The Jesus Trail in Twelve Easy Steps

The Jesus Trail Steps:
1. Wake up really early and take a bus from Jerusalem to Nazareth (important note: try not to miss it!) We met at the gate of JUC at 5am, packed up all the food for the trip and headed out for Jerusalem's central bus station. It's about a 45 minute walk, so we arrived in plenty of time to catch our bus. It's a two part trip, so after about an hour and a half we arrived at a place called Afoula (sp?) and got off to catch our next bus. The bus to Nazareth pulled up, one person jumped on and it started to pull away again. Robbie, looking slightly confused, kind of puts his hand out and says, wait guys, isn't that our bus? The bus driver looks at us, sees our confusion and stops again. We sprinted onto the bus and just barely made it to Nazareth! It could have been such a different experience...

2. Arrive in Nazareth and take pictures of the guy with the coolest mustache ever We got into Nazareth at about 9am, which was great time. Just as we pulled into town, Emily looked out the window and saw this guy pretty much the bushiest, best handlebar mustache that any of us had ever seen. Of course, we had to take pictures to prove our find. After that we went to the Church of the Announciation. It was a very impressive church. I think the coolest part was that they had artwork of Mary and Jesus from at least a hundred different countries. It gave a really cool perspective on how different cultures view the same thing.

3. Hike up several hundred steps through Nazareth, then up some more hills to Nazareth Ridge, and try to convince yourself this wasn't as bad of an idea as it seems

We arrived at the start of the Jesus Trail and discovered some concrete steps. No big deal, right? Well, that's what we thought too, until we realized they just kept going, and going, and going. By the time we got to the top of them, we all wanted to quit before we had started. Then we started up some hills. I guess they just want to know if you're really cut out for the trip or not!

Eventually we made it to the top and realized that we were standing on Nazareth Ridge. It was a super cool view down into the valley, and it made the climb worth it (well, nearly)!

My trail buddies as we left Nazareth and headed out into the country.

4. Curse the trail markers...may they wither like the fig tree

We got our first taste of this on the way into Cana. Apparently the well marked trail was not always so well marked. For all we searched and searched we couldn't find the next blaze. After some map consultation we figured out that we must be on the descent into Cana, but other than that, we were pretty lost. After sending scoutes in several directions, Mitchell ran into a very nice man who gave us directions to the church in the center of Cana (a stop along the Jesus Trail). He then proceeded to offer us cold water and Sprite. Can I just say that I love Middle Eastern hospitality? I love it!

5. Hike through Cana, on to the Golani Junction and make camp

We followed the very nice man's directions down into the town of Cana, where we stopped for some wonderful falafel. It may have been some of the best falafel I've ever eaten, or I may have just been really, really hungry. Either is a distinct possibility. Or both. One just never knows about such things. We hiked up the hill to the church, and stopped to look around. It was pretty small but had lots of neat side rooms and stuff to explore. It also had a place to fill our water, something we were well in need of by that point.

Leaving the church, we hiked on out into the middle of nowhere. I've decided that I really like the middle of nowhere. On the way, we cursed some more trail markers. I think there must be a lot of withered trail markers by now. After hiking through a totally wild and very untrail looking field, we found a road with no more trail markers. I eventually found a marker for a different trail that we thought would meet up with the Jesus Trail. At this point we also met up with a couple of Germans who were also hiking the Jesus Trail named Gino and Suzanne. We ended up hiking with them for the next couple of hours, all the way to the Golani Junction and into a camping area just beyond called Lavi Forest.

At Lavi, we never found the campsite. We looked and looked, and by the time we actually stopped, Emily and I were both about to sit down and call it quits. We simply didn't care if we found the campsite or not. Any open field would do at that point. The guys also decided that, and we found the least rocky field that we could and set up camp. Gino and Suzanne kept looking, but eventually ending up camping near us. For all that we were outdoors and a bit uncomfortable, we were completely out and slept straight through the night.

6. Get up, hike all day, see some cool stuff and camp at the Cliffs of Arbel (important note: don't get attacked by jackels while sleeping)
We started off by getting up about 7:45 this morning. By the time we got breakfast, packed up and headed out it was about 9:00. First thing, we stopped at a gas station and filled our water bottles as well as brushed our teeth and such. I was amazed how much better I felt after sleeping! I was so tired and sore last night, I pretty much could have passed out. This morning I still ached a bit, but in general, I really wasn't all that sore.

