The Heart of the Matter

After spending three nights and days at one of the loveliest places in Israel, the Kibbutz Ein Gev on the Sea of Galilee, the time came this morning to journey onward toward Jerusalem. Our hearts are spilling over for all that we have already experienced in being able to do life in strategic places where Jesus walked, taught, and built relationships with Jews and Gentiles, over 2,000 years ago! Our hearts are so open and eager for learning more! Today, we journey onward toward Jerusalem.

This NorthPointe Israel 2018 group has experienced the greatest of pleasures while visiting Galilee by getting closer to the people, culture, and the history of the region. Leaving our kibbutz was with excitement for all that we’ll see in Jerusalem, yet leaving the sweetness of this place that was once a communal farm where everyone cared for each other, once upon a time, now a peaceful resort by the sea with private bungalows for sojourners such as ourselves. We were welcomed in this kibbutz as we enjoyed buffet kosher breakfasts and dinners with other travelers from around Israel and the world; enjoyed the Jewish traditions, together. Our hearts have been full of thanksgiving as we prepare for each day’s tours, especially today...Jerusalem bound!

After an early breakfast, we were all eager to meet our wonderful bus driver, Meir (May-er) who helps load and unload our luggage, as well as drive 54 of us all over Israel! (I might share that our bus driver, Meir, is not only our phenomenal bus driver, he’s our chef, too! Most days, we picnic with a delicious lunch that Meir has prepared for our group: pita bread, cut-up vegetables, hummus spreads, desserts, beverages, and more! We LOVE Meir!) It’s important that our large group is ready to roll at 7:45, each morning, so that Ronen--our passionate, well-spoken tour guide (…not just any “tour guide”…the MOST AMAZING human any of us has ever met, so learned and incredibly knowledgeable about his homeland, Israel; so able to recreate biblical history and truths at any site we visit); it is important that Ronen keep us on a schedule so that he is able to deepen our hearts with all that he desires to share with us.

Traveling south away from the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan River, then west, we arrived at our first stop of Beth She’an. Here we found an ancient city where Saul’s body was hung after he was defeated by the Philistines. (1 Samuel and 2 Samuel). We learned that nineteen civilizations chose to live here at Beth She’an in the 1st Century, and in seeing the Roman ruin nearby, and hearing many stories, one thing remains clear, this place was the one area for crossing from east to west, and if one could control this valley, one could control everything needed to gain international power in the world. This area was the biggest city between Nazareth and Capernaum. As we walked further, we came across a ruin of a Roman City, Scythopolis, dated 333 BC to 749 BC, destroyed when the largest earthquake known to Israel’s history demolished everything in this Roman City. So many similarities found from 1st Century Scythopolis to 21st Century, today…it was all about money and power: shops, markets, restaurants, astrology, stars, science, sexual debauchery, Socrates; many gods….and let me not forget to mention, “location, location, location.” Temptations for those coming to this city and assimilating into the Roman culture reminds us of the same clash we have today. As Ronen said, “Where do we draw the line?” We were reminded that the temptations of Rome’s way of living were great even in the 1st Century and still plague our modern societies today, but if we follow God we have “just enough: Dayenu.”

From Beth She’an we continued to drive north-west toward Mt. Carmel where we were shown the Valley of Israel; the wheat-belt, and other important crops growing in the largest valley in Israel--the Jezreel Valley (Valley of Armageddon)--God planted his Son in the most important place in the world. Agriculture was key then, and still is, today. As soon as we arrived to the top of Mt. Carmel where a monastery now sits, we found ourselves enjoying music worship and praise by Pastor Steve and a devotion by Josh Manning. Sitting on the same mountaintop where the prophet Elijah called fire from heaven on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18); the evergreen mountain where we could see the Mediterranean Coast from the mountaintop and three-fourths of Israel’s land; thinking upon another time when Solomon built stables and Jeroboam built an altar; Josh reminded us of the “power of prayer” and that all effective prayers are based on God’s promises--Ahab could have killed Elijah, but Elijah was faithful and humble. Josh asked us to think about where it is in our own lives that God is saying, “I will.” God’s promises are evident in scripture and through our obedience in following him, we are to pray expectantly.

Last but not least, before arriving to Jerusalem by dinnertime, we stopped at Caesarea Maritima, a large Roman city with a harbor, theater, palace, chariot racing field, and more that has not yet been discovered, due to only being 5% excavated. All of this was built by King Herod. So much biblical history took place in this city, many truths and documentations can be found in the Book of Acts. Simon Peter was ordered to be brought to Caesarea and deliver a message to the Gentiles; the first church gets established here in Caesarea, and this is where Paul was held captive and appealed to Caesar (Acts 10-11; 23-25)…so much history still being found on this site by the Mediterranean Sea as archeologists continue to excavate the land, and as Pastor Steve shared, and most importantly, “There are thirteen books of the New Testament thanks to Paul slowing down long enough to write letters for us to read and draw near to God.” Oh, if we could all “slow down” and go forth to do whatever it is God is desiring for us to accomplish for him. Tomorrow we begin our first of three days touring Jerusalem; tearing Jerusalem into puzzles pieces and being able to “put the puzzle pieces together” in three days. The heart of the matter is simply this: it is our heart that matters to God. The condition of heart is what Jesus is concerned with, for eternity. May each of us give Him our whole heart, gladly.

Love in Christ, 
Keri Swobe