by Pastor Patrick Cho

Even though today is Pentecost, I’m going to call it “Jezreel Valley Day.” Of course, Pentecost is a national holiday and day of Sabbath rest, but our group spent the day touring the Jezreel Valley. This was a significant area in the history of Israel because the major International Coastal Highway, which connects Egypt and Mesopotamia, ran right through it. It is bordered by Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:19-20), Mt. Gilboa (1 Sam. 28:4), the Hill of Moreh (Judg. 7:1), Mt. Tabor (Judg. 4:6), and the Nazareth Ridge (Matt. 2:23) forming a sort of arrow shaped valley in the north.

Our first stop of the day was actually on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the city of Caesarea. We have heard throughout the trip about what an ingenious visionary and builder Herod was, but Caesarea was particularly impressive. If you view a map of the coast of Israel, there are very few natural harbors to protect boats from storms and waves. A long, flat coastline runs up and down the country. This is probably the biggest reason why the Israelites never really developed a strong navy.

Herod understood what an advantage it would be to have a harbor along the coast, so using Roman funding, he built one. His engineers developed a special concrete that would harden underwater and they laid the foundation for a massive harbor at Caesarea. Besides the harbor, Herod also built a magnificent city here complete with a hippodrome (for racing chariots), theatre, and palace. Of course, since it was a Herodian palace, there was a giant swimming pool.

On the east side of the palace was a large room that was determined to be a judgment hall. In Acts 23:23-24, plans were made for the Apostle Paul to appear before Felix the governor. After being imprisoned for two years, he stood before Festus (Acts 24:27-25:6), and eventually before King Agrippa II (Acts 25:22-23). All of these meetings most likely took place in that judgment hall. It was a bit surreal sitting there thinking that about 2000 years ago, Paul was tried in the very same place.

We took some time to walk around Caesarea. Some of our guys even raced around the hippodrome. Those who wanted to were given a chance to dip their feet in the Mediterranean Sea. Because of the city’s violent history, there were different kinds of buildings and artwork in the area. We saw a Roman house and an Ottoman bathhouse. There were even some buildings that were erected on the track of the hippodrome. Many of the floors had elaborate mosaics and tall marble columns rose up into the air. I wish I could have seen the city back when it was first built by Herod. It must have been beautiful.

After spending a couple hours at Caesarea, we headed for the Mt. Carmel mountain ridge. I didn’t know this before, but Mt. Carmel is not a single mountain but a small mountain range. It begins at the Mediterranean Sea and works its way southeast into the land. It also serves as the upper border of the hill country of Israel.

A couple biblical stories happened in this area. The Kishon River, which runs along the base of Mt. Carmel, is where the chariots of Sisera got stuck in the mud in the days of Deborah and Barak (Judg. 4:13-16; 5:21). But the most famous story associated with Mt. Carmel is when Elijah took on the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:1-46). This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible because of how Elijah mocked and taunted the prophets of Baal when their god did not deliver. Once the Israelites saw God’s deliverance and provision of fire to consume the altar, it was in the same Kishon River at the base of Mt. Carmel that the prophets of Baal were eventually killed (1 Kings 18:40). Being up on the mountain gave us a great view of the Jezreel Valley, but it also helped us envision what happened in the days of Deborah and Elijah.

From Mt. Carmel, we headed over to Megiddo. This was an important city because it was situated next to the major trade route. In fact, a giant grain silo was found in the city. Apparently, the inhabitants enjoyed great success with agriculture in the fertile valley and were able to use the grain for food and trade. Megiddo was where King Ahaziah of Judah was killed in battle by Jehu (2 Kings 9:27), and it was also where King Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt (2 Kings 23:29-30).

The greatest biblical battle associated with Megiddo, however, is Armageddon (cf. Rev. 16:16). Armageddon is the Greek transliteration of a compound word from the Hebrew meaning “Mountain of Megiddo.” This location has serious eschatological significance. The last great battle on earth will take place from Megiddo before Christ comes again destroying the armies of the earth and ushering in His kingdom.

From Megiddo, we headed to the Mount of Precipice outside Nazareth. Traditionally, this is the location that the people of Nazareth took Jesus to throw him off the cliff (Luke 4:29). Whether this was the actual location or not is impossible to confirm, but apparently according to the tradition, Jesus escaped the crowd by jumping off the cliff. This is why the Mount of Precipice is also called “The Leaping Mountain.” I seriously doubt that it is how Jesus escaped the crowd, but the cliff gave us a great view of the Jezreel Valley.

