To All the Nations

To All the Nations, by Chris Brewer

On this cool Sunday morning we left our kibbutz for the final time to explore the northern border of Israel. Under the shadows of a cloudy sky with a wonderful eastern breeze we took a short hike up to Beth She’an to the ruins of an Egyptian, Governer’s palace.

We then circled the tel and were surprised and excited to find ourselves looking out over the excavated Roman city of Scythopolis. To our left was the city center marked by the intersection of the two main roads. One ran north-south and the other east-west. In the distance was the half-circle city theater. To our right, was the market street dominated by the remains of the Roman baths where men would gather to talk philosophy and theology, exercise, and take steam baths.

While the Bible does not specifically mention Jesus coming to this city, it would be hard to imagine that he did not visit at some point in his life. Being only a couple of miles from Nazareth, at the very least, word of this teacher from Nazareth must have surely been spread through this cosmopolitan city that was also a major trade hub. From here the Good News would have been spread in every direction by travelers and traders from near and far.

We made our way to the theater and found ourselves serenaded by an angelic choir of children who happened to be there on a school field trip. They sang us a song from the book of Psalms, and a song about Jerusalem in honor of the Israeli holiday Jerusalem Day (which was today). They even gave us polite applause as we attempted to recite the Sh’ma for them.

We left Beth She’an and rode to Nazareth were Jesus grew up. Much has changed as this village. In Jesus’s time ithad a population of about 100, but now is a major city of several thousand spread across the hillside. We only paused briefly before stopping nearby and taking a short hike to the top of Mt. Precipice. This was likely the spot Jesus was perused by an angry mob after He read in the synagogue from Isaiah and explained that even the Gentiles in the surrounding nations were to receive the Messiah. The mob took Him up to this mountain cliff with the intent to throw Him off the edge, but He was able to pass through their midst and escape (Luke 4).

We left Mt. Precipice and made our way to Mt. Carmel. This was the location where Elijah faced the prophets of Baal and showed the true power of God over their false god (1 Kings 18).

The view from Mt. Precipice had been amazing and we could see all the way across the northern valley, however we were in for an even more breathtaking view at Mt. Carmel. We climbed to the roof of a church on top of Mt. Carmel and were able to see almost the entirety of Israel. Even on this windy and cloudy day we could see for miles in every direction. From the roof we could see the northern, eastern, and western borders of Israel.

Finally, we made our way to Caesarea Maritima. This was a port built by Herod the Great on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It was one of the largest ports on the Mediterranean and became a major hub for trade and travel. It was here that Paul stood before the council and appealed his trial to the highest court in Rome. From here he would take the gospel across the Mediterranean by sea.

These moments and locations laid the foundation of the spread of the gospel to all people.  Today was a filled with amazing views and vistas. It was fitting that we spent the day taking in these beautiful views looking miles in each direction and talking about how these locations allowed the word of God to be spread far and wide. Through the trade routes and cosmopolitan cities to the ports and across the sea. The good news of Jesus Christ was and is for all people.