Our Intentional Father

Written by Sam Strother

Hey blog world! We live to tell about another day in the beautiful land of Israel. Today we visited the District of Caesarea Philippi, Omrit, and Tel Hazor and it was wonderful!

One thing I love about being in Israel is that it allows me to get to know Jesus in a new way. It’s like when your parents tell you stories of life before you and then finally take you there to see it...their favorite restaurant, the parking lot their friends would hang out in after a game, moments on their front lawn, all that good stuff. Israel feels this way…but with Jesus.

The longer we are here, the more in shape I realize Jesus and his disciples were. The Bible fails to inform us of all the details of what it looked like to casually walk from Bethsaida to Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27, Matt. 16: 13). I would have never known that it was a 25-mile hike with a huge elevation increase along the way. These are some strong men.

Today I also learned more about the intentionality of Jesus. On this trip, Matt has very specifically planned out the places we will go and what he will teach in order to teach us about faith. Even more so, Jesus was very intentional to plan out where they would go and what He would teach in order to give His disciples opportunities for faith and understanding. As we learned today, in Caesarea Philippi and Omrit, it was not an accident that Jesus asked the disciples “Who do you say I am?” (Matt. 16:13-16) after He gives sight to a blind man (which was known to be the signature work of the Messiah) (Mark 8:22-26), after He warned the disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (which was seeking for a sign or something to prove that Jesus was the Messiah) (Matt. 16:6), as they pass Omrit (a place with a stunning temple devoted to Empirical Cult worship to Caesar Augustus, recognizing him as the son of God who ushered in Pax Romana), and in a city dedicated to a Greek god. Jesus has been setting the stage for something big…a confession or declaration of true faith that He is the Messiah despite the popular view.

Lastly, I learned much more about Jesus’ relationship to God the Father. Despite the stage Jesus set, it is God who reveals this truth to Peter (Matt. 16:16-17). Jesus asked in order to see if it had yet been revealed. Just a few verses back (Matt. 16:8-11), we see that the disciples have not yet understood that Jesus is the Messiah, but here when Peter answers “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16), we know that the Father in Heaven revealed it to him. Peter’s confession was “by grace through faith!” Not because he was so educated or because Jesus proved it to Him, but because in God’s grace, his eyes were opened. What a special gift.

Thanks again for journeying with us. We are hoping the Lord might even use our time here to open your eyes to his faithfulness in your life.