One of my college professors invited me into a journey that changed my life. I remember sitting in a Life of Christ class with Dennis Ingolfsland when he mentioned this strange group of “historians” named the Jesus Seminar. I put the word historians in quotes because they were motivated largely by a presupposition about the historical truth of Jesus and the Christian faith. In further discussions, Dennis invited me to the incredible world of contextual Biblical Study – I began reading people like N.T. Wright, Ben Witherington III, and Joel Green (I was later able to study under both Ben and Joel and was introduced to their O.T. equal, Dr. Bill Arnold).
As a result of their teaching, I fell in love with Scripture in a completely new way. The stories became more than something to read as a nighttime story or to put on some green flannel and be wowed by legends. Early in life, I almost equated people like King David, Moses, Elijah and Gideon to the likes of Hercules and Perseus. Suddenly, mythology became rooted – it became real – it became something of substance.
That’s all intro for today’s post – today, I watched my boy experience a similar shift as ancient stories – people and places – turned real. Traveling to Nazareth and seeing a cave (albeit with a humongous church built on it), and seeing an archeological site that has uncovered 6000 years of history, and to see aqueducts and a theater built under the watchful eye of Pontius Pilate, and then driving into Jerusalem itself is like opening your eyes with a whole new set of lenses with which you can view the world.
These places have been important to me for years and, now, they are something I share with my son. Watching him stand on top of the aqueduct and interact with people like Bishop Fairley is something that makes my heart soar. And, since these sites mean so much to me, I was able to share things with my other traveling companions and hopefully increase their appreciation and love for not only the sites but the stories that occurred there.
At one meal, one of my travelers said “I think more christians back home need to come here and see this – it just makes every thing so much more real.” Amen. I couldn’t say it better. When I say things like “coming to Israel is like reading a 5th gospel” I really not exaggerating. This country has boosted my faith once again. It has quickened my thoughts and is inviting me to deeper study and appreciation for this big book we drag out on sundays. Our scripture stories are more than bed time tales. They are life – they are alive – and they, like this place, can beautifully ruin your approach to life.
Tomorrow, we visit some of the holiest sites in the Jerusalem area; including: the church of the nativity, the Herodian, the shepherds fields, and Gethesemane. For dinner tomorrow, Alex and I will meet up with a Palestinian Christian family in Bethlehem and learn from them about living in this land.
But…that’s a story for another day, so from The Olive Tree Hotel, in beautiful Jerusalem, Israel…Shalom for now.
grace and peace
jim