A High # Five and a Lost iPhone

So, this morning we had an interesting dilemma. It all stemmed from last night when I had the rough realization that I, Rachel Cassar, had yet again left my phone somewhere—this time on the Mountain of the Beatitudes (not a bad place if I was going to have to choose). We had driven too far from the site before I had realized it was missing, so the decision eventually came to three options the next morning: Mr. Molina and I taking a cab during breakfast (which we crossed off the list after learning the nearest cab was on the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee), canceling the credit card that was in my phone case and trusting icloud’s backup plan, or squeezing a phone search into our itinerary and hoping we wouldn't have to skip a site. With the full support of the selfless group I have been so blessed to meet, we opted for the third option and set off on a phone search…and with the help of Mr. Aguilar’s ninja searching skills and ‘find my iphone’ we found it:)

But, on to our awesome day 5 in Israel! We started out in Bet She’an, which in today’s world is a tel (an artificial hill) reminiscent of the previous 19 civilizations that were built on the location. A cultural and economic hub in Biblical times because of its location at the crossroads of the north-south and east-west highways of the period, Bet She’an is best known for being the place Saul’s body was taken by the Philistines after he gave up hope and fell on his own sword. Ronan, the greatest tour guide on this side of the Mediterranean, described to us the devastating battle and defeat the Israelites had faced leading up to Saul’s forfeit of the game. Our group was then walked over the tel, and to our surprise we were greeted by the elaborate ruins of the ancient Greek-then-Roman city of Schytopolis. Founded when Alexander the Great conquered the area in 333 BC, this city grew to be one of the ten greatest Greco-Roman cities in Israel. As Ronan explained to us how the awe-inspiring cosmopolitan culture drew many local Jews from their hometowns, we began to understand the cultural and ethical clash that took place between these two groups, even beyond the time of Jesus. Exploring the city’s bath house, public sauna, and massive amphitheater, we got to experience first-hand the lifestyle of the Romans of Jesus’s day.

Next, we drove to the site we were possibly planning on skipping (because of my phone hunt)— Megiddo, also known as Armageddon, is the place the last battle is predicted to take place! Hosting the ruins of one of King Solomon’s great cities, the tel (pop vocab quiz:) of Megiddo was the perfect example of the wealth that eventually led Solomon’s heart astray from the Lord. As we surveyed the remains of the city, Ronan reminded us how easily our hearts are filled with desires for the earthly and the temporary: how even the wisest man alive fell into their deadly trap. We continued on to Mount Carmel and had a fabulous picnic lunch of Doritos and sandwiches (and Doritos in sandwiches). Ronan recounted to us the story of God’s display of His power through Elijah, in front of 400 prophets of the Canaanite god of Ba’al. Although the 400 men danced and begged and sacrificed to their god, their fire would not light itself. But at Elijah’s call on the power of Yahweh, his altar (which had been soaked in water) was instantly set aflame. It turns out Elijah’s name was the very point he was trying to make all along: when El (“God”) and Yah or Jah (“Yahweh”) are combined, we find Elijah’s argument to the faithless people of Israel—Yahweh the God of their fathers was, and is, the God of the universe.

Our final stop was Caesarea, the third Roman site we were able to see today. Right on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the city that was home to both the first King Herod and Pontius Pilate, and later a prison to both Paul and Peter, was breathtaking. The nearly 10,000 marble and granite columns that it had hosted in its prime decorated the landscape, the ruins of Herod’s palace lined the shore, a colossal hippodrome commanded our attention, and another amphitheater towered in its heart—the number one harbor in the ancient world was nothing short of unbelievable. It is even said that, in the words of Ronan, although it is not in the text, the odds of Jesus not visiting such a city are about as high as the odds of one us not having visited Los Angeles. I’ll take those odds!

Ps. Happy birthday to Bryce!!! Even though our decorating didn’t quite go as planned, we hope you know how much we love you!