1&2Dec2010 Day 9&10

1Dec2010 Day 9

We checked out of the hotel, leaving Jerusalem. The believers here would usually say to pilgrims “See you next year in Jerusalem!”. Rev Chua shared on the bus with us that whatever can be seen with the eye is always short-lived. What cannot be seen (eternity), is what really matters.

We went to Bethany. It was less than 2 miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18).

The people there are not accepted by Israel as part of them, and neither are they accepted by the Palestinians. Hence these people don’t need to pay taxes, and the result is that things sold there are cheaper. Jesus walked from here to Jerusalem. When I got down from the bus, I actually didn’t see a camel on my right. I was only a foot away and it actually totally escaped my notice! We walked up a steep slope to see the Sanctuary of Bethany, built by the Crusaders. The plaque on a pillar outside said:

“Luke 10:42. ‘One thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part.

Today, as in the past, the love of Jesus seeks a refuge, where He is lovingly expected and where He can rest. He finds our hearts are filled with distractions – people, work, our own interests – He longs for us to empty our hearts and lovingly receive Him.’

 

Rev Niam shared from John 11. John 11:40 - Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"  She said that IF you believe, you WILL see God’s glory. So everything hinges on whether we believe. We visited the Tomb of Lazarus. Only a few could enter each time and the entrance was really steep and narrow. Like most Jewish tombs of the 1^st century, the tomb of Lazarus was composed of a vestibule and a burial chamber. Quarried out of the soft rock of the Mount of Olives, the rock of the tomb was said to be probably covered during the Byzantine period with stone or marble-work. Its original entrance was on the eastern side. It was blocked by the building of the mosque which cut the tomb from the church built in the 4^th century. The tomb’s current entry was hewn in the rock of the mountain in the 16^th century. According to pilgrims of old, Jesus was standing in the vestibule when He called Lazarus to come out. Before we set off, Nee and Rev Niam each took rides on the camel. We were all laughing away at the sight. They were really sporting!

Next, we went to Samaria. We were told that it was a desert area that we were going to and that there wasn’t going to be any toilets there. We couldn’t visit Jacob’s well as the place was tensed at that time. Instead, we walked up a very barren and rocky hill, to a plateau which had the Judean desert on our left and Samaria on our right. Jesus once walked this way and met the woman at the well. Samaritans are considered as Arabs today, but they hold close the Torah. On the plateau were actually stone bleachers(!) and two Bedouin stalls. Throughout Nee and Rev Niam’s sharing, the little Bedouin boy kept shouting “One Dollar! One Dollar!”, leading many of our members to repeat the refrain very often. The Bedouins are ignored by both the Palestinians as well as the Jews. Bedouins can marry 4 wives. At each Bedouin dwelling, they have a tent specially used for greeting guests. To tell if the Bedouin has many guests, you just need to see the size of the pile of coffee dregs outside the tent. When doing business with Bedouins, if you drink the second cup, it means that you agree to their business offer. The 3^rd cup is a goodbye cup. Bedouins are Muslims. They are still living the same way they did in Biblical times.

We visited Jericho (Joshua 6). I saw a tall stone structure along the road with the words ‘Jericho: City of the Moon’. Ever since it became an administrative district, prosperity has declined. It used to be bustling as many Israelis were attracted to the Oasis casino there and a lot of Jewish (secular Jews) money flowed there. Jews are not allowed to operate casinos. We were allowed to alight in front of a sycamore tree as Nee wanted to show us what it looked like.

We went for lunch near the Elisha Spring Fountain, or Sultan's Spring, where the prophet sweetened the water (2 Kings 2). The restaurant was actually named Temptation Restaurant (!!!), and was sited in the Temptation Tourist Centre (Jericho,

P.O. Box 11

. Tel: 970 2 2322614www.shopatjericho.com). The buffet meal cost 55 shekels each, or 15 US Dollars. There were date and fig sellers outside the building and many group members bought their wares. The meal included the longest metal kebab stick I had ever seen. After the meal, we went for a cable car ride at the Telepherique & Sultan Tourist Center. The poster at the cable car centre read: “Jericho Cable Car. 223 meters below sea level. Guinness World Record). Each ride was 15 US dollars. It brought us up to the Mount of Temptation. There is a shopping area at the mountain side where the cable car dropped us off. One of the shops, housed in a rock cave, was actually named Temptation Cave! A 19th-century Greek Orthodox monastery sits on the cliff higher up the mountain. This is reputedly where Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his homage. Inside the monastery is a cave where Jesus is believed to have stayed during the 40 days He spent in the wilderness fasting after his baptism. The trek up to the monastery was quite a challenge, to say the least. Inside the monastery were beautifully kept paintings with such vibrant colours. The caretaker there has been on the job for 7 years. He said that the place houses 2 priests, one of whom has been there for 25 years. The monastery was a beautiful architectural wonder. Rev Niam said that Satan tried to tempt Jesus into changing stones into bread because there were only rocks and stones in the entire place. And, she said that Satan usually reuses the same temptations that were successful in trapping other people before. She also highlighted that Satan was calling a bluff when he told Jesus that he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world. Rev Niam said that Jesus had laid the foundation by fasting and praying. She said that we don’t need to envy the spirituality of others. We too can be likewise through the dedicated study of God’s Word, fasting, prayer and such.
There was a mural near the lunch place which stated that Jericho was the oldest city in the world. The mural read:
“Tell Es-Sultan, old Jericho, the ancient Canaanite city of Rawha of the 3^rd and 2^nd millennium BC defended by impressive city walls and ramparts. These human settlements which started in the Notifion period (around 9000 BC), give birth to an extraordinary Neolithic (8500-5000 BC) community. The site witnessed the creation of agriculture and animal husbandry, the birth of architecture with earliest mud-bricks and of religion with cult of ancestors. For all these reasons, the site is the OLDEST CITY OF THE WORLD.”
We were brought to the AHAVA factory. We were shown a presentation in a room next to the retail shop.
We passed En Gedi, to which Saul chased David.

