Jericho

On the way to Jericho, we passed the Mount of Temptation.

Matthew 4
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Jericho

The most powerful stories about Jericho are found in the book of Joshua and then Jesus' encounter with Zaccheus in Luke 19.

Joshua 5:13-15

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Joshua 6
1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” 11 So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.

12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a] to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.”

20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.

Jesus was revolutionary in his dealings with people; Holy God/righteous man reached out to the worst sinner of all, a chief tax collector.

Luke 19

1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”




Pictured on the right is a sycamore tree in Jericho.

The Jordan River

The Jordan River is best known to be the place where Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. The passage is found in Matthew 3:11-16

11 “I baptize you with[b] water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”


Another event that happened in the Jordan River was the cleansing of Naaman, a leprous commander in the army of the king of Aram, which is found in 2 Kings 5.He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

The Jordan didn’t seem appealing to Naaman because it was probably muddy, and he didn’t want to do what he was told by the prophet Elisha, which was to dip himself in the Jordan seven times. Naaman’s servant managed to convince him…

2 Kings 5:13: Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant."

So like Naaman, I testify that there is no God in all the world except in Israel, and following Jesus' example, five of the team members on this trip (me included) were baptized in the Jordan. The place we were baptized was Yardenit, right on the Jordan River: www.yardenit.com; email: info@yardenit.com, Kibbutz Kinneret, M.P Jordan Valley 15118, Israel. Tel: 972-4-6759111.

Caesarea

Caesarea was our first stop to sight see even before we checked into our hotel. Our tour guide from Voice of Faith, Tony, took us to the coast after we were picked up from the airport in Tel Aviv. There were so many events that took place in this area, and the one I am most grateful for is the story of Cornelius, the first gentile welcomed to the Kingdom of God. Here is the story from Acts 10.

Acts 10 - Cornelius Calls for Peter
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

Peter’s Vision
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House
The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. 26 But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

30 Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[b] and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Pictured above are Roman aqueducts that are still standing today.

The Holy Land

The Holy Land - God chose to reveal Himself through this tiny country thousands of years ago, and it is quite clear that evidence of His existence, revelation through his prophets and even His visit via his beloved Son is still being uncovered. I was on a medical outreach in Israel, and was able to do about three days of touring in Galilee, Caesarea, Bethlehem, and Jericho. One of the first tours we did was to the Decapolis city of Bet She'an. The amphitheater at the Bet She'an National Park was built in the First Century and seats 7,000. It was renovated in the 2nd century and only the first tier of the 3-tier seating remains. Singing Amazing Grace is our physical therapist, Shari Hyde of Alabama. The title is a link to a video of Shari.

We stayed at the Ma’agan Holiday Village on the Sea of Galilee. It has 148 rooms, swimming pools and a variety of water sports and a dining room.

Jordan Valley 15160, Israel
+972-4-6654400/11
www.maagan.com
email: maaganhv@ntvision.net.il




In Jerusalem, we stayed at the Notre Dame, P.O. Box 20531 | Paratroopers Road #3 | Jerusalem 91204 | +972(2)6279111 tel www.notredamecenter.org The hotel was closest to the New Gate






In Bethlehem, we stayed at the Bethlehem Hotel,
PO Box 1069, Bethlehem, Palestine; email: bhotel@p-ol.com; www.bethlehemhotel.com; tel: 02-277-0702. Here's the view from the hotel room.

Since we somehow lost our reservation at the Notre Dame, we stayed -
at the Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem. This hotel was closest to the Damascus Gate. 23 St. George Street, Jerusalem 97200; Tel: 972-2-5410-410. Email: olivetreehotel@olivetreehotel.co.il
I wanted to note where we stayed because they were nice, and I wouldn't mind staying in these hotels again.

Radical

I'm contemplating the message of David Platt in how I'm sharing the Gospel. I know I can live my life this way; will my words match how I live also? (Click on the title above to view David Platt's short video on God's Plan A - the Church - to bring His glory to the nations)

kagwada, sudan

Kagwada, Sudan

Rev 3:14-18 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."

Hot or Cold for God?

I always thought being “cold” was bad in this passage, like you were against God, and if you were hot you were for God, and lukewarm meant that you were “riding the fence.” But after studying the geography of Laodicea and its surrounding areas of Heirapolis and Collosae and their bodies of water, it was clear that being “cold” was a good thing. Heirapolis had hot springs that brought people seeking physical healing to its waters and the snow-capped mountains at Collosae brought refreshing, cold water to drink to its people. Laodicea’s water had too many minerals that it was not even drinkable, and it was neither cold nor hot. It was a wealthy city but not rich in the deeds that would glorify God. Like its water, their works were worthless. The church of Laodicea heeded the message and changed their ways.

The verses in Rev 3:15-16 basically says we need to be healers in our hurting world. Like hot springs that bring healing to the arthritic and skin diseased bodies, we can bring healing to a dying, broken world by bringing the message of Jesus Christ and reconcile people to God, who alone can make them whole. We can also be the refreshing cold water to people by encouraging them, to lift their spirits and give hope.

In less than two weeks, I will be part of a six-member team headed to Juba, Sudan, with the final destination of Kagwada. It is a last-minute kind of trip for me, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring God’s message of hope, be it to someone who has not heard the Gospel, or someone who may see an uncertain future for their country and need encouragement. Now is the time to continue to say Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. We have the privilege of encouraging our Sudanese missionaries already in that area. They have been faithful in sharing the message of Christ and many have come to know Him as Savior. We hope they will also now choose Him as their Lord and become followers of Christ. The vote for South Sudan’s independence is January 9, 2011. We hope there is no war, and we pray for peace. We have this small window of time to be hot or cold for God. We want to be both.