Overlooking the Old City
What a great day! We were driving back from the Dead Sea to our Jerusalem hotel after a full day when you gathered for worship.
We began the day on top of the Mt. of Olives where we had a great view of the Old City of Jerusalem. Our guide presented an overview of the city that Jesus knew including best guesses about the location of significant events during the passion.
At Masada
From there we headed to Masada, the ancient fortress built by Herod the Great. Herod was brilliant as a builder and paranoid as a ruler. He built Masada as a place of refuge should his enemies drive him from Jerusalem. It is obvious that he wanted any such life as a refugee to be one of luxury.
Masada is the Alamo for Jews, or at least that’s how this Texan sees it. It was the last stand for the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Long before the end came, the inhabitants of Masada knew they would not survive.
We went next to Qumran, the place of an ancient Jewish sect that gave us the Dead Sea Scrolls. Some believe that John the Baptist was part of this community for a while. Like Jesus, these Jews believed that the Jewish powers in Jerusalem were corrupt. Perhaps some of you have seen the scrolls on display in Raleigh. They verify that the Old Testament Scriptures we have were copied and handed down with great accuracy.
The Caves of Qumran where scrolls were hidden from the Romans
Our day ended at the Dead Sea. Some of us braved the cool “water” of the Sea in order to see if we would actually float as myth suggested. I must confirm that even a thin person floats without need of assistance. I must also report that the mud, spread on the body, leaves your skin feeling great.
The dead clergy float; "nice mud face"
Have a great Sunday!
