Can anything good come out of Nazareth, and a Christian Press Tour of Israel?

Jerusalem, Israel: November 16, 2009, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Trying to recall the highlights of a six-day, whirlwind tour of Israel is like un-jumbling a jigsaw puzzle without the box-lid to help you put it together

I've been back in Minnesota three weeks now and had some time to think and reflect on my recent trip to Israel as a guest of the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT) and El Al Airlines -- which is just what our hosts wanted.

Where do I begin to recount my participation in the 2009 Christian Press Tour of Israel that included Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Tiberias, The Galilee, Megiddo, The Dead Sea, and Jerusalem?

It isn't easy -- the sights, sounds, smells, Biblical sites and impressions are a jumbled host of steep slopes and steps, rocky archaeological 'tels' (hills), hotels, restaurants, new-found friendships among fellow scribes and on-air personalities, glaring sunlight and blazing un-seasonal heat.

I could tell you about the Dan Hotel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, with its indoor and outdoor swimming pools which, besides our group of U.S. and Canadian journalists, has hosted pop star Madonna and film director Quentin Tarantino.

Should I mention Old Jaffa, the ancient seaport from which the Prophet Jonah fled from God (Jonah 1:17) and the city where Peter stayed with Simon the Tanner and restored Tabitha to life (Acts 9:36-43)? Or the rows and rows of fruits and vegetables along the highway up to Caesarea, covered in bird-netting for protection? Or the mosaics and artifacts we literally tripped over on our way to the Herodian Palace at Caesarea, the great Roman port city and one of the largest archaeological digs in Israel on the Mediterranean coast, where the Roman centurion Cornelius was baptized by Peter and became the first gentile convert to Christianity (Acts 10) and where Paul was tried by Festus (Acts 25:6-12)? Or Mukhraka, or Mt. Carmel, where Elijah battled the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:25)?

I could mention the scene looking out from Megiddo (1 Kings 19:15) over the Valley of Jezreel, otherwise known as Armageddon, where history's greatest battle is yet to be fought by the enemies of Israel against God's 'Chosen People' during the End Times. Megiddo is a fascinating tel (hill) comprising 26 ancient civilizations superimposed on one another from which you can see the future battlefield (Rev.16: 16). We also saw Nazareth Village, a faithful recreation of Nazareth during the time of Jesus with a sheepfold, winepress, and synagogue, nestled beneath the bustling and sprawling modern-day city of Nazareth.

At Kibbutz Ginosaur we visited the Man in Galilee Museum where a 2,000 year-old boat from Jesus' time has been faithfully restored and is on display, followed by a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee during which a couple from Florida, who run a marriage ministry and who were celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary, renewed their vows to Israeli wedding music, a CD copy of which I have now added to my eclectic music collection. This couple re-stated their commitment to each at other at the Mensa Christi chapel, which commemorates the site where history says Jesus instructed Peter to "feed my sheep," (John 21:15-17). We then drove a little further to the ruins of Bethsaida, which tradition says was the birthplace of Peter, Andrew and Philip, as well as the Zebedee family of James and John -- "The Sons of Thunder" -- and the place where Jesus was said to heal the blind man.

Several of our group chose to be baptized at Yardenit, the Jordan River baptismal location favored by visitors to Israel. I have now visited traditional baptismal sites on both sides of the River Jordan: I was at the Jordanian site at Bethany-Beyond-The-Jordan in 2002 and in 2007. A lively and controversial debate exists about which is "the most likely site" of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist.

The following day involved a fairly-long drive down the Jordan Valley toward the Dead Sea, where we visited Masada, the site of King Herod's desert fortress and the stronghold of the Jewish revolt against the Roman occupation in 73 AD, as well as a tour of Qumran, the home of the Essenes, the first century sect who authored the Dead Sea Scrolls. We had lunch at the Daniel Hotel, and afterward enjoyed the hotel's spa facilities. I had such a wonderful time at this location that, because of this experience, I have now asked my doctor to prescribe spa treatments for my arthritic knees!

