by Pastor Patrick Cho

We have only been in Israel for two days, but it feels like we’ve been here for over a week. I’m so thankful for how Dr. Grisanti has thought through how to maximize our time while we are here. This of course means we walk a lot (I don’t think I’ve ever walked so much in my life!), but the exercise is actually starting to feel good. I may be able to come home in much better shape than when I left (physically and spiritually!).

We began the day with breakfast at the hotel and class at 7:30am. Along with the sightseeing, all that we have been learning has been a bit overwhelming. It really is like drinking out of the proverbial drinking fountain. We have been learning about Old Testament history, New Testament history, modern Israeli history, geography, manners and customs, etc. Class this morning was about getting a better grasp of the city in general. We reviewed its major hills, valleys, gates, water sources, and history. We ended our time of instruction learning some Hebrew songs.

A little after class, we walked along the perimeter of the city, on the city wall (called the Rampart Walk) travelling from the Jaffa Gate to the Zion Gate. Although these were not the original city walls, it was interesting to see the city from that vantage point. Looking down from the walls, it was clear to see how they gave defenders an advantage from sieges and attacks. It will be interesting to go to Jericho later on this trip to learn more about the wall there.

From the Rampart Walk, we headed out to the probable site of the Upper Room and Last Supper. Of course, the original room has been buried over time and a new building has been built in its place, but it was still really cool to know where the room was in relation to other parts of the city and to review what happened there. It was there that Jesus broke bread with His disciples and instituted communion (Luke 22:7ff). He also washed His disciples’ feet and instructed them to humbly serve one another (John 13). The Upper Room was also where Judas left to betray Christ after Jesus offered him bread (John 13:26-30).

From the Upper Room, we went to another high perch overlooking the city from the south. This was at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. This allegedly is the location of Caiaphas’ house. Historically, this would have been where Jesus was tried and Peter denied Christ three times before the rooster crowed twice. Gallicantu literally means “rooster crow” (the Spanish word for rooster is “gallo”), and we could actually hear some roosters in the distance. There really isn’t any archaeological evidence that this site is authentic, but it did offer an awesome view. From the vista, we could see the Temple Mount, the supposed site of the Potter’s Field, and pretty much the entire city south of the Temple. Of particular interest was when Dr. Grisanti walked us through Solomon’s coronation. It was fascinating to see geographically how Adonijah’s failed coup played out with Solomon’s coronation (1 Kings 1). While Adonijah prepared to declare himself king, he would have audibly heard the trumpets blow announcing Solomon’s reign.

After a quick lunch, we headed up the Via Dolorosa (or “The Way of Suffering”) to St. Anne’s Basilica. This is the site of the pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. The pools were surprisingly deep (almost 40 feet!) and you could see where the porticos (or patios) were. The local tradition of the area was that an angel would come and stir the waters and whoever was the first to climb in the pool would be miraculously healed. This man being an invalid was unable to enter the waters first, but Jesus miraculously healed him demonstrating His power, authority, and lovingkindness, but also authenticating His message as God’s Messiah. Of course, the Pharisees were more concerned that this man was carrying his bed on the Sabbath, and they overlooked the entire miracle and Miracle Worker.

From Bethesda, we had to quickly get over to the Museum of the First Temple. This place had artifacts and information about Solomon’s Temple and was absolutely fascinating. It also houses the oldest discovered facsimile of the Old Testament from Numbers 6. It was written on a thin sheet of silver and rolled up as an amulet! This is also the location of a pomegranate that was quite possibly used as a decoration on the priestly gown of Solomon’s Temple. On the pomegranate is engraved, “For the priest of the Temple of —-.” The blank is for the name YHWH. Since the Jews are careful about taking the Lord’s name in vain, you are expected to enter in the blank the word adonai (Lord), Jehovah, or ha shem (the Name).

After the museum, we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. There is heavy historical and archaeological evidence that this is the actual site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the empty tomb. The entire church was built in the days of Constantine by his mother Helena, destroyed in an invasion in the 600’s, and then rebuilt by the Crusaders. Inside it evoked mixed feelings in me. It was absolutely humbling and sobering to stand on the ground of the crucifixion and to see the site of the empty tomb. Just to consider historically what took place there was a worshipful experience that I will never forget. But the church is also a gaudy monstrosity of false worship. There are relics and decorations everywhere you see. Everything is covered in gold. But the saddest thing was to see the people there placing their faith in those relics and routines and trying to find God’s grace through them.

