Walking Where He Walked - Day 2 in Israel

Day 1 was an overview day, but today we had a long hike. We toured chronologically and today we talked about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life. We call this the preparation period of Jesus' disciple making ministry.

• The beginning of Jesus' life started in Bethlehem.  One of my favorite sites in all of Israel is Herodium, located just outside Bethlehem.  This is one of King Herod the Great’s fortresses he built in case he ever had to flee Jerusalem.  I’ve attached 3 pictures of Herodium in a PDF. And the following link contains a 5 minute video shot on top of Herodium…check it out.     https://vimeo.com/113131122   And yes…we climbed to the top and talked about the birth of the King of Kings who threatened Rome’s puppet king.  In 40 B.C., Herod barely escaped from Palestine.  The combined forces of the Jews and the Parthians had closed in on him as they supported a Jewish Hasmonean contender for the throne, Matthias Antigonus.  However, Herod managed to defeat the coalition and escape to Rome. Once the Roman Senate conferred the kingship of Palestine on Herod, he returned and made plans to build a palace and a fortress on the site of his great victory.  The building of this very unusual fortress, (named after Herod, hence Herodium) began in 24 B.C., was completed in 15 B.C., right before Christ was born.  Herod was buried here and his grave has recently been found after a search lasting over 30 years.  As you stand on top of Herodium you will have an unobstructed 360 degree view: east toward Moab in Transjordan, from where Naomi and Ruth came to Bethlehem; south toward Tekoa where the prophet Amos was a shepherd; west toward Bethlehem; and north toward Jerusalem.  Below this fortress is the subtle transition from the wilderness to the cultivated area where shepherds lead their flocks from place to place, depending on the time of year. It was in the shadow of this fortress the Prince of Peace was born.

• Stop 2 today was at the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized by John.  A mere 10 yards across the river is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  This is a key spot that launched the next phase of Jesus' ministry…the Ministry Foundations Phase. We were oriented about the next 18-21 months when Jesus started to build relationships with his early disciples.

            

         

• Our final stop on day 2 is a BIG adventure.  We hike the lower part of the Wadi Qelt the last few miles to Jericho.  Most of it (I said most) is downhill.  This is the main route from Jericho to Jerusalem and Jesus would have been on this route many times during his life.  This is the Judean wilderness where Jesus was tempted right after his baptism.  You will experience the Biblical wilderness in a way few other visitors to Israel ever do. And our hike gave me s new insight into many events from the Bible.   Check out these pictures.