Emily and Dan at the gas station, trying to figure out a new mode of transportation

The real hike began with a game of frogger across the highway to pick up the trail again (we were very safe about it, I promise). Everything up until the Kibbutz was pretty routine. Then we started hiking through grain fields. I felt very Jesus like at that moment. The feeling of walking in the footsteps of Jesus soon gave way to feelings of scratched and scraped as we continued trecking through thorny bushy things. After going around the kibbutz and past all the cows, we headed towards the Horns of Hittim.

By the time we were approaching, I was hot and tired but super excited to be there. By the time we reached the saddle, I was definitely ready to stop for lunch. We discovered that a whole bunch of people were stopping and eating up there, so we moved further down the line of trees. After lunch, we started putting our boots back on and packing up. Several of us discovered we had blisters on our feet, myself included. Ibuprofen made the rounds. We also took the time to take some more pictures as we had a sweet view of Arbel from there.

As soon as we started down, we discovered a LOT of cows. There was even one baby cown among the group. We tried to take a group picture by using the timer on Robbie's camera, but failed. Gino came up at that point, and he took it for us.

The trail markers got tricky at this point, and we ended up going down the wrong way. It was a steep climb down, but we still made it to Nebi Shu'eib, a Druze holy site. We started by filling up our water, which was pretty much empty. Then we took a look around. We were able to go into the Druze shrine as long as we covered our heads and arms and took our shoes off. The shrine is supposed to be the burial place of Jethro, Moses father-in-law, who they claim is the father of monotheism. We also got to see the strange baggy pants the men wear because they think the messiah will be born of a man, and it may happen at any time. Where does an idea like that even come from? I've learned not to be all that surprised by stuff in Israel, but that one still made me scratch my head the first time I heard it.

We all grabbed slushies at a little stand on our way out and took off down the road. Follwing the Jesus trail took us well away from Arbel and then back around again. It also took us a lot longer than expected. We went through a lot of mud and puddle crossings along the way, but we made it. I got entertained along the way by Robbie's stories, for which he definitely has a gift (no surprises, he's studying creative writing). The hike up Arbel was pretty steep but not quite as bad as I had anticipated. Near the top, we discovered a 4th century synagogue and stopped to watch the sunset there. Starting again was hard, but we got moving and made it to Arbel in another 45 minutes or so.

Once there, we found the gate (and bathrooms) locked, but they had outdoor water, which was good. We filled up and then hiked to the top where we found a place to camp for the night. Dinner commenced, but everyone got a bit nervous when we heard hyennas down in the valley. We decided to put the food in a couple of stuff sacks and moved it away from the sleeping site. At about 2:00 or so, Robbie and Mitch both heard jackels, probably only 15 feet or so from where we were. Thankfully, I slept through that part. Mitchell may have collected some rocks, just in case. Around 4:30, we all woke up to the sound of jackels, close, but not right next to us. The varying responses of the group were awesome. Mitchell - guys, we'll be fine (as he checks to make sure he still has the rocks). Emily - very worried look on her face, not saying much (later found out she dug out her knife). Robbie - slightly worried, but taking it all in stride. Me - a bit worried and uncomfortable, but more ok when all the guys who knew the difference between hyennas and jackels seemed to think it was just jackels and not that big of a deal. Dan - guys, it's just some jackels (and promptly back to sleep within about 60 seconds).

7. Watch the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee from Arbel

I woke up again about 5:30 and started going back and forth between sitting up to see the sky and resting some more. Sometime a little before 6:00 the sun started coming up and the colors got awesome! I can't even believe how blessed I am to be sitting on the top of the Cliffs of Arbel watching the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee. I am so excited to be here right now! As we were waking up, an older couple walked by our camp with their cameras. I felt a little awkward, but just waved from my sleeping bag and said good morning as they came past. On their way back, the guy stopped and took a picture of us in our sleeping bags and tarp. The illegal campsite is now documented. Most excellent.

8. Hike down Arbel and on to Capernaum (important note: you will need to find Robbie, the herdsman, in order to get past the cows on the trail)

After enjoying the sunrise, we started getting changed, eating breakfast, and packing up. We headed out and down the cliffs. It turned out to be a decently difficult climb down involving iron staples and lots of careful footing. I definitely wished for Ibex skills on that one. But wow, what a view!