By the time we arrived at our hotel at the Dead Sea (Leonardo Hotel), it was almost pitch dark. Hence, in order for us to not miss our Dead Sea (also called Salt Sea) experience, Nee suggested that we all changed up and let Ramon drive us down to the Sea, while Jenny does the checking in to the hotel for us. Thus ensued the most hilarious madcap rush for the hotel’s toilets, where we simply peeled off our gear and pulled on our “Dead Sea” attire pronto. Nee helped us get towels. The beach was so dark by the time we arrived that we couldn’t see the waterline at all. The water was also freezing. Nee had previously told us that we could not soak in the Sea for more than 15 minutes. We soon understood why. The water bit into our skin like a thousand knives…ouch!!!! It didn’t help when I tried to wash off the sea water at the open shower area next to the beach. I believe the water from the shower was also salt water! Double ouch!!! It was a relief to get into the hotel room eventually and wash off the Dead Sea salts. Well, it was a good experience at the Dead Sea, though. We could really float like wood. The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on earth (400 metres below sea level), and is mineral-rich. It is famous for its ability to rehabilitate, as well as its ability to restore physiological functions. It contains 20% more bromine than sea water. Bromine relaxes the nerves and is a component of many sedatives. It contains 15% more magnesium, which counteracts skin allergies and clears bronchial passages. It also contains 10% more iodine. Iodine is essential for good health and has a beneficial effect on thyroid functions.

We were told that today was the first day of Hanukkah. At the hotel is a giant menorah which has been lit. The story of the Hanukkah Menorah goes this way:
When the ruling Greeks ordered the Jewish people to reject God and to worship Greek idols, a group called the Maccabees let a revolt and was able to defeat the Greeks. They then re-dedicated the defiled Temple. They found that there was only enough oil for the flame to burn for one day, and it would take 8 days to make more of the holy oil. Then a miracle happened. The oil burned for 8 days until more sanctified oil could be ready. This miracle is represented in the 8 candles of the Hanukkah Menorah.
We had Holy Communion at our vesper, where we each placed our handwritten personal testimony(what we learnt from the trip) on the table in front, before receiving Holy Communion. We used our “Garden Tomb” communion cup. We then linked arms and prayed in a circle.

2Dec2010 Day10

We checked out of the hotel and once again headed for Jordan. We gave gifts to Nee, Ramon and Jenny.

Praise God we cleared the border to Jordan very smoothly. We were told that Jordan was Moab of Biblical history. It currently is the site of the oldest church in the whole world – a 33 AD church.

We were driven up the mountain via a new road, to Amman, which is 850m above sea level. Half of Jordan’s population lives in Amman. We were told that 90% of Jordan is full of rocks and stones. However, Jordan is not called a desert because the greenery returns the moment rain comes. So far, Jordan has only received 5 minutes of rainfall.

Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant called Taipei Tourism Restaurant.

We were told that the houses in Amman were made of cement, mortar and bricks, and covered with limestone. The limestone had to be in its original white color. Those who colored their limestone were fined. The road that we travelled on was a road that those who came from the south had to use. For the people there, Thursday was the last day of the week. Christian children had no school on Fridays and Sundays. The rest of the country had Fridays and Saturdays off.

In history, Amman used to be called the City of Philadelphia (during Roman times).  In 1300 BC, it was called Amman, the land of the Ammonites.

We cleared the customs and flew back to Singapore. We had an eventful flight back as we rallied around Esther to pray for her health. Praise God she is well now. We also met up before we collected our luggages, to pray a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for our trip. Throughout the trip many of us were irreversibly touched by the Holy Spirit. I believe that we will not easily forget the lessons learnt, the feelings felt, the friendships made, and the sights seen. As a trip echo, we would be meeting on 12 Dec at Queenstown Chinese Methodist Church at 5pm.