Last Day in Israel

Today we spent our last moments in Israel completing the puzzle of what Jesus did for us,and seeing a glimpse of the full picture. The morning began at the Mount of Olives. We know from scripture that Jesus spent a good amount of his time here with his disciples in his last days. Mark taught us about the Passover meal they would have shared together on their last evening together. The Passover seder meal includes four cups to remind of the four promises that God made to Israel in the Exodus:  the cup of blessing, the cup of deliverance, the cup of redemption,and the cup of protection.

The last two cups spoke to me most today. The third cup of redemption is what we share together when we take communion. I have always grown up thinking it was just a time to remember what Christ did for us. It certainly is, but it goes so much deeper. When Jesus raises this cup, he offers a new covenant to his disciples. The terms he uses are the same as in a wedding. So, when we drink this cup it is not simply a reminder of his sacrifice, but it is us saying " I do" to the Lord and agreeing to become his bride. It is saying "I am all in", just like we would make vows to our spouse at a wedding. 

The fourth cup is the cup of protection. When we read scripture understanding the seder meal we see that Jesus did not drink the fourth cup. He willingly gave the cup of God's protection to his disciples and did not let it pass his lips. He knew his mission, and he could not complete it under the protection of the Father. 

As we followed the path of Christ, we made a stop at St. Anne's church. Here we sang praises to the Lord. I wish you could hear the beautiful melody echo in the church walls. We are all following a hard road. It is necessary that we remember to praise and sing even if our circumstances tell us to do the opposite. As Jesus and the disciples left that upper room they would have sung Psalms 113-118 as they passed by the temple again and went back to the Mount of Olives. Knowing what was to come, he still sang praises in the hard place. 

The guards have now taken Jesus out of the Gethsemane. He has stood trial before the Sanhedrian, Herod, and Pilate. We now stand in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mount Calvary. I hope you can feel the weight of this place. It is where our Lord sacrificed himself so that in him we can be free. While on the cross just before Jesus died, he was offered a sponge of wine. Earlier I told you there were four cups of the seder. Some rabbis teach that there may be a fifth cup. Three times in the Old Testament there is a cup of the wrath of God mentioned. Jesus drank this cup; he himself took the wrath of God for our sin so that those who believe in him won't have to. We all deserve God's wrath on us. Take a moment to let that sink in, and then thank Jesus for what he has done. 

Every other place that you have read about has had a challenge with appeal to it. It's exciting to say that we will be partners with God, bringing the rejected into the family, showing hospitality to the stranger, and being challenged to dig into the Word. We cannot accept all of those things and not accept the call of the cross. We are not only saved by the cross, but we are saved into the cross (read that again). Friends we have been set free, but we only experience that freedom when we lie down our lives and crucify ourselves. We have a mission to not only join Christ in life, but also in death. Do not lose heart! We have a Saviour who went before us, who lives today, and who will help us walk this out. I saw the tomb today. It's still empty! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord for his faithfulness.

Our time in Israel is over, but the story doesn't end here. Truthfully it is just beginning.  To those that have been following along with us, I thank you for your support and prayers. You are a part of the story too. If you are in Christ you have indeed been set free! What are you doing with that freedom? Who are you sharing the freedom story with? I beseech you to go out into your world and put feet to the words you have read. Let's continue to be a part of God's powerful story of love. May we do the will of the King of Kings and his kingdom will come!

 Savannah