The King is Here!

And the people said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.”
1 Samuel 8:19-22

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching – and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Mark 1:27-28

Since we’ve begun our journey around the land of Israel, a single question has framed our travels, “How long, O Lord?” A brief survey of the Old Testament clearly illustrates this recurrent theme: How Long. The people of Israel are longing for a king to rule over them, like the other nations; a king that will drive away enemies and expand territories, like the other nations; a king that will bring freedom. Judges come and go. Kings come on the scene, but they too have their imperfections, and they fall short of expectations and lead the people away from God. Before they know it, in come the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, and it’s away to exile. Not too long after, the Romans come in and conquer the land. How Long, O Lord? How long must we wait!

Today, we met that king. We walked where he walked. We saw where he talked. No more, Israel, must you question. The king is here!

Our day began with an early, early wake up call at 4:30am so that we could make it to the other side of the Sea of Galilee before a marathon began in the area we were traveling to. Our destination was Mt. Arbel, and as we ascended on the two-mile trek to the top of the mountain, we had the privilege of watching the sun rise above the mountains behind us and peak through the clouds. Our hike began on an unassuming, yet vitally important trail. This trail is actually believed to be the very path connecting Nazareth to Galilee, meaning it’s very likely that Jesus would have taken this very path!

After Mt. Arbel, we made our way to places connected with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry: the hillsides where the Sermon on the Mount was delivered, the coastline close to where the first disciples would have been fishing, and the village of Capernaum. Each stop further illuminated for us the ancient world where Jesus walked, taught, healed, and interacted with the people. We had the privilege to hear mini-sermons from Drs. Greer and Dr. Stowell. As they taught us from passages connected to Jesus’ early ministry, the Word was brought to life by the geography and the 1st Century buildings that surrounded us.

We left knowing full well that the real king had indeed arrived. Yet, his rules were different. He didn’t come to conquer, pillage, and destroy his enemies and the enemies of the people. No, he came to heal, to restore, and to save. And his desire for us is to care about what he cares about and to love whom he loves.

Our long day drew to a close with a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, but before boarding the boat, we squeezed in a quick stop to the recently unearthed 1st Century city of Magdala. Here they have an excellently preserved synagogue, and it is plausible to say that Jesus may have taught here during his Galilean ministry.

Before we called it a night, we celebrated the Sabbath with a fish dinner at a kibbutz just down the road from where we are staying. We were presented with pita, hummus, local vegetables, soup, fried Tilapia, and dates. Many laughs were shared as we dined at long tables, recalling the adventures of our day, deepening new friendships, and celebrating the king who has come.

Joe Wright (M.Div. Student at GRTS)