Goodbye, Farewell

Malachi 3:6, “I the Lord do not change.  So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”

We began the day at the Mount of Olives, viewing panoramic scenes of all of Jerusalem with a Camel overlooking our shoulder.  We walked the same paths that were walked by the Jews, maybe even Jesus down the mountain and past and Olive Oil Press and entered Jerusalem through the Lion’s gate, opening up a world of experiences directly in Jerusalem.

The Pool of Bethesda.  “Do you want to be well?” the scriptures say.  The Bible says His Word never returns void.  38 years the lame man waited by the pool until one day Jesus came by and asked him this question and was healed immediately.  Do we want to be well?  How long have we been waiting by the pool?  During this time we stopped, broke up into our family groups and prayed over each other one prayer that we wanted healing for in our own lives. 

From the pool we traveled to Harrods temple, the Southern Steps.  Words cannot describe the depth and beauty of what we experienced, seeing old and new combined into one complete story.  Redemption…that is the story of God throughout all of history.  The temple, the height, the extent, and the history simply was immense.  Each block, stone by stone...formed this immense temple, and like Ephesians 2:22 says, now God’s presence dwells inside of us, where we, living stones, form the living temple of God, each believer united to form God’s true dwelling place today. 

Our last stop of the tour, the Sepulchre, where tradition has it that Jesus was crucified and was buried.  People from all over the world come to see these sites, pray, and seek a blessing or seek an answer.  When Jesus was crucified he had a sign above his head that said, “The King of the Jews.”  The Romans used these signs as a billboard, sending a message to all those around.   What the Romans intended to use to control their population, God used to finish his great movement of redemption of all humankind. 

During this time of Easter, as we celebrate the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords we can broadcast our message…our story…of the work that he has done in our lives.  God’s story is being written on our hearts as we follow him in faith and obedience.  Share your story with others, and watch the King of the Jews, the same yesterday, today and forever, extend into the hearts and lives of others all around the world.

Blog written by Tim Nash and Karla Espinoza

Photos by Harvest Crittenden