We arrived at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem after driving up to the Golden City along the Jericho Road, an ascent of 4,000 feet in 13 miles. The Inbal has boasted hosting such prominent guests as Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, former President Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.

The next day we drove through an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood on our way to The Mount of Olives to view the entire city of Jerusalem, descending the mountain by foot along the Hosanna Road used by Jesus on Palm Sunday, stopping at Dominus Fevit, the church commemorating where Jesus wept over Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane, Saint Peter in Gallicantu, commemorating Peter's denial of Jesus, followed by a visit to the Tomb of David and The Upper Room.

The afternoon schedule included the Israel Museum, where we were able to view a model of ancient Jerusalem, and the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. We were also able to visit Yad Vashem, the National Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust. Our evening schedule included "The Night Spectacular" sound and light show at David's Citadel, which recounted the history of the city of Jerusalem through holographics projected onto the city's ancient walls. A fascinating show!

Our second day in Jerusalem was the most fascinating for me, not having visited Jerusalem's city walls for 34 years: we were able to visit the Southern Wall excavation site at the Davidson Center, which included viewing a computerized virtual tour of the Second Temple. This was most likely not on my itinerary in 1975 as I do not remember it being built at that time. We then ascended the Temple Steps, which have been claimed as the actual steps Jesus and the people of his time would have used to enter the temple. It was here we paused to read some of the 'Psalms of Ascent,' especially Psalm 133. It was at the base of these steps we stopped to pick sprigs of Myrtle, Rosemary, and Hyssop, which we brought home with us and the fragrances of which I now have in my house.

Then we turned the corner around the southwestern side of the city walls to visit a section of Jerusalem where archaeologists believe trade and commerce would have been conducted in the time of Jesus. It was here we could imagine pigeons being sold for the ritual Temple offerings, as well as spices, and figs, dates and pomegranates, and numerous other products of interest to First Century visitors to Jerusalem.

And then it was on to the Western (or "Wailing") Wall known as the Kotel, where men and women from around the world come to face the standing remains of the Second Temple in separate, divided, sections, in order to pray.

For only the second time in my life, like the many Orthodox Jews I saw around me in the mid-October heat, I placed my forehead against the Wall, praying to God, and giving thanks to him for another chance at being able to visit the Holy City with significance to Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and for the many blessings associated with being in Israel after a hiatus of 34 years.

We then visited the Cardo, or 'Main Street' from the Roman-Byzantine times, and followed part of the Via Dolorosa, after which we conducted a tour of the City of David, an ongoing excavation in the ancient core of Jerusalem, built by King David, which includes a sophisticated underground water system.

Our final full day in Jerusalem included seeing the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the lame man, (John 5:1-24), the Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, considered by Catholics to be the location of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and the Tower of David, Museum of the History of Jerusalem. The group also visited the Garden Tomb and Gordon's Calvary, considered by Protestants to be the site of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.

Despite being on a full schedule and seeing so many Biblical sites in such a short time, I have an abundance of images swirling around in my head -- even though we only scratched the surface of all that Israel has to offer as a Biblical and historical land.

Being in Israel assaults the senses and impresses itself on the heart and the mind, with equal intensity on both.

There are yet so many more sites to see, so much more history to learn about, and so much more culture to experience.

For me, there is also still so much more to explore about the roots of my faith in this Middle Eastern country I still prefer to call The Holy Land. I have not yet had my fill of Israel and all that it means to me as a Christian believer.

While on the tour, I was reminded of the question, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

Having been there a second time, as a Christian, I can say, "Yes! Jesus Christ -- The Good Shepherd -- came out of Nazareth -- and that is a good thing!"

And, yes, something good can come out of the 2009 Christian Press Tour of Israel, including a personal flood of memories of a previous trip three decades earlier -- and glimpses of First Century life, culture, and history in 'the land that Jesus walked in' -- especially if you go and see for yourself, and then you'll know what I mean!

For further information about traveling to Israel, go to www.goisrael.com/tourism_eng 

News source: www.assistnews.net