After the Mount of Precipice, we headed to our hotel. It was another long day and everyone was pretty tired. It was amazing to be able to walk around Caesarea and Megiddo and to be able to see these places in person to help provide some context to what I read in Scripture. Our hotel is in Nazareth. That alone is really cool. Of course, the city was much smaller in Jesus’ day, but it is still pretty cool to say we stayed in Jesus’ hometown.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It might not make sense, but I think the free days are as exhausting as our days of touring. Even though we have the day off to relax, very few people from the group actually relax. Most of us are still on our feet either finishing up shopping or visiting sites we didn’t have time for with the group. Today, John and I were able to do a little of both.

We began the day getting some shopping done in the Old City markets. It was fun bargaining with the shop owners and hunting for good deals. Some of the shop keepers can be very aggressive. One of the men in our group was approached by a guy selling postcards and the salesman actually reached into our guy’s pocket! Some of the shop keepers will even start wrapping up things for you to take before you even agree to buy them. Thankfully, throughout our days in Jerusalem, Dr. Grisanti was able to point us to a few shops where he had good experiences with the owners.

After we got some shopping done, we grabbed lunch with Dr. Michael and Holly Vlach. Dr. Vlach is a professor at The Master’s Seminary and our faculty host for the trip. It was really great getting to spend some time with them since John and I attended the seminary before Dr. Vlach was hired there. We didn’t talk about theology as much as about each other’s lives and how God led us to where we are currently. It was good to hear their testimonies and a little about their family. The food was really tasty, but the conversation was certainly one of the highlights of this trip.

We decided after lunch to visit the museum in the Citadel of David. This fortress was built by Suleiman the Magnificent and had one of the best observation decks of the city. The museum was super helpful because it walks you through the history of Israel beginning in the days of Canaan, walking through biblical history, and ending with the modern era. It was helpful to see where the city got its Jewish, Christian, and Muslim influences, and in what time periods each of those cultures dominated the city. The museum also helped to tie together and arrange chronologically a lot of the historical facts we had been learning from Dr. Grisanti.

It was Sabbath today so most of the shops and museums were closed. Some people from our group took advantage of an opportunity to visit a local Christian assembly and worship together with them. From what they shared, it was a really encouraging time of fellowship and praise. I was torn about whether to join them or not, but I’m still thankful to have had lunch with the Vlachs and to have visited the Citadel of David. In the evening, we met together again with the group from Dallas Theological Seminary to have a preview of our upcoming week in Galilee. I’m super excited to head up to Galilee! The teacher shared that most groups agree it is the most fun leg of the trip.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This morning, we met at 5:00am to climb to the top of Masada. We were told it would take us about forty-five minutes to an hour. It was a good walk just to the base of the hill, and I was already pretty tired. A snake path zigzagged up the side and sadly, I struggled to keep up with an eighteen-year-old girl with asthma. In my defense, I believe I was a bit dehydrated and had a lot of trouble sleeping the night before. Slowly but surely, I eventually made it to the top. (We caught the sunrise about halfway up.)

Masada is a fortress that was built by Herod in the mid-30’s B.C. After the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, during the Jewish-Roman war, some Jewish rebels fled to the fortress at Masada. Eventually, the Roman army built a siege ramp up to the fortress and were able to invade it, but Josephus records that Jews were already dead apparently participating in a mass suicide.

The top of Masada was very impressive. Herod had built a few palaces there, as well as massive cisterns, two swimming pools, and a giant bath house. There were also a great number of store houses. It was said that when the Romans finally took Masada, they discovered enough food and water there for years! It took me over an hour just to walk around to snap pictures of everything. The whole experience was amazing – walking up the hill in the morning, catching the sunrise, and then walking around Herod’s fortress. Instead of walking back down the hill, a bunch of us in the group decided to take the gondola back down. I would have taken the gondola up as well, but then I wouldn’t be able to say that I climbed Masada!