The super awesome view as we hiked down the Cliffs of Arbel (Sea of Galilee straight in front)

One of the caves at Arbel where Jewish zealots hid from the Roman soldiers during the Great Revolt

Potentially my favorite moment of the whole trip happened on this trail as well. At one point we ran into a whole bunch of cows, and they were just standing there. And standing there. Mitchell stared at the cow, and the cow stared at Mitchell. So Robbie, in good Robbie fashion, moved past us and said, "no guys, what you have to do is wave your arms up and down and go moo!" And then he proceeded to do exactly that. The cows looked at Robbie for just a moment and then turned around and started trotting down the path. So there were the cows, and there was Robbie trotting right along after them. After a moment of stunned laughter, we all started hurrying along after him. No exaggeration, we must have followed those cows for a half mile until they turned aside into a cave with a whole bunch of other cows.

9. Stop and see a donkey along the way

We finished our hike down the cliffs and made another gas station stop for morning coffee, teeth brushing and the like. The rest of the hike to Capernaum was pretty flat (with a few smaller hills thrown in) and relatively uneventful. We ran into an escapee donkey at one point, which the group had some fun feeding and taking pictures of. We also met a couple guys on bikes who wanted to ask us some questions about the area. We assured them that they would not be able to bike the Jesus Trail unless they wanted to carry their bikes on their backs up the Cliffs of Arbel. We then sent them on to Capernaum to go talk to someone there who might know a lot more than we did.

10. Arrive in Capernaum and take triumphal pictures

We got into Capernaum about 2:00 or 2:30. Having already been there before on a Physical Settings field study, we didn't bother to pay the entrance fee and go into the site. We took some photos under the sign announcing Capernaum, just to prove to ourselves that we had actually done it. We made it! We hiked 40 miles in 3 days, and made it from Nazareth to Capernaum! Despite being really tired, we all felt pretty good about ourselves right then :)

11. Hitch-hike to Tiberius
Unfortunately, being in Capernaum would not get us home to Jerusalem. Having completed the trip and feeling no particular need to walked another 4 or 5 miles to Tiberius, we headed out to the road to find ourself a ride. Knowing that no one would ever pick up 5 hitchhikers, Mitch and Emily split off and went farther down the road to try to snag a ride while Dan, Robbie, and I stayed where we were. Within about 15 or 20 minutes a girl stopped and picked the 3 of us up. She was only going about half way to Tiberius, but we took it. Passing Mitch and Emily on the way, we hoped they would get a ride soon as well.

The girl dropped us off at the intersection where she needed to turn and we proceeded to try to find our next ride. This proved harder than the first one. After nearly an hour of trying with no success, we decided three was just too hard. Robbie took off down the road and Dan and I kept trying. Within about 20 minutes a young couple on their way to Beth-Shean offered us a ride through Tiberius. We gratefully hopped in. Arriving in Tiberius 10 minutes later, Dan found the way to our pre-arranged meeting place, and we found Mitch and Emily already there. Unfortunately, no Robbie. We hung out by the Sea of Galilee for the next 45 minutes or so awaiting Robbie, and finally, he made it. Mission accomplished!

We grabbed dinner at a little shop down the boardwalk and then headed to the bus station.

12. Take a bus back to Jerusalem and walk back to JUC

We actually got to the bus station just as the first bus to Jerusalem pulled in. We quickly jumped on the bus and settled in. It was about a 2 1/2 hour ride back. Arriving at the central bus station in Jerusalem about 9, we proceeded to walk back to JUC. While practically speaking it was one of the easiest walks we had made in 3 days, it seemed like forever. So close and yet so not. The gates of JUC have never looked so good as they did when we walked up to them, finally completing our whole journey at about 9:45. There were a few welcome home greetings and some hugs from fellow students, then showers and bed. Home is so good after a trip!

Impression Report - Jordan Day 4 (Tuesday, April 12)

While not really a biblical site in its current remains, I loved spending time at Karak Castle this morning. It is largely a Crusader castle, but it is built on the remains of a much earlier Nabotean fortress. We weren't able to see any of the more ancient fortress, but a lot of the castle remains in pretty good condition. Wandering through the tunnels and rooms was so cool for me. Every little girl dreams of exploring a real live castle, not just the ones in her fairy tales. Admittedly, at 22, I haven't moved too far beyond that dream. There was something about seeing the structure that made it so easy for me to imagine the Crusaders there setting up shop. I could almost hear the clinking of armor as being cleaned and put away and the conversations taking place over the baking of the bread. I could see the soldiers on the walls checking the area.