We actually didn’t go into the empty tomb because there is about an hour and a half wait just to see it for about a few seconds. But people do it! They wait in line just for the chance to touch the place where Jesus was laid. Dr. Grisanti was quick to remind us that Jesus was only in there for three days. We could certainly look forward more to when we will actually see Him on that last day.

There is a rock at the entrance of the church cut from Golgotha where people kiss the rock and rub their handkerchiefs on it as a way of taking some grace with them. It’s said that those handkerchiefs could aid in healing people or evoking blessing from God. It was just sad to see people weeping over this piece of rock and rubbing their handkerchiefs as if it is going to do some good. To see how greatly lost and misled these people were broke my heart.

At the end of the day, we headed back to the hotel for dinner before visiting a pedestrian district to see some modern shops. We ended up spending some time with team members at a McDonald’s. This was another very full and tiring day, but one that was also full of blessings. The devotionals that Dr. Grisanti has been sharing along the way have been truly encouraging and inspiring. Set against the backdrop of the city, the Word of God truly comes to life.

by Pastor Patrick Cho

We made it to Israel! The plane landed at Tel Aviv on-time at about 1:30pm. Dr. Grisanti met us at the airport and transported us to Jerusalem. Along the way, he taught us helpful phrases in Hebrew like, “Good morning, teacher!” (boqer tov moreh) and “How are you?” (mah shalom-kha or mah shalom-ekh). What was fascinating, though, was learning about the topography of Israel while actually driving across the country. We started in Tel Aviv on the coastal plain and headed east through the shephelah (or rolling hills). Past the shephelah was the hill country with its steep peaks and deep valleys. Once the bus got over the hills, we drove through the rift valley before arriving in the Old City of Jerusalem.

We entered the city through the Jaffa Gate, which is the biggest of the city gates. It’s called the Jaffa or Joppa Gate because it faces the city of Joppa, which is on the coast. After checking into our hotel and getting settled in, we went up to a high viewpoint to get an overview of the city. Jerusalem is basically made up of three valleys running north and south. To the west is the Hinnom Valley, in the center is the Central Valley, and to the east is the Kidron Valley. Between the Hinnom and Central Valleys is the Western Hill, and between the Central and Kidron Valleys is the Eastern Hill. Just beyond the Kidron Valley to the east is the Mount of Olives. It was seriously surreal standing on that perch overlooking the city. I had seen Jerusalem in pictures from books and the internet, but it was amazing to see the city in person.

We left the perch to take care of things like exchanging money and buying things that people in the group forgot, and afterwards we headed back to the hotel for dinner. Dinner was SUPER good. They had an assortment of salads, a seasoned ground beef patty with herbs and spices, seasoned turkey, rice pilaf, and steamed veggies. They also had pita and the best hummus I’ve ever tasted. Everything tasted really fresh and green! The people here certainly like their veggies!

After dinner, the group met downstairs to head out to the Western Wall (the Jews no longer refer to it as the Wailing Wall). There was some kind of military graduation going on so the area was packed with soldiers and their friends and family. The ceremony was a bit distracting, but it still didn’t take away from the experience of being at the Western Wall. There are separate areas for men and women. Clothing is to be modest. Voices are to be hushed. The men put on little yarmulkes because head coverings are required. As is the custom, people write little prayers and stuff them into the cracks of the wall. Going with the tradition, Pastor John and I wrote out little prayers ourselves and placed them in the wall.

I honestly had to take a moment to step back and watch. It was certainly exciting to be there, but it was also sobering. The ultra-orthodox Jews meet there to pray because it is one of the closest places they can stand to the original Temple’s Holy of Holies. They prayed fervently, yearning for some hope for their nation. Many of them were weeping as they prayed, leaning on the wall for support. It was heartbreaking to consider that their Messiah had come and had offered hope for the nation, but they missed it altogether.

Well, we left the Western Wall and headed over to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We are planning to return there tomorrow, but Dr. Grisanti wanted us to see a daily tradition that takes place at 9:00pm. The church is shared by five different “Christian” religious groups made up of Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians. Sadly, the five groups cannot get along (videos can even be found online of them fighting with one another). Because they can’t agree on who has the greatest authority in the church building, they assigned the task of locking up the church to a Muslim family that lives there. Instead of having everyone leave to lock the door, at 9:00pm, they give the warning that the doors are going to be locked, and the Muslim fellow locks all the groups inside.