After Masada, we headed to the natural spring of En Gedi. This was the place where David fled to from Saul (1 Sam. 22:29). David found Saul relieving himself in a cave and had the opportunity to kill his oppressor, but did not lift up his hand against God’s anointed king (1 Sam. 23:1-22). The spring was beautiful. It was in a lush and fertile valley with several waterfalls. As we walked along, we were able to see some rock badgers dwelling there. At the end of the trail, some of the guys from our group stood under the waterfall and enjoyed the cool water.

After En Gedi, we travelled to the shore of the Dead Sea. I really wasn’t motivated to swim in it today. Normal ocean water is apparently about 3% salt, but the Dead Sea is about 30% salt. The shoreline is caked with crystallized salt. I have heard that if you do not wash properly after swimming, your whole body itches and gets very uncomfortable. The water can make scrapes and scratches burn and is super painful if it gets in your eyes. Still, it is supposed to be very good for your skin. Many shops in Israel sell products made with Dead Sea salt and mud.

Dr. Grisanti told me I needed to at least try it out, so after some coaxing, I went into the water. We were instructed simply to back into the water and slowly sit down. Once I did this, my feet popped up out of the water and I bobbed along on the surface. I have to admit this was really fun. It required no effort at all. The water just keeps you afloat. I was just getting to thinking, “Hey, this isn’t so bad,” when one of our friends came by and accidently splashed water in my face. My left eye immediately started to burn and I desperately scrambled back to shore to wash up. I had even less motivation to get back in the water, so I headed up to the showers and washed up.

From the Dead Sea, we got a chance to make a brief stop at Qumran. I totally forgot that this was going to be one of our stops, so it was a pleasant surprise for me. Even though it was probably the hottest spot we visited, I was so excited to be there that I didn’t care. We walked around the excavated area to see how the Qumran community lived, and we eventually got a look at (if I remember correctly) Caves 4, 5, and 10. Apparently, Cave 4 was very important because that is where the Isaiah, 1 Samuel, and Jeremiah scrolls were found. It was really exciting to be at Qumran especially since the Dead Sea Scrolls came to San Diego several years ago. I wish we would have had more time, but it was the end of the day and the place was ready to close.

After Qumran, we headed back to our hotel in Jerusalem. It felt like we were returning home since we spent the entire first week in this hotel. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and then headed to the rooms for some rest. Tomorrow is another free day, so hopefully I will be able to wrap up my shopping.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This morning we were in for a treat as we headed to the beach for some fun in the sun. The city of Eilat is certainly much different from Jerusalem. There are far fewer orthodox Jews walking around. Eilat is more of a party and resort city full of hotels and casinos. Off the beach, there is a beautiful coral reef with all sorts of exotic fish. Rather than wading out into the water, the parks and recreation people set up two piers that jutted out into the water. After getting our gear, we walked down to the end of one pier where we entered the water and started to swim towards the second pier. As I jumped into the water, I was immediately surrounded by a school of fish and could see all sorts of things that reminded me of “Finding Nemo.” Unfortunately, the current was really strong and the water was choppy, so some of the reef was cloudy and visibility was not great. Even still, it was nice to have some down time after days of rapid fire instruction and seemingly endless walking. I also had an underwater camera handy, so hopefully the pictures come out fine.

After snorkeling, we washed up and were able to visit a life size replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle. This stop was really fascinating! After a brief introduction, the tour guide walked us through the Tabernacle explaining every detail. Though there were times when the interpretations were a bit contrived, it was nice to hear about the Tabernacle from an evangelical perspective. It was also interesting to see the place’s dimensions. One detail that was surprising was the size of the bronze altar. I suppose it must have been fairly big to be able to fit large animals, but I shuddered when I thought about being a Levite carrying the altar throughout the wilderness (cf. Exod. 27:6-7). I don’t think I would have wanted to be given the altar carrying duty.

Just down the road from the Tabernacle model was a place called “Solomon’s pillars.” This was an immense natural cliff side carved out by wind and sandstorms. It was a gorgeous sight, but the stairs were not very fun to climb in the extreme desert heat. Even still, once we got up to the observation point the view was amazing, and it wasn’t a very long climb. At the base of the cliff was an ancient Egyptian temple to the goddess Hathor. Hathor is usually depicted as a woman with bull’s horns and is the patron goddess of mining. In the temple, you could see several standing stones, some ritual basins, and a holy of holies. This area was the site of copper mining, so the Egyptians probably put the temple there to help ensure their success. At the top of the stairs, there is an ancient drawing of Pharaoh Ramses offering a sacrifice to Hathor. This was one of the warmest places we visited, so it must have been miserable working as a copper miner in this area.