There was a thick blanket of fog surrounding the castle this morning. Normally, I would have been a bit annoyed by the way the fog blocked the view of the surrounding area and the valley below. This morning I almost felt like it added to the experience. At times the fog was so thick I couldn't see from one end of the castle to the other. It lent a certain eeriness to the air of the castle. There were moments where I definitely felt like I had entered a story book world and was walking in someone else's shoes. The best way I know how to describe it is that moment in books or movies where a character enters another world and isn't sure yet whether or not it is real or a dream. I sort of felt like that. It was so cool and so different from much of anything else that I have done of experienced!

From Karak we went to Dibon, which was Mesha king of Moab's capital. He moved the capital here from Kir (Karak). Of note, Kir also has the same basic topographical shape as the other ancient capitals that we have visited and discussed so far. Very interesting. Also of interest, Dibon is the same way, but it is not nearly as protected as any of the others, even less so than Jerusalem. Basically, it's placed in a position that allowed Mesha to reach out into other lands, not one truly chosen for defense.

While at Dibon, we read through the Mesha Stela in which he recounts his victory over the heir of Ahab. There are actually several very interesting parts about the stela. First, it gives a view of the battles from a non-Israelite source. The Bible never mentions losing the Medeba Plateau to Mesha, but it does mention capturing Kir and then retreating. Basically, by piecing things together one can discover that Mesha dealt Israel a nasty blow and then they managed a small push back by taking Kir. It never occurred to me before that like any good nationalist, biblical authors might have left major defeats out of their history (unless they were using them to display a theological point). It was an interesting idea for me to consider.

Also of interest in the Mesha Stela is a mention of the house of David. It's one of the very few direct mentions that we have proving a Davidic dynasty. Obviously, that alone makes it a pretty important find. I also found it interesting how much understanding geography plays into understanding the stela. The cities Mesha captures first are strategic crossroad cities. Holding them gives him power and position to do other things after. Lastly, just hearing the language also provides an interesting look into the time and culture. Parts of it actually sound very much like Solomon when he talks about how he built the Temple. It's fascinating to see some of the patterns throughout time and kingdoms.

After Dibon we went to Medeba. The real thing of interest there is a fascinating mosaic. A lot of it was destroyed during some of the Islamic period, but what remains is impressive. The mosaic shows a map of the land of Israel, with special focus given to Jerusalem. In fact, Jerusalem is blown up so we can see the layout of the city. This mosaic has provided useful information about the city at the time and Nachman Avigad actually found the cardo (main N/S street) when he excavated. Having talked about it before, it was cool to actually stand and look at the mosaic.

Our last stop of the day was Mt. Nebo. This is the mountain where Moses went up to survey the land of Israel before he died (somewhere in that vicinity). This last stop was pretty bittersweet as it was our last Physical Settings field study. For many of us it was a major reminder of the fact that our time in Israel has sped by and is quickly drawing to a close. At the same time, I was both fascinated and moved by what Dr. Wright taught there.

Starting with the 40 years desert wandering, Dr. Wright basically walked us through the end of Moses' life. In a nutshell, he preaches Deuteronomy down on the Plains of Moab, looking towards the land. On the edge of entering a new kind of life, Moses repeats the Ten Words (Commandments) and gives new instructions relating to settled life instead of a Bedouin way of life. Then he instructs the people to someday go to Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerazim. He sings a couple songs, one a creation story of people and one a blessnig of the 12 tribes, fitting their land. After all that, Moses goes up to the Pisca Ridge (in the area of Mt. Nebo) and God shows him the land, giving him a counter-clockwise itinerary.

At this point good geographical scholars run into a problem. It's not possible to see all of the places described from Mt. Nebo. A lot of people automatically take this to mean that some kind of spiritualizing is going on here. Dr. Wright offered us another solution, which I kind of like. Moses recently took out Og, king of Bashan, from which he would have seen Galilee and Mt. Hermon. On a clear day, it is possible to see the Mediterranean (western sea) from Gerash (where Moses had also been recently), and it was likely he came through in winter, increasing the chances of it having been a clear day. Certainly, Moses had recently been in the Negev. Everything else can be seen from Mt. Nebo. Thus, when God says that Moses had seen it all with his own eyes, he may not be talking figuratively or talking about exactly at that moment. Instead, he may be referring also to recent events.

