The Glory of Rome, The Grace of God

When I first thought of what this trip was going to be like...what I expected...I’ll be honest, IT CAN’T COMPARE to what I have actually experienced so far on this journey in Israel!!! More times than I can count on my fingers or toes alike, I would find myself just murmuring “Wooooooooowwww....” The Stark contrasts of the landscapes and climates, all within a few mile radius...it’s unbelievable. It definitely is a drastic difference to the majority of the United Sates.

While we spent the first 5 days in the Negev desert and Judea Mountains, and then in the Sphephelah (low hills), and in the Sea of Galilee...today we made our way finally ACROSS the state of Israel. We travelled along the East-West Road, through the Valley of Jezreel, all the way to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Through much of the tour today, we were finally introduced to Rome. Although we had seen remnants of Roman culture throughout the rest of the regions of Israel, today was the first day we saw a Roman city. We climbed the top of Bet Se’an, and on the descent down, we saw an excavation of one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen, the Scythopolis! All I could say, once again, was “Wooooooowwwww...”

I had read and studied briefly in school about Rome and their grandeur. But I couldn’t have imagined the depth and audacity of how great it actually was! It had marvelous bathhouses, huge roads (compared to Jewish wadi routes) and so forth. The theater was brilliant and a way of keeping the 80,000 people entertained (and full of propaganda). It was there way of importing Roman gods and Roman culture...acted out by “hippocrats”...(maybe that name rings a bell???) And then we saw the coastal ancient harbor city of Cesarea, where King Herod had erected a giant town of industry and wealth and sensuality. He literally had aqueducts drain fresh water from Mt Carmel roughly 11 miles to the city...some of it even going directly to his very own family pool in his large palace!

But what stood out in more contrast to the glory of Rome, was going atop Mt Carmel, where Elijah defeated the prophets of Ba’al. Near Meggido and in eyeshot of Jesus’ small village hometown, Nazareth, and overlooking the Valley if Jezreel, where many battles had taken place throughout the years of that land....it was here where God made a statement. A statement of triumph and victory over the corrupt King Ahab. The stories felt tangible...felt like you could reach out and grab them and hold them close to your chest.

And while I knew in my heart that THIS was the glory of God On display; reigning fire down from heaven, defeating the evil that had plagued the land, standing in sincere faith and belief in a God of the impossible...I found myself actually drawn MORE to the glory of Rome. Obviously this saddened me, and provoked me to think about the question “why?”

As an American, I’m drawn to the grandiose!! Especially being from Texas...everything is bigger there, and we’ve got no qualms in telling you about it. As our nation in today’s society we pride in ourselves in our pride...we build stadiums we only use for 3 months a year...we treat sexuality so casually and encourage idol worship of ourselves through social media...we’re connected online more than any generation in all of recorded history, yet we’re more socially dysfunctional than ever before. I realized that I’ve been conditioned, to an extent, to live out the glory of the USA. As I glanced across Scythopolis, I thought to myself, “If I lived in this time, would I be more drawn to the “insula” of Capernaum, or to the night of the Decapolis? The truth is, I would be drawn to the glory of Rome.

But i found myself, in repentance, going back to the word of God...thinking of my Savior, on the cross saying “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do...” i could see Jesus talking to the Pharisees (the spiritual cohorts of the day) day “Woe to you, you HIPPOCRATS...” The words sprang out like the Springs of Dan!! The truth is that Jesus came to bring redemption to THOSE PEOPLE IN SCHYTHOPOLIS!! His heart burned with the love of a father, yearning for his prodigal son to return to the insula! In a soft prayer I whispered to God “please forgive me Lord...remind of that your ways, your life, is not found in grand temples and brazen cities...it’s found in the love of Christ...that your grace is sufficient even for me.”

So while the glory of Rome is really something to behold, I think I would rather live in the grace of God...to show my imperfections, and proclaim how God wants to use you and I, despite those imperfections.

Written by Tyler Logan