After the Church of Holy Sepulcher, we headed back to the hotel to get washed up and ready for an early start tomorrow. Jerusalem is built on a hill, so everywhere you walk is either up or down. Our legs truly got a workout today. I think they’re going to cramp up in my sleep! It was a tiring day, but I was thankful for all we were able to accomplish and learn – and it’s only Day 1! I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, but I hope our legs can keep up with the pace. Please also continue to pray for John since all the walking is particularly difficult for him with his recent sickness. Thank God we have a nurse in our group!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

It still hasn’t really set in that I’m on an airplane heading to Israel! Words can’t express how excited and thankful I am for this opportunity. I’m so grateful to the Lighthouse church family for making this possible. Our group met up at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX this morning at 10:30am. John and I grabbed some lunch with Christine and Eden before heading through security around noon. I was also thankful to see briefly my brother and his wife who drove up from Orange County to see me off, and Christine’s cousin who works at LAX.

We were greeted by Dennis Swanson, our trip coordinator, and quickly got checked in at El Al Airlines. I’ve met a number of people in our group now, and some have had some experience travelling to Israel. They all agree that the trip with The Master’s Seminary is going to be much more detailed and educational than anything they have been on before. That makes me even more excited to be going! One gentleman mentioned that after visiting years ago, he could not put down his Bible when he got back. Much of what he read, especially in the Old Testament, really came to life as a result of his experiences there.

Our trip leaders are Dr. Michael Grisanti and Dr. Michael Vlach. Dr. Grisanti actually went out to Israel ahead of us to prepare for our arrival and get our itinerary set. We’ll meet up with him once we land. He teaches Hebrew at the seminary and I can’t wait to see him since he was one of my favorite professors. Dr. Vlach started teaching at the seminary after I graduated, but I have read some of his work and it is very good.

I’m really thankful to be travelling with Pastor John, though we’re not sitting next to each other on the plane. It’ll be great to share in this experience with him. Of course, I’m sad that Christine couldn’t come with me, but hopefully we can save up and visit sometime in the future. It’s been nice meeting the others going on this trip because I don’t know most of them. It’ll be great building new relationships and sharing in the experience – seeing new places, tasting new foods, etc. We land in Tel Aviv in the early afternoon so I should get some rest!

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Editor’s Note: Patrick recently preached a couple of sermons that are relevant to this topic, specifically “Get It Right to Do It Right (Part 1)” and “Get It Right to Do It Right (Part 2).”

Chapter 2 of Fundamentals of the Faith walks you through the process of Bible intake and study. It’s in this chapter that you are taught the importance of hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word. Only then can you truly have a good grip on God’s truth. A particularly helpful point is made at the beginning of the chapter about the importance of meditation. If each of these aspects of Scripture intake is like a finger on the hand, meditation is like the thumb. You can’t truly get a powerful grip on God’s Word if you don’t take time to meditate on what it says.

Biblical meditation is not some mystical exercise of emptying your mind and focusing on nothingness. It isn’t a numinous process to achieve enlightenment or some transcendental state. Meditation is really about trying to remove anything that might hinder complete focus and to fill your mind with God’s truth. It is about keeping the Bible on your mind so that you contemplate its words, meaning, and applicability.

The Psalmist writes, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2). If taking in God’s truth is like consuming spiritual food and drink, meditation is the slow digestive process to internalize its contents (cf. Matt. 4:4; 1 Pet. 2:2). This is an ongoing process where the Word of God is on your heart day and night (Ps. 1:2); when you can’t sleep at night (Ps. 63:6); and all day long (Ps. 119:97).

When he gave the instruction of God’s Law to the people, Moses commanded them to keep God’s Word on their hearts (Deut. 6:6-9). They were constantly to speak of the Law to their children, in their homes, on their way, and throughout the day. The precepts of God’s Law would then influence everyday decisions and actions. God desired for His people to be reminded of His Word at every moment so that they could think His thoughts and make decisions according to His will.

As important as it is to hear, read, study, and memorize God’s Word, these disciplines do not benefit the Christian as much unless he takes time to meditate. How often have you read God’s Word only to quickly forget what it says? How many times have you committed a verse to memory only to lose it by the end of the day? We do not retain God’s Word because we allow other thoughts to push it out of our minds. It is vitally important that you spend some time silently reflecting on His truth throughout the day so that you do not forget it.

This is one of the reasons we take a minute at the end of each Sunday service to reflect on the sermon and be reminded of the principles that were taught. It’s important to quiet your mind setting aside distractions and to focus your heart entirely on God’s Word. Even in that brief minute, it is helpful to consider the message that was taught before you leave the service. Before you get in your cars and drive away, you can take a moment to remind yourself of what was taught, thank God for what you learned, and think about what you can do in application.