In the afternoon, we visited a wilderness reserve in Hai-Bar Yotvata where we could see various animals from the region. There were ostriches, lizards, various snakes, and rodents. The park also had a cheetah, hyena, owls, and wolves. The heat was so intense that most of the animals were lazing in the shade. Some would curiously look up at us as we passed, but most spent the time sleeping. The last area contained various kinds of vultures. There was a carcass of a young calf laid there for the birds to eat, but I think they were all too tired or hot to move. There is an area at the reserve where you could drive around and get a closer look at animals like ibexes and ostriches, but we unfortunately didn’t have time to do that.

At the end of the day, we arrived at a hostel at the base of Masada. This is located just west of the Dead Sea. The plan is to get some rest, meet up at 5:00am, and climb to the top of Masada to catch the sunrise. Since we’re in Israel, we have been told that this is the thing to do. I feel pretty motivated now, but we’ll see how I feel in the morning!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

After breakfast, we made our way over to Tel Beersheba. The name Beersheba is a compound word meaning “well of the oath” or “well of seven.” This is a possible location of Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech (Gen. 21:22-34). Even if it isn’t, and patriarchal Beersheba is located elsewhere, we at least know this is the Beersheba from the days of the divided monarchy (1 Kings 19:1-3).

In Beersheba, archaeologists uncovered a horned altar that was used for sacrifice. There were some problems with the people having this altar. First, it was made of cut stones. God had explicitly commanded his people to make their altar of uncut stones (Exod. 20:25; Deut. 27:5-6; Josh. 8:31). Second, this altar was very far from where the tabernacle would have been. The people of Israel were commanded not to worship wherever they wanted, but only at the place where the Lord chose to make His name dwell (i.e., typically wherever the Tabernacle was; Deut. 12:1-14). Even if the people of Beersheba sought to worship YHWH in sincerity, they were still in violation of His commands. This altar was probably torn down in the days of either Josiah or Hezekiah.

From Beersheba, we went to Tel Arad. There were two parts to this visit. First, we walked around an Early Bronze Age settlement. This city would have been around even 200 years before Abraham. It was a hot and arid area, which is why it seems the entire city was built around a cistern. On one end of the city, there was a double temple. Two ritual basins and altars for sacrifice were found as well as a standing stone, which was usually associated with pagan worship. Some believe the double temple was for their god and his consort (sort of like Baal and Ashtoreth).

At the top of the hill, we entered into the Israelite fortress, which was first settled in the days of David. Archaeologists discovered that the fortress had been inhabited at least six times, which means it was destroyed at least five times. Sadly, this fortress also served as a representation of false worship. A temple was also found at this fortress complete with a holy of holies. There were also two standing stones and two altars of incense. Some believe this temple was dedicated to YHWH and some other god (possibly His consort). Regardless of who was supposed to be worshipped at this temple, it was in violation of God’s command to only worship where He caused His name to dwell (cf. Deut. 12).

After Tel Arad, we travelled through the Wildernesses of Zin and Paran. This is where the Israelites wandered for about forty years because of their disobedience and faithlessness before entering into the Promised Land. We had a couple opportunities to step out of the air-conditioned bus to take in the land. Needless to say, I was thankful not to have been a part of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. It was brutally hot and one could understand why the Israelites complained so often about their living conditions.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of my favorite times of the trip so far was being able to sit in the desert for about half an hour reflecting on Deuteronomy 8. We were right on the border between the Wildernesses of Zin and Paran when Dr. Grisanti instructed us to leave the bus to have a time to reflect on God’s Word. We initially joked around about how miserable this time would be because of the desert heat, but being out in the sun and feeling the heat was actually very helpful for my soul.

I considered the disobedience of Israel and how they so often quickly turned from the Lord. I reflected on my own failures and tendencies to trust in myself or become distracted by the things of the world. This brought me back to the faithfulness of God. As far as I might wander, I am never outside the reach of God. He draws me back and gives me strength and direction to walk in His ways. I am where I am because of His faithfulness to His promises. Being in the desert reminded me of these truths. That’s why, even though we were baking in the sun, that was one of the sweetest times on the trip thus far.