I found that whole description fascinating, but I was equally if not more struck by the way Dr. Wright related it to our lives afterwards. I often have a hard time seeing how something like that could possibly have much to do with me, but it turns out it has everything to do with me. Basically, Israel was standing on the edge of a new land. God gave them instructions and faithfully brought them into the land he both promised them and prepared for them. We are pretty much all standing on the edge of a new land. Like it or not, our time in Israel is ending soon. At the very least we have all come here and changed. And we are all going back to worlds that have also changed without us. So we are all entering the new land of the lives we came from. Like he did for Israel, God will be faithful to prepare these lands and bring us into them. And they will be good lands, full of the life that God has for us.

I found this to be particularly true for my life right now. I have come to Israel and watched God do some awesome stuff here. Now, as I approach the moment of returning home, I'll admit to some feelings of apprehension as to how exactly I will fit the person I have become into the world that I came from 3 1/2 months ago. Additionally, I'm going back to a very different world even than the one I left, and I'm not exactly comfortable in it. After 2 1/2 years at the same job, I've completely switched roles and taken a position as an RA. I think it will be a good land, but also a scary one. Entering my senior year, some of my closest friends have only one semester left, leaving me in a very strange world for second semester. And like so many seniors, I really don't know what I'm doing afterwards. With so much uncertainty, it's really easy for me to freak out about this new place that I'm moving into. The reminder that God has prepared the land and will faithfully see me into it was both very timely and very impactful. All things put together, this was a fantastic last day of field study!

Impression Report - Jordan Day 3 (Monday, April 11)

Today we only visited two sites, but both of them were pretty major. Our first was Petra, followed by a quick stop at a lookout near Bozrah and then ending up at Bozrah. Admittedly, Petra was by far the most awe inspiring site. While not really a biblical site, it certainly displayed the accomplishment of the Naboteans and showed the importance of a desert "port" city.

Petra was potentially the most impressive place I have ever seen. Not only are the buildings beautiful, but it is hard to imagine they were carved. It is impressive enough that someone could build a tomb of the magnitude of these, but to carve it out of solid rock is amazing! The variety of the tombs was also impressive. While there was certainly a particular style, all of the tombs looked different and unique. Some of my favorite were the ones in the very colorful rock. The blue, red, and yellow all streaked together was incredible. When tombs were carved into it besides, it was certainly a unique site.

Besides all the carvings at Petra, the landscape itself is stunning. It reminds me of a grand canyon type landscape. The cliffs are massive, and there are a lot of really nice places to hike. We went up to the High Place and then hiked through a wadi (the name of which I unfortunately do not quite remember). I think the wadi hike was my favorite part of the day at Petra. It was completely awesome just hiking through the hills and steps and stopping in all the caves we found along the way. It was such a memorable experience.

I also got a bit of a new appreciation for the difficulty of living on the frontier. As much fun as it was to walk through Petra, I could see the challenges involved in living in such a place. The dangers of the cliffs, the dry land with a scarcity of water, and the potential dangers of enemies around make life on the frontier a pretty tough place. We could see that even as we walked through. Staying on paths was critical, but sometimes even the path was difficult to distinguish.

Another interesting part of Petra was realizing what the uses of all the carvings were. Interestingly, all the beautiful, elaborate buildings were tombs, and the smaller, simple caves were homes. It portrayed a view of after-life that placed a lot of importance on the physical dwelling. Basically, they wanted to make an elaborate home for the one they would spend eternity in, but they did not bother too much with the one they were only going to spend 50 years or so in. There were also a lot of carvings of idols which portrayed the religious natuer of the site. People came to worship as they walked through the entrance to the main part of the city.

Moving on from Petra, we made our way to Bozrah. Just before arriving, we stopped at a lookout spot and looked down into the wadi there. From that view point we could see just how difficult it would be to drive and army up the cliffs into the heartland of Edom. It helped to give us a good view of just how secure Edom actually was. It was also cool to see because we will be hiking through that wadi in just a month or so on the Cultural Backgrounds trip into Jordon.

At Bozrah, it was really interesting to discover that yet again the capital city looked a fair amount like Jerusalem (at least topographically). To be fair, Bozrah is actually significantly more defensible than Jerusalem with steeper and higher hills surrounding the plateau of the city; however, the basic concept is the same. The drawback to Bozrah is the springs are all the way at the bottom of the cliffs, unlike Jerusalem where they can be walled within the city. This makes it more difficult for Bozrah to get the water they need if they were to be in the middle of a battle.

