Pre-JeSUS to modeRn day

wH at M ade t HIS H OL y Land tr IP so memorable was andre Moubarek, our trip leader, whose brilliant concept in creating this unique tour was to capture the many facets of ancient and modern Israel. naturally, our primary attraction was to experience the actual historical locations of Jesus' life from birth to resurrection. But with andre's brilliant teachings, he opened our eyes to eastern thinking and First Century biblical interpretations. additionally, with his encyclopedic knowledge of the archaeological and historical locations, he provided us unique perspectives from ancient, pre-Jesus times to modern day conflicts. this truly life-changing trip provided quite a new insight into the bible and its lessons because we saw it in person. and as a group, all agreed we were excited to again read the bible with all that we learned and experienced.

T El A Viv

as our Holy Land pilgrims landed in the modern, hip city of tel aviv, our transition had begun. the expectations we felt sent shivers down our spines. a number of our intrepid travelers arrived early to manage jet lag and to begin our journey by seeing the modern Israeli culture in tel aviv.

On our first evening dinner had us headed to the beach area to sample the local cuisine and work out the kinks from that long flight. It became evident how each member of the group was very interested to learn more about each other. this interest continued throughout the trip that evolved into close friendships that continue today.

the next day, we headed to the beautiful, white sand beaches along the Mediterranean Sea for the walk to the city of Jaffa, one of the oldest seaports in the world. naturally there were many beach fishermen seeking the edible treasures from the red Sea. as we neared Jaffa, there was a stark juxtaposition in such a short distance between mod- ern tel aviv and this ancient city. through the narrow alleys and steps, we found various historical evidence that began our education of ancient biblical times. We experienced the first stunning biblical recognition seeing Simon the tanner's house, where the Bible speaks of Peter’s staying at this location. Unique stone artwork and interesting signage illustrated various stories in the Bible. We wandered through the fish markets realizing these same areas go back thousands of years. and while heading back to our hotel, we heard that sound of that distinctive singing calling Muslims to prayer. Close to that mosque was a Jewish temple and other eastern religious temples. relating to the US, we have our various Christian churches, Jewish temples, russian Orthodox etc. Here we were to see very distinctly different religious beliefs that shaped the Mideast over thousands of years.

c aesa R ea

Later we visited the historically spectacular ancient city of Caesarea. Having been built by Herod the Great about 25-13 BCe, this visually stunning historical city served as a major seaport. We all were blown away at the size and scope of this city that abuts the deep blue, crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea (shown above). With its amphitheater overlooking the sea that seated thousands, its hippodrome that held chariot races, complete with the first known toilets, to its Palace that touched the Sea, we were in continued awe as we contemplated the vision. It was sad to see that in the 7th Century, the last city of the Holy Land fell to the arabs. the city then degraded but reconstruction efforts allowed us this view the shell of its greatness in the past.

these two cities were just a few of the many stops we experienced during this once in a lifetime trip. I started with the idea of transition and it was completed when we returned to tel aviv to fly home. Our transitions included understanding modern conflicts along with new perspectives of eastern, First Century thinking by experiencing first-hand, magical locations where Jesus spent his life and how it inspired our seeking new perspectives in understanding stories in the Bible. ✝