The Assent to Jerusalem

We have made it to Jerusalem!! But before we got here we had a few stops along the way. Our very first stop after we left the Sea of Galilee was Beth She’an, which was an ancient Roman-Byzantine city. Beth She’an is mentioned in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. It is mentioned in 1 Samuel 31, when King Saul died on nearby Mt. Gilboa and the Philistines took his body and fastened it to the walls there. In the New Testament time, there were 10 Gentile cities that made up the Decapolis, and Jesus and his disciples traveled to them, including Beth She’an. This city worshiped the Greek god Dionysus and was a massive city of extreme wealth, beauty and conveniences. The remains of this city are absolutely stunning, even though much of it was destroyed in a large earthquake in 749 AD. The question Troy asked us while sitting in the amphitheater was “what is our identity?” It is easy to focus on what we do, what we have, or who we are, but that is not our true identity as believers in Christ. Our true identity is Christ and must always be Christ; as soon as we lose sight of that, we can so easily slip into focusing on ourselves and our achievements, which are fleeting. We can become like the world, seeking for wealth, beauty and convenience.

After Beth She’an, we made our way northwest to the Mount of Precipice in Nazareth. The overlook here afforded us a view of Mt. Tabor, Nain (Luke 7: 11-17), Mt. Gilboa, the Jezreel Valley, Nazareth, the land of Samaria, Armageddon, and Mt. Carmel. In Luke 4: 14-22, Jesus went back to his home town of Nazareth and read from Isaiah 61 and basically, He claimed to be the Messiah. Everyone was so excited about that news and then something very interesting happened, He went on to say that God’s plan is not just for the Jews only, but also for the Gentiles. This made them furious and they dragged Him up to the top of this precipice and tried to throw him off, but he miraculously walked away. It was incredible to be looking over where this happened and also to see so many incredible Biblical landmarks in one place.

From there we went southwest to the Mediterranean Sea to visit Caesarea. This was an incredible city built by Herod the Great and was his crowning achievement. It was a major sea port for Rome and all the Mediterranean Sea and brought incredible Roman wealth and extravagance. In Acts 10, we hear about a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, who becomes the first Gentile convert; later on in Acts 23-26, Paul is brought there and imprisioned for two years before going to Rome. Paul never ceased sharing the gospel wherever he went and whoever he was with. It is amazing to think that while Herod used this city to bring glory to himself, God used it to launch his Church. From this Gentile city, God sent people all across the Mediterranean to reach the world with the gospel. 2,000 years later, we are the harvest of that hard work and toil. God’s sovereignty is so clearly seen because He can use human pride and turn in around and bring glory to Himself.

After that we headed south and made our assent to Jerusalem, which is built on a mountain. Before I came to Israel, I would read the Bible and try to be a good student of the Word, so I would get out my atlas and figure out how far things were apart and try to imagine walking that far in a day or two. I imagined the road to be a nice, flat, dirt path…which is actually quite far from the reality of this land. There is so much elevation and rocky areas that would be a challenge for the most physically fit. This kind of travel was not for the faint of heart and three times a year, Jews were supposed to go to Jerusalem to worship…no matter where they were from. These were a people devoted to their God. Are we? Are you? Sometimes I feel too lazy or tired to go to church, and I get to drive there. I want to be a Jesus follower who is fully devoted and willing to put the hard work into my relationship with Him and so fulfill my calling to make disciples.