Day 12

Day 12: Nazareth, Calpernum, Mt. of Beatitudes, Cana, Tiberious

Hey everyone!

Today is Pentecost. How freakin’ cool that I am in the Holy Land during Pentecost! It is just awesome that we get to go around the city of Nazareth of all places during Pentecost. Not just that, we also visited Cana (the place where Jesus turned water to wine, and consequently, became the tourist attraction of Cana: The Wine Place, thus, I bought some wine while there). I promise I will explain my thoughts thoroughly in a later post on Israel.

I just want to make a quick clarification. Ever since I made that post on Day 7, everyone has been misinterpreting what I have said, have read into what I have said, or have taken what I said way out of context. I do NOT hate Israel or Jewish people. I love Jewish people; they are the Children of God, His elect, His chosen, His beloved. I never denied that. I never bashed the Jews. I do love them. Really.

What I didn’t love was the way the current political Israel became a nation and is currently treating those around them. I do not like the mindset of current political Israel and do not believe they are following the line of the Jews of the Bible (because God seems totally removed from everything in this country). I am just upset with what is happening over here, just like people in America can be upset with our government and/or president. People can still love the land, the people, and the nation as a whole and still be really upset with it to the point of rage. Am I right?

Despite all of that, this land is still the Holy Land. This was the land God chose to come down into and take on human form, walk as a man, experience life with us, then ultimately give that life up on our behalf. For that, I have a great respect for the area. There is something very deep associated with this region; something just humbling and profound. In America, we really can’t experience this feeling because our country is so young. We are less than 300 years old, and while the Native America’s before us have some very fascinating structures, they are not as common and close together as there are over here.

We have traveled so much, and just in a fifty mile radius, there are hundreds—and I literally mean HUNDREDS—of ancient sites that are historically significant. They could be castles, cities, settlements, small villages, churches, mosques, monasteries, etc. Sometimes, these sites are all of the above. Many times cities were destroyed and rebuilt—often times over and over again. There are literally LAYERS of history we can explore for decades. HOW AWESOME!


I just eat this history up! I love it all. The fact that it is so closely connected to what I believe really brings it home. I can read about this cities in the Bible and literally stand in the places where people two millennia ago walked. I can actually stand at places where Jesus has taught, where he did miracles, and where he interacted with everyday people. The places here bring the stories to life; they are not just fancy spiritual stories.

They remind me so much that Jesus was a real human. I know that sounds weird to say, but in the modern church today, we tend to deify Christ more than remember His humanity. Don’t get me wrong, that is not a bad thing, but sometimes it may be hard for us to remember that Jesus really was a man and walked, talked, and acted just like us. It is hard for us to relate to Jesus because He was so perfect and He was God.

Being on these streets brings history to life. It shows me that Jesus really was here, that He really did interact with people, and on the outside he looked and acted just like us (sans sin).  I can envision Jesus walking on these streets, talking to shop venders, visiting with people in their houses, and just carrying on business as normal while still showing them the love of God.

Anyway, I am inspired. I am loving this trip. I will continue to keep you posted.

Following His Call,

Adam

John 14:27