Day 02 - Negev: Masada, Bedouin Hospitality, Tel Arad, Dead Sea

So many fun and amazing things happened today, but I think it can be summed up with the realization of just how much like sheep we are, and how much we’re in need of a good shepherd. 

Joe began the day reading us the story of how Jesus tempted in the wilderness from Matthew 4. We then went into that similar wilderness in sweltering 109 degree heat and the story took on new life. The thought of Jesus being there for 40 days brought meaning and literal feeling to the text. 

We then rode the gondola up to the top of Masada which is a naturally fortified Jewish stronghold on the South East (biblical) boarder of Israel’s Judean Desert. With sheer cliffs on every side and a lone path snaking to the top, this fortress/city was a marvel of architecture. While there, we heard six stories regarding the history of this incredible place. One of the most impactful thoughts came from story number six, when the zealots died along with their wives and children, truly believing they were the last of the independent Jews. This belief was the result of isolation and reminds us the importance of being IN this world even though we shouldn’t be OF this world.

After walking the stair path near the Roman siege ramp back to the bus, we set off to visit a Bedouin camp. The Bedouins are a nomadic people characterized by their hospitality. Here we rode camels (which was quite the experience), tried our hand at herding goats (the men obviously won, but the women had perseverance), and then we enjoyed the hospitality of a Bedouin man who shared tea, bread and coffee with us. We learned that hospitality leads to community and pure hospitality requires a pouring out without expectation or agenda. 

Probably the most impactful part of that experience was when people from our group shared their own stories of hospitality. Michal shared about a time when she and her husband spent the night  in the hut of Samburu family they didn’t know and how special it was to have strangers share what little they had with them. “Sargent” shared about a time he picked up two hitch hikers and let them spend the night in his shop. Something about pure hospitality is that it often blesses the giver more than the receiver. Last, we heard an incredible story from John when he was serving overseas in the the Marines. A man who very well could have perceived him as the enemy, or been an enemy himself, demonstrated kindness by inviting them into his home and serving them tea and bread. When you think about it, all these examples were humble in nature. What made them so impactful wasn’t the cost or the excess, it was the simplicity of a willing and loving heart. We learned the power, the beauty and the importance of hospitality in order to build community.

We ended the day in the place we affectionately call Tel Ho and had a very warm afternoon float (not swim) in the Salt Sea. Just in case you didn’t know, the water temperature was 44°C which is about 111°F and the salt content is so high, you couldn’t sink even if you wanted to. We call it the Dead Sea because it is the one body of water completely devoid of life, not to mention its surface is 1,412 feet below sea level making it the lowest place on planet earth. Just being in it for the short time, and realizing how very uninhabitable it is, reminds us of the importance of not only having an inlet, but having an outlet as well. If we as Christian’s are not pouring the love of Jesus into others, we’re not unlike the Dead Sea, growing saltier with each passing moment. God didn’t create us to keep His love and light to ourselves, He didn’t make us for isolation either, but rather He designed us for relationship with Himself and other people. Ultimately He is the Good Shepherd, He knows His sheep, and He is worth following, and because He first loved us we can overflow with hospitality to others.