The Attack!

Our Israeli guide, Asher (means "happy" :)), kept referring to our day as the "attack." I think because we had a lot of ground to cover and a shorter day than normal to do so, since Friday evening is the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. We were up at 6:00 a.m., had breakfast, loaded our luggage onto the bus and were off by 7:30 a.m. Our first stop was Jappa (Jaffa), not far from our hotel. We learned about the importance of this city anciently as a port city, but we focused mainly on the "traditional" site of Simon the Tanner's home where Peter stayed, raised Tabitha from the dead and had a vision (three times) of an angel holding a blanket containing unclean animals. This brought about the beginning of spreading the gospel to the gentiles, by the baptism of Cornelius (all of this is covered in Acts 9-11) What made this site, and all the others we visited today, so imprinted upon our minds was the commentary and testimony Bro. McKay gave, in connection to the spiritual events that took place. He also related these events to important gospel principles. For example, at Joppa Bro. McKay bore powerful testimony on the power of the priesthood. We went on to see the archeological site of King Herod's palace, theater and aquaduct in Caesarea, and were reminded of Paul who had the opportunity to relay his conversion to the gospel of Christ to King Agrippa, who told Paul, "Thou almost persuadest me to be a Christian." The next site to visit was Mt. Carmel, where Elijah went up against the 450 priests of Ba'al, and basically told them that they had to choose who they would believe in and serve: God or Ba'al (1 Kings 18:21) We too must decided who we will serve. We talked about how blessed we are to have a living prophet to lead and guide us, and how important it is to follow his counsel. Bro. McKay related a comment that Pres. Hinkely said at a recent Temple groundbreaking: when asked what he would be remembered for, his quick response was: "I will be remembered as the prophet that everyone loved but no one listened too." Wow, what does that say about you and me and all who profess to follow the prophet? How dedicated are we to choose to serve God in all things, and in all ways and all places? We ended by singing "We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet" inside the chapel on top of Mt. Carmel. We went on to see Meggido, an ancient city that is mentioned the second most times in the Bible after Jerusalem. Following lunch at a nearby kibbutz, we drove to Nazareth, where we visited a beautiful chapel built over the "traditional" spot of the annuciation (where Gabriel visited Mary and told her she would be the mother of the Son of God). On the walls of the outer courtyard are mosaics of Mary and the Christ child from many different nations around the world. Each mosaic was an incredible work of art, and I loved how they reflected the specific country it was from. We had a very tender discussion on Mary and her role as the mother of Christ. The church had been built over ancient ruins that included ancient tiles from the Byzintine (sp?) period. Our last stop of the day was Cana, where the first recorded miracle of Jesus took place. It was at a wedding, and today there is a chapel built over an ancient site that includes tiles in aramic (the language which Jesus spoke) that date back to just before Jesus's time. Many couples renew their vows at this chapel, and there was a group of Japanese couples doing just that while we were there. On display was a waterpot of stone similar to the one mentioned in the account when Jesus turned water into wine. We were all surprised at how big these vessels were--Alan estimated that each pot could hold over 27 gallons (2-3 ferkins), which meant that Christ changed 162 gallons of water into wine, and not just your run-of-the-mill cheapo wine, but the good stuff: (John 2: 10) "...but thou has kept the good wine unto now," indicative of what Jesus was really offering, the best of the best--resurrection and eternal life. We returned to Nazereth and our hotel, had dinner, and then ended our day with a short fireside on the Jewish Sabbath. We all wanted to know about the Jews and the traditions they followed on the Sabbath, and how these rituals were designed to show them the Messiah. It was clear to all of us that by being so caught up in these outward "rituals" they totally missed the Messiah--they missed the point of these reminders. Are we missing the point? Do we hear all things of Christ, do all things in Christ and walk in His ways? Bro. McKay suggested that the 2nd Coming will be when WE come unto Him. In other words, make Christ a part of our life, everyday. When Jesus lived and taught among his people, they did not recognize him. We will recognize Him when He comes if we are like Him. Shalom!