Thirsting after God

This morning our group toured mount Masada. We ascended Masada in two waves; the first group of early risers hiked up the mountain along a trail called "the snake path" while the other group rode to the top in a cable car. Both methods were equally scenic, but I personally think that the early risers had the most robust experience. The hikers were able to enjoy a box breakfast, overlooking the dead sea while watching the sun rise over a Jordanian mountain range across the sea. The hike was a welcome change of pace after spending many hours on airplanes and bus rides the past few days.

Once we reached Masada, also known as "The Stronghold", we learned it was the location of Herod the Great's palace. Herod the Great was an incredibly innovative ruler who built a stunning fortress atop of this mountain, complete with a personal bath house, library, and swimming pool. Herod is also a significant character in the New Testament narrative as the primary ruler of the land when Jesus was born. He is the one who ordered the slaughter of numerous young boys in a psychotic attempt to destroy any threats to his status and power. The thing he feared most as a powerful leader was losing his power and Jesus, the newly born king, was a threat to his power.

This story reminded me of a sermon I heard by Eugene Peterson in which he calls Jesus an "anti-Herod." Herod dwelled in a lavish palace while Jesus was born among an oppressed people in a dwelling place for animals. Whereas Herod was eager to wield his power by taking up the sword in self preservation, Jesus was willing to give up his power and come under the sword in obedience to the Father and for the sake of those he loved.

When we departed Masada, we trekked north along the coast of the Dead Sea making a quick stop in En-Gedi. This location is an oasis in the midst of a barren, rocky, mountainous desert. In such a dry and barren environment, we were reminded of how precious a commodity water was in this context. It was fascinating to learn that king David himself almost certainly drank from the fresh water streams of En-Gedi. With images of En-Gedi fresh in our minds, we boarded the bus and read from some of Davids Psalms: 42 and 63. Both psalms use physical thirst as a spiritual metaphor for thirsting after God. These texts are a clear testament to the supreme worth and value of the living God who is more precious than fresh water in a dry and barren desert.

Next, we stopped at the caves in Qumran to learn about the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls and the ways they both complicate and clarify our understanding of the scriptures. Before the discovery of these scrolls, our oldest Hebrew manuscripts were hundreds of years younger than our New Testament manuscripts. However, with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we found that they matched our Old Testament documents proving that we have had a reliable old testament text all along! However, these scrolls also included many books that are not included in our 66 book bibles. The most well known is the book of Enoch. It is not clear why this book that we do not view as authoritative was found among the manuscripts of other books that are revered as authoritative. Still, we trust God's word primarily because we trust the living God who uses his scriptures to reveal more of himself to us.

We ended the day with a tour of Beth-She'an. This location is an excavated city with Roman roots as old as the 2nd century AD and Byzantine renovations as young as 7th century AD. Though it existed in post biblical times, it is a helpful representation of a 1st century Greco-Roman city. By immersing ourselves in the history of this city, we were able to gain greater clarity to the types of cities and audiences the New Testament writers would be addressing. In its golden age, the city was a bustling metropolis complete with club houses, market places, a swimming pool, an acropolis, and an amphitheater. We imagined what it would have been like for Paul to minister in a comparable city as both a tent maker and a minister of the gospel.

Tonight, we are tucked away in hotel rooms along the coast of the Sea of Galilee. We faced a bit of rain today but now we are warm, well fed, and dry, ready for a new set of adventures tomorrow.

Written by Jake Partridge