At the end of the day, we finally arrived at the southernmost tip of Israel, in the resort city of Eilat. It was cool driving down because on the opposite side of the Jordan River, we could see the nations of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Off in the distance towards the southwest, we could faintly see Egypt. This certainly was a place where nations converge. When we arrived, we enjoyed a delicious dinner before heading back to our rooms to get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll get a chance to take a break in the morning to enjoy some snorkeling at the beach!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Today was Shephelah (pronounced shuh-FAY-lah) day. The Shephelah is a region of rolling hills acting as a buffer zone between the coastal plain and hill country of Israel. Because of its strategic location with its five major valleys running east and west, biblically and historically this has been an area of great significance and tension. When Samson fell for one of the daughters of Timnah, which eventually led to his letting 300 foxes with fiery tails wreak havoc on the Philistine grain fields (Judges 14-15), this happened in the Shephelah. When the Philistine army encamped between Socoh and Azekah, and David was first introduced to the giant Goliath (1 Sam. 17), that happened in the Shephelah.

We began the day by driving down to Beth-Shemesh. When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, this led not only to a humiliation of their god Dagon in Ashdod but an affliction of tumors as well. When these things happened, the men of Ashdod astutely concluded that the Ark could not stay there (1 Sam. 5). They put the Ark of the Covenant on a cart and set it loose, and it eventually found its way to Beth-Shemesh (1 Sam. 6:1-16). From where we were standing, we could see the possible route the cows might have taken.

One of the highlights of the day was traveling to Azekah, which was strategically situated up on a hill above the Elah Valley. Somewhere down below in the valley is where David defeated the Philistine giant Goliath. It was really neat being able to see where the armies might have camped and where Goliath would have shouted his taunts. Our group even had a chance to go down into a dry river bed and pick out some smooth-ish stones (1 Sam. 17:40).

Another fascinating stop we made today was in Lachish. This was a very significant city because of its southern location. Any nation who wanted to invade Judah would need to deal with Lachish, which was the second most significant city in the Southern Kingdom (aside from Jerusalem). When the Assyrian king Sennacherib came to invade Judah, he eventually took Lachish (2 Kings 18:13-14). Though it seems the army at Lachish put up a fight, the Assyrians were too many.

The city actually has the only surviving example of an Assyrian siege ramp. You can see how the Assyrian army built a ramp to make their way up to the city wall. They would typically send a battering ram up the ramp to destroy part of the city wall. You can also see how the people of Lachish piled dirt on the opposite side of the wall so that if the Assyrians made it through, they would just see dirt on the other side. In order to defend the city, it seems the people of Lachish threw anything they had over the wall to slow the Assyrian forces.

Still, eventually Sennacherib took the city. Back in Assyria, he dedicated an entire room in his palace to this victory. There are brutal images he painted of Israelites impaled on sticks. He even collected the heads of the victims to underscore his fearsomeness. Though he was able to defeat the city of Lachish, because of his boasts against God, the Lord protected the city of Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:31-37). Sennacherib eventually returned to Nineveh and died by the hands of his own sons.

That was Shephelah day. It really helped to visualize many of the events of Israel’s history and buttressed our confidence in the faithfulness of God to preserve His people. At day’s end, we arrived in Beersheba and checked into a youth hostel. Surprisingly, the place was clean and the food was good. John and I even took an evening stroll to the local mall to get an ice cream before going back to the hostel and getting some rest.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Today, our group enjoyed a free day in Jerusalem. Those who are taking the trip for course credits had a quiz this morning. It was optional for me to take the quiz as well, but I passed. Instead, John and I spent the morning exploring the markets in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem and buying souvenirs for family and friends. I’m a little worried about how much my bag weighs, but I’ll ditch some clothes and stuff if it is necessary.

We were able to grab lunch with Dr. Grisanti and pick his brain about church ministry. This was honestly one of the highlights of our trip for me. It has been tremendously encouraging to see his heart for the Lord in wanting to glorify Him in everyday things. It was nice to be able to steal him away from the group for a couple hours and glean from his wisdom.