Here as well, I got a definite impression of how difficult it might be to live in that part of the land. Today the wind was so strong it almost knocked me over a couple of times. The dust got in everything and was just generally annoying. Getting up to the city involved plenty of driving around twists and turns and through a tough terrain. Anyone who lives in a place like that must belong to a tough people. It is no wonder Edom must have thought highly of their secure city or that they looked down on those in Jerusalem, as being soft and taking an easy life. It is also understandable how the Jerusalemites could think the Edomites a wild and uncultured people living out there on the edge.

As usual, today was another good day of learning new things and exploring new places. We looked at the challenges of the frontier life as well as the importance of the desert "port" cities.

Impression Report - Jordan Day 2 (Sunday, April 10)

Today was a very long day, but a good day. We started in Amman, the present day capital of Jordon but also the ancient capital of Ammon. As always, the history of the area continues to hold my interest more than their attemps to become more like the West. At the Citadel of Amman, I really enjoyed going into the museum. Unfortunately, a couple of the things I was really excited to see were no longer there (like the Dead Sea Scrolls), but there were still several very interesting artifacts. It was pretty neat to see the inscription about Balaam after just having read it yesterday at Deir Alla (biblical Succoth).

I also discovered that Ammon's capital looks remarkably like Israel's capital, Jerusalem. The topography is strikingly similar with both having hills on three sides dropping into valleys and only one real access point. In Jerusalem this is the to the north, in Ammon, to the east. Additionally, the architecture of the Judean palace and the palace at Amman certainly bear a strong resemblance. I guess I never realized before today how closely related these two places were. Of no great historical significance, it was kind of weird but really neat standing beneath the really tall pillars and looking up and seeing how the cloud movement made you feel as if they were swaying. In fact it was enough to make you want to move your feet to counter the swaying.

Our next stop was Gerash, which was very impressive because of its size and architecture. I loved just having a good chunk of time to wander and discover things there. Near the temple to Artemis, we found a building with a very large mosaic, perhaps the largest I have seen so far. The temple itself was pretty impressive both in size and design. We all enjoyed the fact that Artemis and Diana are the same goddess, so we stood Diana up on the steps leading to the temple and took pictures. There were also some really cool storage areas undernearth the temple. Diana got invited down to see them by a not so good intentioned vender, but as Andrew went along, all was well. It also meant we all got to see a pretty neat spot I never would have thought to look otherwise. So I guess occasionally not so good intentioned venders are good for something after all.

I certainly understand now why Gerash has been called the "City of 1,000 Columns." Walking into the open plaza just made me want to stand in awe. It was a large, circular, open courtyard completely surrounded by columns. They were everywhere we went, both impressive and beautiful. Being a lover of pillars, I think Gerash stole my vote for coolest site of the day.

The theater was also quite impressive. There is one point in the middle where if you drop a coin you can hear it at the top. Even cooler, there are several circles cut out of the front row. If you put your head next to one, you can hear any person along the row who is talking near one of them. There was also a group of Arab musicians with bagpipes and drums near the front of the theater. I had to laugh when they all started playing, and it ended up being completely American music (think Amazing Grace and Yankee Doodle). The West invades yet again.

Stopping near the Jabesh River provided a good view of the land. It also provided some comic relief when Dr. Wright decided to start wrestling Matt to illustrate the story of Jacob wrestling the Angel of the Lord. Classic Israel moment. I really like discussing the Bible with the landscape actually in front of me and seeing a context for stories I've heard all of my life.

To end the day we went to an unknown site. Dr. Wright wouldn't tell us anything about it. Instead, he just brought us to it, told us to look away from the sign with the name of the site on the way in and then turned us loose to make observations. We walked around the site and looked at the way the stones were cut, the architecture of the building, the carvings on it, the layout of the interior, the direction it faced, and many other details like that. It was a really cool exercise to walk around with no prior context and just see what we could figure out. It helped me to engage the principles I've been learning, instead of just trying to absorb more. It was also really neat to discover how much I have actually learned these last couple months in regards to archaeology and identifying distinctive markings. The site ended up being the pleasure palace (place of retreat) of a man kicked out of Judea (who thought he should have been governor). It is a place called Tyre of Tobias.

I was not too thrilled to be watching the Royal Tour of Jordan that James insisted on showing since I figured it would be a lot more of the modern stuff. Surprisingly, it was actually a lot better than I anticipated. While it felt really scripted a lot of the time, the views we got to see on the film were quite nice. I enjoyed getting some great views of the Wadi Rum as well as learning about some of the sports that they participate in there.

