Tag: Travel

Today was the Sabbath, celebrated here by Jews and many Christians on Saturday.

It was our most relaxing day thus far.

After breakfast, we watched a movie on Herod the Great. We then attended the worship service here at the Yad Hashemona.

We worshipped with Jewish believers and the Christians from all over the world who are staying and working here.

The worship was was in Hebrew, and the pastor preached in Hebrew but translated into English. It was an extraordinary experience to worship Jesus alongside Jewish believers. But it was as right as it was rare. Continue reading “Israel Tour Journal: Day 8”

Jesus has been teaching 5,000 people all day.

When they get hungry He multiplies five loaves and two fish into an all-you-can eat buffet, and all eat until they are full.

Jesus then commands His disciples to go ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida, while He heads up the mountain to pray.

Then while on the mountain, sometime between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Jesus sees His disciples out “in the middle of the sea . . . straining at the oars.” (Mark 6:33-52).

Continue reading “Israel Tour Journal: Day 7”

If you followed on Twitter today you know our first stop was the beach on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection. (John 21).

From there we headed north for the Golan Heights, near Israel’s border with Syria, but we were turned back by police because the road was iced over.

We changed our plans, turning back south, then to the east and finally to the north. We stopped at Tel Hazor, one of Solomon’s northern most outposts (I Kings 9:15-25; 2 Chronicles 9:25) and Tel Dan, where the 4,000 year-old gates (the oldest in the world) to the city Abraham once entered still stand (Genesis 14:14).

Our next stop was one of the highlights of the day. Caesarea Philippi is in the northern tip of Israel. Here, Jesus told Peter the “Gates of Hades” would not prevail against the Church. (Matthew 16:13-20). Continue reading “Israel Tour Journal: Day 6”

Have you ever heard of the city of Nain?

I’ve read the Bible for more than 35 years, but before today I would have answered the question, “No.”

Nain is where Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead. (Luke 7:11-17).

Before today, I paid no attention to the name of the city where Jesus performed this miracle because I assumed–wrongly–it had no relevance to an understanding of the story.

I now have a clear picture in my mind of where Jesus walked that day, from where he was coming and where he was going. Continue reading “Israel Tour Journal: Day 5”

Today was a busy day in Jerusalem.

We left Yad Hashemona for Jerusalem at 8:15 a.m. and returned at 6:30 p.m.

Here’s what we did in the morning: Mount Scopus, Mount of Olives, Kidron Valley, Garden of Gethsemane, Memorial of Absalom, Tomb of Zecharia, and lunch at Ramat Rachel kibbutz.

After lunch we drove to the House of Caiaphas (site of Jesus’ trial) and the place of Peter’s denial of Jesus. The rest of the afternoon was a walking tour to the following places: coffee at Aroma @ Jaffa Gate, Jaffa Gate, Tower of Herod’s Palace, Armenian Quarter (Old City), Jewish Quarter (Old City), Western Wall, Via Dolorosa (toward Ecce Homo), Ecce Homo (site of Antonia Fortress where Jesus faced Pontius Pilate) , Via Dolorosa (toward Church of Holy Sepulchre), Muslim Quarter (Old City), Ethiopian entry to Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sword of Godfrey de Bouillon), Jaffa Gate.

Continue reading “Israel Tour Journal: Day 4”