Sept 10, 2022
Hello from the Holy Land:
Day 3 started out with a trip to the Golan Heights. This is a long stretch of a very hilly terrain that serves as the border between Israel and Syria. The Israelis took the heights in the Six Day War in 1967, and it’s not hard to understand why they do not want to give it back. They certainly have the high ground along this border.
The ancient city of Caesarea Phillipi , today known as Banias, once was a part of the Golan heights. It was at Caesarea Phillipi where Jesus asked his disciples the question - Who do you say I am, and of course Peter answered, you are the Messiah. Hold on to that thought, for when the Greek Empire rolled through this area, they built a temple to Pan, a half-man, half-goat god, and they sacrificed goats to Pan as part of their worship service. I found it very ironic that Jesus would ask about who he was at this spot. It got me thinking about what I believe.I believe in the one God, and I believe there are no others god’s, but I also believe the One God I know through Jesus Christ, is also known In different ways to other people of Faith, be they Jewish, Muslim, Hindus, Buddhist, etc, Surely God is big enough for us Christians to understand that we cannot contain or lay an absolute claim on the divine Creator of us all.
We next went to the ancient territory of the tribe of Dan. After the reign of King Solomon, The twelve tribes of Israel had a falling out that resulted in a split. As a result, ten tribes relocated to the North, taking with them the name of Israel, and two tribes occupied the South, and became Judah. Jeroboam was theKing of Israel, and to keep his subjects from making annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem, located in Judah, he built a temple in the territory of Dan, one of the ten breakaway tribes. We saw the ruins of that temple today. To make matters worse, Israel and Judah went to war. A civil war, and I’m sure there were times when members of the same family were trying to kill one another. It’s a sad part of this great nation’s history that we don’t hear very often, but like all tragic histories, if we don’t know what we have done in the past, how will we ever learn to live a better tomorrow.
It was hot today, so our tour guide had mercy on us, and sent us home early. This gave Kim and I the opportunity to go and swim in the Sea of Galilee. Because of the hot weather, the Sea, which is really a fresh water lake, was warm, bathtub warm, but Kim and I didn’t care. We were wading in from the shore and going for a swim in a body of water where Jesus probably did the same. When I looked around this modern day beach, watching all the famlies splashing, swimming, diving off the dock, floating on water mattresses, I thought Jesus would smile to see so many of God’s children having a good time.
It was morning, and now it’s evening, the third day. It was very good.
Take care and God bless.
Ed