This Easter, the biblical account of Jesus’ ministry, death, burial and resurrection will seem more corporeal and substantive for 29 Kentuckians who journeyed to the Holy Land a little over a week ago.
Part of a group coordinated by the Kentucky Baptist Convention, they walked where Jesus walked … from Bethlehem, Nazareth and Capernaum to the shores of Galilee and Jerusalem. Their travels stretched from Mount Hermon in the north, where Jesus called Peter “the rock,” to the ancient city of Jericho and the Dead Sea in the south, catching vistas of Mt. Carmel, Mount of Beatitudes, Mount of Temptation, and Mount of Transfiguration along the way.
“I think this was the best day,” Oliver Shearer, of Winchester, was prone to say at each day’s end. We all agreed. As we drew closer and closer to Jesus’ birthplace In Bethlehem, to the Via Dolorosa — “the way of suffering” that Jesus took through Jerusalem between his trial by Pilate and his crucifixion at Golgotha, “the place of the skull” — and to the traditional site of Jesus’ tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or to its alternative site of the Garden Tomb, the spiritual impact of each day’s experiences grew exponentially.
“It’s really hard to pick one site out of so many since every one came alive in a way hard to explain,” said Steve Bundy, of First Baptist Church of Pikeville. “But the one that spoke most to Sherry and me was probably the Garden Tomb,” he added. “Our time of partaking in the Lord’s Supper and sing-ing ‘Because He Lives’ together will always be one of our most touch-ing and sacred memories.”
For many, baptism in the Jordan River and taking a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee were meaningful experiences as well.
“I have to say the Sea of Galilee left an indelible mark on me,” said David Cress, of First Baptist Church of Mt. Washington. “I could visualize Jesus preaching from the boat, walking on the water, calming the sea for His disciples and Peter stepping out of the boat. The fact Jesus was at this location became very real to me.”
“Cruising on the lake refreshed my soul,” agreed Tracy Woods, of Watson Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville. “It reminded me that my Savior displayed His great power by calming the storm that occurred on this lake. Even today, Jesus continues to calm storms. Many times, ‘Peace, be still’ has been spoken to my life’s circumstances.”
As for me, visits to Magdala, the Qumran caves and Bethlehem were particularly poignant. At Magdala, the town of Mary the Magdalene, who was one of the witnesses of the resurrection, a synagogue that predates 70AD has been excavated. Coins were found here bearing an image of Tiberius, a Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD, suggesting that perhaps Jesus could have stepped upon the mosaic floor unearthed there. In the Qumran caves, nearly 900 scrolls of every book of the Old Testament — except Esther and Nehemiah — and the Apocrypha were discovered in clay vases. The first century parchments attest to the accuracy of Scripture.
Bethlehem, however, offered glimpses of what the early Church believed to be the cave where Jesus was born and the actual spot of the manger. We also had an opportunity to talk with some Christian shopkeepers there. Bethlehem used to be a Christian city, but today it is predominantly Muslim and their numbers have dropped in the past 20 years to less than 25 percent, we were told.
While nearly 700,000 American tourists travel each year to the Holy Land to see the stones and ruins of biblical sites, Baptists in Israel are “living stones,” bearing witness among the people of their homeland. Of Israel’s 8 million people, approximately 6 million are Jewish. Most of the rest are Muslims, while only 250,000 profess to be Christians. Though they are not large in number, the 18 Baptist congregations scattered throughout its villages and towns are faithfully reaching out to their Arab-Israeli communities with the message of the gospel. This trip was a reminder of how much they covet and deserve the prayers of Kentucky Baptists.