Saturday March 9, 2019
Early morning on Saturday, after opening the window curtains, I was stunned by the what I saw. In dramatic fashion the sun rose on the Sea of Galilee with the Golan Heights in the distance. After watching God paint this painting on the water and in the sky, I was running late. We were leaving Tiberias today so I had get my luggage, actually I only had a backpack, down to the lobby and ready for loading on the bus.
After a quick breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and headed along the Sea of Galilee and then south along the Jordan River to the Yardenit Baptismal site. The Jordan River Valley is the “lower course” of the Jordan River that extends from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea and there are towns and villages along the river valley in both Israel and in the Palestinian Territories, including the Yardenit Baptismal Site, Biet She’an, Masada, and Jericho. Jericho is the location of the wilderness and the mountain of temptation where Jesus fasted and was tempted by the Devil.
Yardenit Baptismal Site
Upon reaching Yardenit, those of us wishing to be baptized were ushered in to the changing locker room where we given “gowns” to wear.
Eight of us went into the cold water and navigated the slippery mossy stones to experience the Jordan River baptism just as Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist. I was the fourth to be baptized. Seeing photos throughout the years of people being baptized in the Jordan River was inspiring, lately many American football players have posted pictures on social media of their baptism in the river’s waters. For me to actually be dipped in the same river in which Jesus had been baptized was awe inspiring. I was first struck by how cold the water was, but it all was over in a matter of a couple of minutes. The thrill of it all was overwhelming and the knowledge that I was rededicated my life to follow Jesus was sobering.
Feeling elevated by the experience, I decided to treat myself to a pomegranate drink. Pomegranates are abundant in Israel and you can purchase fresh squeezed pomegranate juice everywhere. I got a large one the baptismal site.
Biet She’an
Later that hat morning we left the baptismal site and continued south along the Jordan Valley to the ancient Roman city of Biet She‘an. It was at this location pre Romans that King Saul, after losing the battle with Philistines at Mt Gilboa, was hung he and his sons. It is one of the largest archeological sites in the world . While we there, some of us climbed up high to view the whole site.
Jericho
Near noon on Saturday we left Biet She’an, and traveled out of Israel into the West Bank in the Palestinian Territories. There we visited Jericho which is believed to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. There we could see the Mount of Temptation where Jesus was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:8). While in Jericho we had lunch at a Palestinian restaurant. On the way out we saw the desert known as the “wilderness” where Jesus fasted for 40 days.
Masada
On Saturday afternoon, after lunch, we traveled out of the Palestinian Territories and into the Southern District of Israel and to the mountain fortress known as Masada. King Herod had two palaces built high up on the mountain. But Masada is best remembered for the last stand that ended in the mass suicide of 960 people as the Roman army breached the fortress to end the rebellion of Israel
The following journal articles are of my research for various design and painting projects planned. The intial posts are of Israel and Eygpt.