

camera.  I'm so glad that wasn't me.  At this point, we took all the 

luggage off the bus again and went through passport screening, then

passport check and then through big ominous doors that said EXIT.  

As we entered the doors, we saw the sign that said, Welcome to Israel.

Whew!  We made it.  I'd be lying if I didn't say that whole border crossing

thing was a little stressful.

What a day...and I had eleven more to go!

*MYOF Goal #25 - Travel to Israel

Back to Reality

I'm back.

The trip was amazing.

This week I am trying to catch up,
........ on sleep
........ on laundry
........ on housework
........ on paperwork

and spending time with my husband.
I missed him terribly.

Soon I will begin posting about the trip.  I can't wait to share
the things I saw, the people I met, the food I ate, the culture in
three different countries and the insights I received.

The trip was amazing....oh, I already said that, didn't I?
Well, it bears repeating.