A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Pt. 1

Sea of Galilee

I recently had the wonderful privilege of visiting the land said to be flowing with milk and honey, Israel. It was a pleasant experience and given time I would do again. As a child it was on my bucket list of things to do but as I got older my motivations changed and so went my desire. Several years ago my parents’ church started doing yearly trips and every year my dad would ask me to go along. I honestly felt uncomfortable with all that money being spent on a sightseeing tour, but after running out of excuses I finally said yes. And in ways I will greater appreciate through the passage of time, I am glad I did.

During the trip we visited several sites that were significant in Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the nation of Israel. Through the course of the tour our guide kept referring to our trip as a pilgrimage. It honestly never crossed my mind, but when tour buses were as common in traffic as the locals, you had to wonder. Israel isn’t known for its beaches, hiking mountains or anything of the like. If you’ve ever watched the news you would have been well informed of the ongoing conflict with its many neighbors. Headlines are rampant of suicide bombings, walled cities, and failed peace agreements. What would motivate people from around the world to flock to this small country in the middle of such hostile territory? This is why, because it is said that this is the region where God first called Abraham, and gathered a people unto Himself. Where He gave us the written testimony and where Jesus the Christ walked and was sacrificed for all who would call on His name. These are the reasons many come. It was the reason I had come and for that I can call it nothing less than a pilgrimage.

From the densely populated center of Jerusalem to the vast plains of the Judean desert, there was much to see and experience. We visited the palace fortress, Masada, originally built by Herod the Great. It stood high on a plateau with amazing views. This was also the last Jewish stronghold before being conquered by the Roman army in 70 A.D. It was here, over nine hundred Jews took their lives, rather to die as freemen than live as slaves. Today Israeli soldiers in training hike this plateau as a reminder that, “Masada shall not fall again.” Hearing those stories and standing in that place gave me a sense of the rich history of a people and the desire to preserve it.

Not too far from Masada is the area of Qumran. It was here a Jewish sect, called the Essenes, lived in caves for two hundred years. Here they lived as scribes preserving the words of the Torah as well as some extra biblical literature. When it was made known that the Roman army was on their way, they hid hundreds of scrolls in pottery and placed them in caves with the hope that they would some day return and retrieve them. Our tour guide pointed out how the scrolls were hidden on the eve of the fall of their nation and found nineteen hundred years later on the eve of it’s rebirth in 1947. It is due in large part to the discovery of these scrolls that the integrity of scripture has been preserved and proven to be consistent in its handing down from one generation to the next. It is in events like this that I am encouraged in God’s sovereignty over human events.

We also visited the ancient city of Capernaum. It is no longer an inhabited city but there is an area of it that has been preserved by the Franciscans. This was the city where much of Jesus’s ministry took place and where Peter was said to have lived. Here we stood on the shores of Galilee and read events from portions of scripture that would have taken place not too far from where we stood. It was like being in the twilight zone, but in a good way. Bible passages that I had read for years with all kinds of creative license now had met a fixed point in reality. The synagogue where Jesus had many interactions stood directly behind me. The gospel stories came alive in that moment and I stood in awe. There was something so humbling and otherworldly to be in the same space where the God man was said to have walked and enjoy the same views as I was in that moment. Reality seemed sacred and weighty. I wanted to know more about the country Jesus called home and how God’s story continues today...