Impression Report - Jordan Day 1 (Saturday, April 9)

My first impression of today had nothing to do with cities or the Bible or really much of anything related to historical geography. It was much more of an impression of current political realities. I was reminded of the annoyance and hassle of border crossings. Having started at 6am and thus being a bit tired probably did not help to make me less annoyed with the system either. All in all we made pretty good time fo an international border crossing, so I really could not be upset about that, but just spending so much time in lines and waiting for processing is always annoying.

Perhaps the thing that made the particular border crossing annoying was all of the Jordanian regulations. I have done enough international travel to be pretty used to the process by now, but some of the Jordanian stuff just made me frustrated. First, I still cannot figure out what the purpose of the tourist police officer is. I know we are required to have one on our bus, but I just don't understand it. Overall, it really does not affect me much at all, it just seems kind of weird to me. Second, I can't say as I am a big fan of the requirement of having a Jordanian tour guide. Besides just seeming unnecessary, I feel like it kind of takes away from the experience a bit as well. Dr. Wright, if you were trying to make us appreciate your teaching more, you can consider your mission accomplished.

I discovered on this trip that I really like the system of teaching that draws on our foundations as well as connecting to places in the Bible and then just having free time to wander. Once I have the knowledge in my head, I learn a lot just by letting my feet feel the ground, my eyes see the stones (or mud bricks) and surrounding country, my ears hear the noises, and just taking in the general experience of the place. It was a bit hard to get that today when James (the Jordanian tour guide) would talk about a place and then just start walking to the next spot. It felt a lot more like a museum tour and a lot less like just experiencing the land.

Frustrations aside, there was a lot to be interested in today. Our first stop at Deir Alla made me realize several things. First, in many ways the land in Jordan looks a lot like the land in Israel. While the alluvial fields of the Jordan Valley more closely resemble the Coastal Plain, all together the land looks a lot like the other side of the Jordan. Second, Israel does a much better job at keeping up their sites. Third, I had never thought about the Philistines having any other motivation for taking Judah than just the country itself. It makes a lot of sense that they might have been interested in the metallugy going on beyond the Jordan. Fourth, the Balaam was really cool. It is fascinating and encouraging to see and study text like that which throw more light on and corroborate biblical stories. Last, I was reminded that we have certainly entered an Islamic country when I started seeing the women in full burkas everywhere and the men wearing gallibeahs and kaifas.

Moving on to Gedara, I was really impressed by the columns and architecture there. The view was beautiful as well. Also interesting was the mix of white limestone and black basalt. Normally we only see one or the other. As usual, I felt pretty impressed by Rome.

Ending the day at Ramoth-Gilead, I was yet again reminded of how little Jordan values their ancient biblical sites compared to Israel. It was certainly helpful to stand on the tel and see its close proximity to Syria as well as to feel its distance from Israel. However, beyond that, little at the tel actually displayed much. As a random point of interest, I very much enjoyed the camels at Ramoth-Gilead. I've certainly seen plenty of them before, but never so many of them never all together like that. I was reminded that I get to ride one in another month or so. Also, I got to try camel's milk tonight. It wasn't my favorite, but it certainly wasn't awful either.

All together, today held a lot of new experiences and a lot of new sights and new ideas. It was certainly frustrating at times, but a good day of field study, all things considered.

How Do I Define Church?

I don't actually have all that much time before I have to run away, eat some lunch, and then get to Cultural Backgrounds of the Bible class. However, I've been thinking about this thought for a few days now, and I wanted to share it with all of you, so here goes. Also, keep in mind that this is really just my thoughts and ideas on the topic, not a fully formed opinion.

The question in the title of the blog post really says a lot about what I've been considering. I know most of us have heard the idea before that the church is the people of God, not the building housing them. And I hope that is something we believe. Jesus calls and sanctifies people, not structures. Standing in Jerusalem I've come to the conclusion that if God wanted a new building, he could have done a lot better than we ever do with our churches. He could have raised up someone to take back the Temple Mount, and he could have restored it to the splendor of the days of Solomon. I, like some of you, have stood at the walls of the Temple Mount, and God has not done that. In fact, I'm more grieved than anything else when I stand at the Western Wall and watch the fervent prayers of a people who still have a veil across their eyes.

That is my picture of what the church is not. But I still have to ask the question, what is the church? I know the first thing that typically comes to mind is local communities of believers gathered together in a building and worshipping God together. And please don't think I have anything against that. I'm strongly affirm the local church, and I have every intention of happily rejoining with mine when I return to the States. But I also wonder if we haven't lost a bit of something in the institutionalizing of the church.