From lunch, John and I went to visit the Temple Institute museum. This was a fascinating visit, because the Temple Institute is dedicated to rebuilding the Temple, beginning with its furnishings. Outside in a glass case, they have a golden lampstand that they built and covered with pure gold! The inside of the museum had displays with the table for the showbread, the altar of incense, and the silver trumpets amongst other things. It was helpful to see these things up close to get a sense of what the furnishings of the Temple might have looked like in Solomon’s time, but it was also sad to consider biblical eschatology and what these things would eventually be used for (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

After a quick dinner at the hotel, we headed back to the Temple mount for a tour of the Western Wall. This is a tour along the entire Western Wall, and not just the part that is exposed for prayer. An enthusiastic tour guide walked us along the wall pointing out various things along the way. She showed us what would have been the main bridge and entry way into the Temple mount from the west, she pointed out an aqueduct that would have brought water in for the services of the Temple, and showed us a rock quarry that was used to build some of the stones of the Temple. Along the way, we found some Jewish women praying because they believe one part of the wall is just opposite where the Holy of Holies would have stood.

It was an interesting tour and a chance to get a closer look at the Temple’s foundation stones. Some of the stones were monstrous, and we could not help but wonder how the engineers were able to do it without modern technology and equipment. Some of these stones would have been very difficult to move even by today’s standards! The other thing that impressed us was how closely the stones fit together. These massive stones barely had a crack between them demonstrating masterful expertise.

The free day was nice, but also very tiring. Instead of catching up on rest, we were pretty much on our feet the entire day. Even still, it was great having the freedom to walk around the city and take things in at our pace. For those who know how fast Pastor John walks, Dr. Grisanti walks even faster!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It is hard to believe that we have been in Israel for about a week now. It’s strange how in some ways it feels like time is flying by, and in some ways it feels like we have been here forever. This morning, we began the day at the Menachem Begin Center. We didn’t look around too much, but this was a helpful stop because the museum has examples of First Temple period tombs. This would have been the way well-to-do people were buried in the days of David and Solomon. These would be different than the Second Temple period kind of tomb that Jesus was buried in, but there are some similarities and it was still fascinating. There were a group of tombs that were discovered and (pretty carelessly) dug up that we could examine. Some of our team members even took turns lying where the deceased would have been laid. It made for some fun(?) pictures.

From the Menachem Begin Center, we took the bus to Bethlehem. It was interesting crossing over the Green Line into the Palestinian city. Of course in Bethlehem you can visit the Church of the Nativity, and that was the main reason why we went. The door to the church, called the Door of Humility, was designed very low so that you have to stoop to enter. Inside, the place looked like a typical Catholic Church with all its decorations and gilded furniture. I believe three different religious groups help run the church, so that explains why it seemed like there were three times as many decorations in the apse. We walked through the church quickly, but didn’t take the time to wait in line to visit the “navel of the earth.” There is a hole that you can put your hand in to touch the air in the recesses below the church where Jesus was supposedly born.

After the Church of the Nativity, we drove over to the Herodium, which is also very close to Bethlehem. This was a very impressive fortress/palace built by Herod the Great, and it is also the place where he was laid to rest. From afar, we could see that the Herodium was constructed on a hilltop. After the building was complete, Herod had servants bring up mounds of dirt to cover the outside walls so that as someone would approach, it would look like a normal hill. There is a giant swimming pool and race track at the base of the hill, and the palace itself was pretty amazing. As much as Herod was not liked during his time (and even to today), you have to admit that he was an ingenious designer/builder. Not only did he build these impressive palaces, of course he also rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem.

We left Bethlehem and then headed over to Hebron to visit Ma’arat HaMachpela, or “The Tomb of the Cave.” This is the location where Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and Leah are buried (Rachel is buried in northern Bethlehem). Because of historical tradition, we are pretty sure this is the actual location. It is an interesting place because it is a Jewish synagogue and Muslim mosque in one building. Because of the history of the politics, the Jews maintain the half of the building over which Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and Leah are buried. The Muslims maintain the half of the building over which Isaac or Ishmael was buried (we don’t really know for sure who is on the Muslim side, though they claim it is Ishmael). We were not allowed into the Muslim side of the building so we only saw the Jewish side. There were four rooms dedicated to each of the patriarchs and matriarchs, and several Jews walked the corridors reading the Scriptures or Talmud as they passed by.

It was sad to see how people had thrown money or written prayers into the rooms. The Jews are a very superstitious people who believe that God’s blessing is greater at these kinds of holy sites. How awesome it is to consider that God is ever with us and that we don’t have to make pilgrimages to holy places to get any nearer to Him. He meets with us where we are and we can draw near to Him.

