The Road to Jerusalem
Due to the potential for flashfloods, we took the long way around from the Dead Sea. So I had a lot of time to ponder the landscape and the Bible stories I have learned over the years.
The Dead Sea is located completely in the desert region of the country. The north end of the sea is where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea and where John the Baptist did his ministry. He also baptised Jesus at that spot. It is over an hour's drive east of Jerusalem which is quite a bit of walking for Jesus to go see his cousin.
Looking west from the sea you can see the beautiful desert cliffs. This is where Satan tempted Jesus after he was fasting in the desert wildness (Luke 4).
Remembering the Old Testament, these cliffs and caves were where David and Jonathan were hiding out as King Saul wanted to kill David. He had been told by Samuel the prophet (1 Samuel chapters 16+) that David would become the king of Israel. He wanted to make sure that David would never be king. These desert cliffs in this region are numerous and it is easy to see why David chose to hide out here while running from King Saul.
If you scroll in the next pic you can see the camels in the fields. They are a poor group of people who are proud of their lifestyle. The government is trying to work with them to improve their living conditions. They are not getting very far with that as this is their way of life and they are a proud people.
All I could think about was when Jesus was born how the lowliest of people, the shepherds, were the first ones to hear the news from the angels (Luke chapter 2). It was easy to imagine these hills filled with the shepherds and hearing the good news.
As we got very close to the city of Jerusalem, the landscape changed again. The hills became bigger-the hills of Judea were prominent. The grassy rolling hillsides became larger and covered with trees such as pines and junipers. The sky became dark and it started to lightly rain.
I felt a heaviness and sadness. Everyone in town was scurrying around, trying to catch buses, honking horns and completely oblivious to this beautiful town and what happened here over two thousand years ago. In Matthew 23 we read that Jesus said "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."
That verse just would not get out of my head. We checked into the hotel and stepped out onto the balcony of our hotel room. The view was phenomenal. The Mount of Olives was just to our right AND the place where Jesus was crucified was to our left only a couple of blocks away. And then it began to pour. Lightening was striking every few minutes and the thunder was rolling and crackling like I have never heard before. What was even more striking was that the lightening was going from the left (where Calvary is) to the right towards the Mount of Olives. I kept looking for Jesus to appear on the Mount of Olives as prophesied in Zechariah chapter 4.
I truly felt I was hearing the voice of God. We all need to be reminded that there will be an end to this age. Not only do our religions point this out but science does also. We all need to be clear about who Jesus was and is. More on this later but that was my amazing welcome into God's Holy City. I was honored that He put on that amazing show for us. It was noticed and appreciated.
The Dead Sea is located completely in the desert region of the country. The north end of the sea is where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea and where John the Baptist did his ministry. He also baptised Jesus at that spot. It is over an hour's drive east of Jerusalem which is quite a bit of walking for Jesus to go see his cousin.
Looking west from the sea you can see the beautiful desert cliffs. This is where Satan tempted Jesus after he was fasting in the desert wildness (Luke 4).
Remembering the Old Testament, these cliffs and caves were where David and Jonathan were hiding out as King Saul wanted to kill David. He had been told by Samuel the prophet (1 Samuel chapters 16+) that David would become the king of Israel. He wanted to make sure that David would never be king. These desert cliffs in this region are numerous and it is easy to see why David chose to hide out here while running from King Saul.
As we approached closer to Jerusalem, the landscape started changing. I saw rolling hills and a nomadic people called Bedwns. Interestingly, they were shepards tending their flocks just as they were doing when Jesus was born. They still travel by camel and mule.
All I could think about was when Jesus was born how the lowliest of people, the shepherds, were the first ones to hear the news from the angels (Luke chapter 2). It was easy to imagine these hills filled with the shepherds and hearing the good news.
As we got very close to the city of Jerusalem, the landscape changed again. The hills became bigger-the hills of Judea were prominent. The grassy rolling hillsides became larger and covered with trees such as pines and junipers. The sky became dark and it started to lightly rain.
I felt a heaviness and sadness. Everyone in town was scurrying around, trying to catch buses, honking horns and completely oblivious to this beautiful town and what happened here over two thousand years ago. In Matthew 23 we read that Jesus said "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."
That verse just would not get out of my head. We checked into the hotel and stepped out onto the balcony of our hotel room. The view was phenomenal. The Mount of Olives was just to our right AND the place where Jesus was crucified was to our left only a couple of blocks away. And then it began to pour. Lightening was striking every few minutes and the thunder was rolling and crackling like I have never heard before. What was even more striking was that the lightening was going from the left (where Calvary is) to the right towards the Mount of Olives. I kept looking for Jesus to appear on the Mount of Olives as prophesied in Zechariah chapter 4.
I truly felt I was hearing the voice of God. We all need to be reminded that there will be an end to this age. Not only do our religions point this out but science does also. We all need to be clear about who Jesus was and is. More on this later but that was my amazing welcome into God's Holy City. I was honored that He put on that amazing show for us. It was noticed and appreciated.
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