I have been in Israel for over two months now, and I have to admit that I've only been to a traditional church service twice. Very rarely in my life have I spent so little time in a church. And I've never been ok with it before. I've always felt hungry and longing for the community and corporate worship that I find within the church. Yet, for all my lack of church in the last two months, I'm not feeling dry or desperate for fellowship. If fact, it's quite the contrary. I feel like I'm drinking more deeply than I ever have before, and God is working awesome things in my life and the lives of the people around me. So what's different this time?

At JUC I'm surrounded by a community of believers, many of them from pretty different backgrounds and many of them really deeply rooted in Scripture and in a strong and earnest desire to seek after God. Throughout my week, I'm spending time worshipping with other students (sometimes planned, sometimes not), we're praying together for our community, for those who are hurting or struggling, for each other and our own places of need, for God's Presence and instruction, for his leading. There's an honesty and realness here that I've rarely seen in any church back home. I'm not saying that we don't want it in our churches, just that it rarely works that way. Most of us come to church with our good faces on. We don't come to church wearing the nastiness of the week and looking for someone to step into it with us.

So I come back to my original question: what makes a church? Do I need a pastor to have a church? Do I need a worship leader? Or do I just need a bunch of people coming together, committedly sharing in each others, and devoted to seeking God together?

As a last note: I'm not advocating forsaking our local churches and running to start some new movement. I'm really not. I see a great deal of value in the local church, and I think we would miss out on so much if we stopped participating in them. However, I am asking the question of how we view church, and whether or not it is the way we were intended to view church. And if not, how might we start to change that, right where we are?

Well, those are my thoughts from the moment. Please feel free to comment, to agree, to disagree, whatever it is you think on this.

Impression Report - Galilee Day 3 (Saturday, March 26, 2011)

Perhaps one of the things that impressed me most about today was the water. For having seen so little thus far in Israel, it feels like everywhere we went today was flowing with water. Everywhere I look I see green fields and things growing. Even if I've been seeing it for three days, it still impresses me every time I see it. It is so different than Jerusalem and so different than the Negev.

This morning at Hazor, I very much enjoyed seeing the old ruins. I still have a fascination with all things old, and places like Hazor just kind of wow me. I was also really interested when we moved the rock armies of the King of Hazor and recreated the possible Joshua conquest on the map. For so many of these stories I have never really had a visual context before, and I love seeing it play out. At Hazor, I think I was most impressed by the Late Bronze Age (pre-Israelite) mudbrick still standing, and perhaps equally by the idea of a fire that could crack basalt foundations. If you think about the fact they are lava rock, it must take an incredibly hot fire to break them. It kind of lends a pretty decent picture as to why the Bible bothers to point out that Joshua burned Hazor. It must have been quite a day there.

Moving on to Dan, I was massively impresssed the amount of water pouring through. The rapids and strength of the water was pretty amazing. Beyond just the water, I also was kind of in awe of the gate with the mudbrick arch from the 18th century B.C. It is pretty cool to me to think that Abraham could have passed through there. Additionally, I studied the Tel Dan inscription in hermeneutics this past semester as part of a project on Israelite minimalism. It's always neat to see places that I have an academic connection to. I also found it really interesting when we were able to see into Lebanon. My great-grandparents emigrated from there, so I've kind of always wanted to go. While I can't at the moment, it was cool to think I was looking into Lebanon.

When we went to Banias following Dan, I was equally impressed by the water there. The temple to Pan was also very interesting. As we discussed Jesus and his ministry and the choices he made in regards to when and where he said things, it just continued my thoughts from yesterday about his origins. I never realized that he chose his farthest point from Jerusalem for Peter's confession. Then he started his journey to Jerusalem. It gets me to think about his motives and his plan and why he might have chosen the places he did. On a way less theological note, the massive waterfall was pretty much the highlight of my day. I kind of have a bit of an obsession with water, especially waterfalls, so I very much enjoyed that.

Stopping in the Golan Heights was cool just because I've heard that area talked about so much in regards to relatively current political situations. Being able to look across into Syria was also pretty neat. I love having visual context for things, so placing biblical stories always interests me. In this case, thinking about Paul on his way to Damascus somewhere down in front of where I was standing was a pretty awesome contextualization. And I certainly felt the cold and had to give a hearty respect to anyone who calls the Golan Heights home!