A mountaintop experience

Today further turned our focus from the culture of the “desert people” of the Old Testament toward the 1st century ministry recorded in the Gospels.

We began with an early morning hike up Mount Arbel to a small, dark, musty cave which served as a shepherd’s cave much like that where Mary and Joseph found refuge in the Christmas Story. After cramming every team member into this small cave we explored the message God intended through such an unexpected arrival. Scott lead Silent Night as we learned to associate the smells of cow manure with the Christmas Story as opposed to gingerbread or peppermint. The picture of Christmas took on a whole new image, and smell, in reference to the cave on Mt. Arbel.

Upon reaching the summit, we explored the potential for prayer, and how it may look to “pray without ceasing”. As Scott read Psalm 23, we used the scripture as a guide for prayer, letting each phrase direct new praise and supplication. Each team member received a personal scripture from the prayer team at Riverside, meant to encourage and further challenge during this time of learning. We are truly grateful for the immense amount of support that the prayer warriors at home have continually sent our way during our trip. Your devotion to our experience here encourages us mentally, spiritually, and physically as we navigate The Holy Land.

Following Mt. Arbel, we continued to Zippori where Roman mosaics recorded a reverence to Dionysus. We discussed the pitfalls and freedoms of alcohol use in reference to Jewish tradition and greco-roman mythology while setting boundaries for our freedoms in Christ relative to our other brothers and sisters. Another display of Roman influence included a theatre where violence and immorality were commonplace. Scott recognized where Jesus’ teaching directly referenced certain theatrical plays of the time in order demonstrate how God speaks in a language that most resonates with his audience. While the “hypocrites” or actors of the time, as they were referred to, were typically disregarded for their part in the theatre, Jesus used a common understanding of the theatre to speak to those who such words held meaning for. Scott expanded this understanding by relating the structure of Pharaoh’s self portrayal to the design for the tabernacle. While the Israelites were free from Egypt, they still lived as though they were slaves. Therefore, when the tabernacle instructions paralleled the writings of Pharaoh, God directly equated his authority with a concept they already understood, replacing their old social constructs with new heavenly concepts. Here, God’s personal communication is seen again, following the needs of the people, and their already established culture.

Finally, we travelled to Nazareth, to a rock quarry where Joesph likely would have trained the young Jesus as a stone mason. Scott explained how the process of cutting rock allowed for the men to be very familiar with the scripture, and how the action itself points to God’s chiseling of our own hearts. He defined the community of Nazareth, literally meaning “Chute people” or people who grow together much like the chute of cut down olive trees. The dedication of the community to prepare for the messiah further spoke about insula, a multigenerational living style we explored yesterday. The city itself was built on the anticipation of Jesus Christ.

Written by Holly “Juernavision” Juern