Israel Day 16

The Big Surprise

Another beautiful morning waking up at the Sea of Galilee, we are waiting to board the bus. A few of us were standing around discussing the events of the trip and a few of the guys start discussing a snake that they had run across the week prior and how they had “determined” that it was probably a black cobra. Scott Engebretson (aka: Mr. Dramatic) reveals that just the mentioning of the said snake makes him uneasy. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, I casually look behind me at the bushes behind us and without saying anything begin high stepping as though my life depended on it. Poor Mr. Engebretson had been had. My stomach was a little upset the remainder of that morning from laughing so hard; epic morning.

The first stop of the day was at Sepphoris. This was an interesting biblical/historical site. It was close enough that Joseph, father of Jesus, could have worked here. It is also the site where the Jewish oral law was collected and written down in the Talmud. However, the numerous preserved mosaics made the site stand out. This is the site of the famous “Mona Lisa of Galilee.” It was another site that provided an interesting look at the Roman influence among the Israelite culture.

Our next location took us to Nazareth. We stood at the “Jumping Hill” overlooking the Jezreel Valley. This is the traditional site where presumably Jesus was taken after His reading of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue and the leaders wanted to toss him off said cliff, and Jesus passed through the crowd. Oddly enough, many Muslims believe that Jesus flew away off the cliff. That does make the story a little more interesting… This site overlooked an Old Testament story of Deborah and Barak (Judges 4-5) where God delivered the Canaanite army of Sisera to the Israelites. If you have never experienced the animated stories of Dr. Stone, you have truly missed out. The story unfolded before our eyes on the valley far below.

The final destination initially seemed very odd. We approached the back gate and waited to be let in. This was very peculiar and wondered if we were entering from the back side as to avoid an Israelite checkpoint as we were very close to both Lebanon and Syria. However after cresting the hill, it became very apparent that Dr. Rasmussen was adding the “Awe” factor to the visit. From the dead tree (from Jesus Christ Superstar – where Judas hung himself), we looked down upon one of the most impressive Roman cities Scythopolis. Massive pillars lined the well constructed Roman road. There were bathhouses, places of worship and a nice size amphitheater. It was a stupendous way to end the day.

We left the Sea of Galilee field trip and returned back to home base at the JUC. After dinner, I decided to check emails and Facebook (aka: electronic crack). I had an email from the Financial Aid department concerning my awards. Upon opening it, it was revealed that I had been awarded a full scholarship for the 2011-2012 academic year! In the land of God’s promise, God has proven faithful and I pray that I continue to seek obedience to His will.

Blessings to all!