Day 07 - Galilee to Jerusalem: Beit Alfa, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, Caesarea Maritima

Monday Feb 23 / Day 7 -  Galilee to Jerusalem

Today we woke up in Galilee for the last time, but we stepped out of our rooms to a beautiful rainbow stretching over the sea. It was another reminder that the God who became flesh, walked this land and sailed these waters, is still faithful to keep his promises.

After our devotional time on the beach, we loaded the bus. Today included a lot of travel, but as we headed south and east, we visited some spectacular sites before “setting our faces” toward Jerusalem.  

Megiddo

Before arriving at our first scheduled tour site of the day, we stopped at Beit Alfa, a synagogue from the sixth century. Uncovered in the 1920s, the Beit Alfa synagogue featured an astonishingly well preserved mosaic floor. The mosaic featured traditional Jewish symbols and stories, but at the center was a detailed zodiac design. We watched a video that sought to explain how this mixing of Jewish and pagan imagery came about.

Our next stop was at Tel Megiddo, an archaeological site with 32 levels of civilizations. It was windy and rainy on top of the tel, but we were amazed to learn about layer upon layer of ruins, dating back to more than 5,000 years ago!  Megiddo lies in an incredibly strategic location for between nations and people groups, and the valley at Megiddo has been the site of at least 30 major battles.  The first of these was between Thutmose III of Egypt and a coalition of Canaanite tribes in the fifteenth century BC!

“Har megiddo” is Hebrew for “mount Megiddo,” which was translated into Greek as “Armageddon”-- the term that’s been preserved in our English Bibles. Armageddon is referenced in the book of Revelation as the site of one last great battle of evil versus good. Whether this is the literal location of a future battle between malevolent world powers or a  metaphor building on Megiddo’s past, we can’t know. But we can be fully confident of this: Christ Jesus is the ultimate victor over evil, over Satan and all anti-christ forces of this world.

Terry read to us from Revelation 19, which describes King Jesus at Armageddon: 

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

From our vantage point on top of a “layer cake” of 32 ancient civilizations, we remembered that every kingdom of this world will one day pass away. There is no power, people group, or political action that sets itself against Christ and His church and ultimately prevail. The kingdom of God cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28).

After Terry’s teaching, rain started to really come down. After a few photo ops, we left Megiddo via a tunnel built to bring water into the city that dates from the time of King Ahab in the 9th century BC. (Ahab ruled the Northern kingdom of Israel and comes into our next teaching time!)

Mt. Carmel

We had lunch at a Druze restaurant on the way to Mt. Carmel. We’ve learned a bit about the Druze on our trip; they are a unique religious and ethnic group with roots in Islam. The men wear special garments that look a little like “Hammer pants,” which are based on a belief that a man will birth their messiah. (They also make fantastic pita sandwiches with breaded chicken!)

It was still cold and rainy when we arrived at Mt. Carmel, but thankfully we were given permission to gather in the Carmelite chapel at the monastery on the peak. It was unfortunately too cloudy to see the view from the top, but we had a special teaching time regardless of the weather.  

Mt Carmel was the site of Elijiah’s confrontation with the priests of Baal from 1 Kings 16-18. King Ahab married a pagan queen named Jezebel, who sponsored hundreds of priests of Baal and Asherah in Israel. After a 3 year drought and famine in Israel, revealing the powerlessness of Baal (who was supposed to be a god of fertility), Elijiah called for a final showdown with the prophets of Baal. He asked the Israelite people a piercing question there on Mt. Carmel: “How long will you limp between two opinions?” Amid great evil and idolatry in Israel, the people had been silent.

Terry talked about the dangers of not speaking truth in the face of moral evil. He quoted a poem by Martin Neimoller, which was written in response to those who were unwilling to speak out against the Nazi regime: 

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

As believers in Jesus, our faith compels us to speak the truth. Terry made an important distinction: our faith is not partisan, but it is political, because following Jesus requires speaking up for and working toward the good of our neighbors.

Caesarea Maritima

Our final stop before making the long drive up to Jerusalem was Caesarea-by-the-Sea.  Another architectural marvel of Herod the Great, Caesarea Maritima featured a massive and technologically advanced deep harbor built on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.  Caesarea boasted many typical Roman city features, like a hippodrome and a theatron, as well as Herod’s own palace. Herod even built himself a seaside swimming pool–complete with fresh water and extensive mosaics.

Caesarea Maritima is home to a really important archeological find–the Pilate stone, which corroborates the biblical narrative about Pontius Pilate. (As the Roman prefect at the time of Christ, Pilate would have lived in Caesarea and traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover festival.)

The apostle Paul was held as a prisoner in Caesarea for two years, under two different prefects, before sailing to Rome (Acts 23-26 tells the story.) Recently an underground dungeon was found here–and it seems likely that it could be the place Paul was kept!

Acts 26 records when Paul testified before Herod Agrippa II and Goveror Festus. Right there in Caesarea, at the site we were on, Paul described his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Agrippa asked Paul if he was trying to make him become a Christian, and Paul replied: “I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Paul boldly spoke the truth about Jesus–from synagogues to the halls of Herod’s place, in the face of opposition, evil and idolatry. Paul did not “limp between two opinions”, not even when he was bound by chains. He kept speaking out. He kept telling The Story. 

Tomorrow we’re off to Bethlehem and Jerusalem! But first, our quote of the day.

Quote of the Day

The Beit Alfa synagogue showed a film that dramatized the creation of the intricate mosaic floor. As the lights dimmed and a large screen dropped down, Debbie asked, “Is this a multi-site synogogue?” (Too bad today was Monday– maybe we could’ve streamed the Crossings service!)