After Hebron, we headed back to the hotel and are going to enjoy a free day tomorrow. After the free day, we are going to pack up and leave for the Negev. I’m not sure what the internet situation is going to be, but I will try to update this journal as often as I can while we are down there. I really miss the my family and the church, and can’t wait to be back to share more stories and fill in some of the blanks that I have deliberately skipped in this journal for the sake of keeping the length short.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Today was another bus day, but the schedule was jam packed. We began by heading east over the Mount of Olives into the Judean wilderness on route to Jericho. This was a fascinating stop, and thankfully it wasn’t brutally hot out there. There is a major ridge route called the Ascent of Adummim that would have taken travelers roughly along the course of the Wadi Qilt from Jerusalem to Jericho. This route is the setting for Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). It was really helpful to see how treacherous that journey would have been especially with all the caves and nooks in which robbers could have hidden. This wilderness was also the place where John the Baptist lived while eating locusts and honey (Matt. 3:1-4), and somewhere in the wilderness is probably where Jesus was led by the Spirit to be tempted (Matt. 4:1).

From the wilderness, we continued traveling northeast to Jericho. There are actually two Jerichos in existence today. The northern Jericho (also Tel es-Sultan) is the city that Joshua conquered in the Old Testament. The southern Jericho is from New Testament times, where Herod built Cypros, a fortress in honor of his mother. Walking around Tel es-Sultan was surreal. I couldn’t believe I was standing on the ground of Jericho! (And I couldn’t help but sing the VeggieTales song, “Keep Walking.”) I learned a few things from visiting the city. First, the city actually had two walls, an outer wall and an inner wall. They probably both came tumbling down when Joshua defeated the city. Rahab’s house would have been built into the outer wall. Second, the vast majority of the city surprisingly has not been excavated. It kind of made me want to get on my hands and knees and start digging! And third, the city of Jericho with its walls that reached to the heavens, was not a very big city. It would take about fifteen to twenty minutes to walk around its perimeter. But for where the city is located (off the beaten path) and for Bible times, I suppose it was a significant city.

From Jericho, we went west to the area of Geba and Michmash. This is the setting of the story when Jonathan defeated the Philistine garrison (1 Sam. 14:1-15). There is a significant canyon separating Geba and Michmash simply called “the pass” in Scripture. Geba is where the Israelites were camped, and Michmash is where the Philistines were camped. Jonathan and his armor bearer climbed down one side of this enormous and incredibly steep canyon and back up the other side before meeting the Philistines in battle. He quickly killed twenty men (after climbing that canyon on hand and foot), and the rest of the Philistines retreated. Needless to say, Jonathan is the man (and his armor bearer was pretty much manly, too). I was tired just climbing to the lookout from the bus!

After a couple more stops to see the Central Benjamin Plateau and learn about the significant biblical events that took place there, we ended our day in Gezer. A couple significant archaeological finds are worth noting from Gezer. First, at the city wall there is a six-chambered gate. This was a significant advancement because most cities only had four chambered gates. This is important because these six-chambered gates could be associated with Solomon. Several other cities that we know Solomon worked to rebuild also had these gates. Second, archaeologists discovered the Gezer calendar in this city. It looked to be a primer for school children about the harvest, but evinces one of the earliest forms of alphabetic writing.

While most of the locations we visited are not as well-known to believers as other major cities like Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the significance of the Central Benjamin Plateau can’t be missed. It provided a major crossroads both north/south and east/west and really was the front door to Jerusalem. It is no wonder we see so much happen in this area, particularly in the Old Testament. Possession of this area was strategic for controlling the land. It was a long day, but a fascinating day of learning.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Today was a bus day! Instead of walking everywhere we went, an air-conditioned bus picked us up in the morning and dropped us off at our location. It then picked us up and took us to our next destination. My legs were so grateful for this gift of grace! I appreciate so much more how much walking the people in Jesus’ day must have done. For example, Jerusalem and Bethany are on opposite sides of the Mount of Olives. Jesus probably stayed in Bethany during Passover, which means He walked over the Mount of Olives almost every night during the Passion Week! We took a bus.

So our first destination was the Mount of Olives. The bus took us to the top of the hill and we walked down. Walking downhill, we came first to the Jewish cemetery that pretty much covers the entire south side of the hill. Although this is not the exact cemetery that Jesus would have referred to in Matthew 23:27, it provided a great picture of what Jesus was saying. The Jews buy plots on the Mount of Olives facing the Temple Mount. The view from up there is absolutely breathtaking! Because of the view, it is prime real estate for dead people. A plot could easily cost a few hundred thousand dollars, and sometimes over a million! So, it’s not an average Joe’s burial ground. It is understood by some that they want to be buried there so that they can have front row seats when the Messiah comes to establish His kingdom. It’s so sad to consider that He did come already and that He won’t be coming to save them when He comes again.

The hill is literally covered with graves. On most of the graves, there are stones that people have piled on the grave markers to remember the deceased. An example of this is seen at the end of the movie “Schindler’s List,” when the Jews walk by and put stones on Oscar Schindler’s grave. Some of the graves have a lot of stones on them, which may indicate that the person there was very important, like Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the inventor of Modern Hebrew, and Menahem Begin, former prime minister of Israel.

From the cemetery, we headed to the sanctuary of Dominus Flevit. This is a church deliberately designed to look like a tear drop or upside-down mourner’s cup. Back in Jesus’ day, professional mourners would collect their tears so that if real emotions could not be mustered up, they could artificially add some tears to their faces. The cups were also given to the survivors of the victims as mementos. Dominus Flevit is supposedly the location where Jesus mourned over Jerusalem. The location is possible, but there is no way to really know for sure. But it was helpful to see the view that Jesus would have had as He came up over the Mount of Olives from Bethany. When He saw the city out across the horizon, He wept for the lost people of the city (Luke 19:41-42).

Our next destination down the hill was the first of two possible sites for Gethsemane. The first was the Roman Catholic site, which was a very beautiful and lush garden filled with olive trees and various flowers. Of course, there was also a huge church there with a mass service. The place was really crowded with tourists. There were also vendors at the entrance trying to sell goods and souvenirs to the crowds walking by. The honking cars and buses also stole away from the serenity of the location.

The second possible location is probably more likely given the historical data, but both locations don’t have a ton of support. Really Jesus could have prayed anywhere, but the name Gethsemane means “a press of oil” and some oil presses were discovered in both areas. When the Crusaders first came to this second site, they believed it to be the likely spot. Through various circumstances, the Eastern Orthodox Church was able to secure the location. At least with this one, the Roman Catholics got the second choice. There isn’t a garden here but a grotto next to the giant Orthodox Church. We only took a brief look around because they were conducting mass at the grotto.

We then jumped back on the bus and headed to the Israel Museum. This was a bit of a disappointing stop because we did not know the museum was going to close for Sabbath as early as it did. By the time we got around to actually entering the museum, it was closed. Still, out in the center open air area of the museum, they have a giant model of Jerusalem as it would have looked in the days of Herod and Jesus. This was a very impressive sight! The model isn’t entirely biblical, but still very effective. It was also inspired by the Talmud and Josephus, so there are buildings there that are not mentioned in the Bible. It was helpful to give our group an overview of the topography of the city and the distances of locations in relation to each other. It was also helpful to see which walls and gates would have been around in Jesus’ day.

From there, we got back on the bus and headed to the city outside the Damascus Gate to visit Gordon’s Calvary. This was a beautiful and serene location, but very unlikely as the actual location for the crucifixion. Still, it served as a helpful picture of the events that took place around Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is funny though how growing up, this was the location that the churches I attended emphasized. It is from this location that Sunday School children are taught that the stone that was rolled away was over six feet in diameter and up to eighteen inches thick. In reality, the stone for Jesus’ tomb was probably more like four feet in diameter. Given all the historical details, an overwhelming case can be made that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the actual location. This was a bit disappointing because Gordon’s Calvary is a much prettier and serene location.

That pretty much concluded our day. We walked back to the hotel and had a chance to briefly do some shopping before having dinner. After dinner, we had class time together with the folks from Dallas Theological Seminary to prepare for tomorrow. We will be visiting the Central Benjamin Plateau, which was a very strategic area for the nation Israel because of its topography. I’m super excited because we will begin the day by heading out to Jericho via the eastern wilderness. I have been looking forward to that for months now.