Remembrance and Celebration

Last week marked the end of the weeklong Biblical Feast of Sukkoth (or Tabernacles). This feast celebrates God providing for the Israelites in the desert. Everyone puts a sukka outside of their house or business during this very special time to remind themselves of how God provided for us in the wilderness. A sukka is a small hut that has no roof. The amount of Sukkas put up throughout town is amazing. They are outside of restaurants, grocery stores, houses, hotels, and many other places. There was even a Sukka outside the American pizza place (Sbarro’s). People will sit outside the restaurants in these huts and eat their meal during the feast of Sukkoth.

This amazing thing about being in Jerusalem during this feast is how many times during the week you are reminded of God’s providence to his people during their time in the wilderness. Everywhere you go you see the booths (sukka) set up and you are reminded that God provided for his people. At every turn there is another booth, and instantly the thought “God provided for his people,” pops into your head.

One thing these past couple of months have taught me is the importance of remembrance and celebration. The Jewish people are constantly reminding themselves of God, and celebrating God. In addition to Sukkoth, the Sabbath is another constant reminder. On Shabbat (Sabbath) everything closes down and people take time to celebrate the Shabbat meal and celebrate God. From Friday evening to Saturday evening almost every single business is closed. So as you’re walking to Church (I go to church on Saturday) or to Synagogue, the emptiness of the streets and the lack of business reminds you that God has given us a day of rest.

Shiminei Atzerot and Simchat Torah mark the end of the Feast of Sukkoth. This celebration takes place the last day of the weeklong Sukkoth celebration. The main point of this celebration is to celebrate the beginning of another cycle of Torah readings in the Synagogue. As many of you know, the Jewish people read through the entire Torah (1st five books of the Bible) in the synagogue once a year. So on the last day of the Feast of Sukkoth there is a huge celebration to mark the beginning of a new cycle of Torah reading. It was amazing. Down at the Western Wall the Jewish people were dancing around with the Torah Scroll and kissing the scroll because it contains the very words of God. They never see the Torah is law, they see it as God showing his people the right way to live. As such, when a new cycle of reading begins, there is a celebration with dancing. In Jesus’ day when the Torah scroll was removed from the Torah scroll for reading on Shabbat the Rabbi would lead the congregation in dancing and everyone would kiss the Torah scroll. So if Jesus was visiting a synagogue he would’ve led the congregation in dancing!

Well, now for an update on what we’re doing here at JUC! Tomorrow we are participating in an all-day field study with the famous Israeli Archaeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkay, and I’m looking forward to it. We are heading over to the City of David, which is basically the old Jerusalem. When David first settled Jerusalem, it was much smaller, and down much lower than it is today. There are digs going on in the City of David right now in an attempt to find David and Solomon’s palace and other royal buildings from that time period.

On November 12 we leave for a 4-day field study in Jordan, and I cannot wait. There has been so much stuff going on, and time has flown by over here. I cannot believe I’ve been here this long.

I hope everyone is doing well. May the Lord bless you and keep you in all the things you do this week!

Shalom,

Rob Kol

Hamat Teverya/Zippori/Beth Sha'an (Galilee Day 4)

We began the final day of our field study at Hamat Teverya, where we saw our first example of a mosaic floor in the Galilee. We started off going through some background information on the surrounding region. This city was renamed “Tiberias” after the Caesar. There was a thriving Jewish population in this region during the 3rd and 4th century, right during the reign of Emperor Constantine. After a brief background we moved on to discuss the intricate mosaic floor that was a part of the ancient synagogue.

We noticed some differences in the synagogue at Hamat Teverya when compared to other synagogues we’d seen on previous trips. The synagogues we have seen in previous trips only had geometric designs and floral motifs. This synagogue had people, animals, graven images, and astronomy. At its center were the 12 signs of the Zodiac. In the middle of the 12 signs of the Zodiac was Helios, the sun god from Egypt. We also saw religious symbols such as the Menorah. In addition, there were more colors in this synagogue as compared to synagogues we’d seen previously. We noted that the mosaic floor at Sepphoris has 25 different colors. This hints that different color stones were being imported from other countries. In addition, this mosaic floor was much larger and more elaborate than any mosaic we’d seen before.

The most curious thing about this mosaic floor was the presence of what seem to be many pagan symbols in such a religious environment. There are several possibilities as to why this floor has so many pagan symbols. The first possibility is that the Jews that worshipped here were forced to adopt these pagan symbols by the Romans. Another possibility is that these Jews were accommodators to the Romans, much like Samson was somewhat of an accommodator to the Philistines every now and then. Also, it is possible that the synagogue building had a prior use, but we’ll never know for sure. One suggestion is that there was a “relaxation in prohibitions relating to graven images,” but this doesn’t seem like a satisfactory explanation.

The next stop on our journey was the city of Zippori, the home of the “Mona Lisa of Israel.” We first walked through the theater, and spent some time talking about Jesus reference to Hypocrites in the New Testament. We also discussed the close proximity of Nazareth to Zippori. It is quite possible that Jesus as a master builder could’ve worked in this very theater. There probably wasn’t that much demand for a master builder in Nazareth as it was a fairly poor city. It is quite possible that Jesus and Joseph worked at Zippori, and that is where Jesus received some exposure to the theater and actors. It is interesting that when Herod had to dedicate this very theater he chose to have the actors perform the play “Trojan Women.” In this play one of the central characters says, “O Troy, O Troy, how I’ve longed to gather your children like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” Sound familiar (Matt 23:37, Luke 13:34)? It is pretty cool that Jesus spoke the language of his culture. He knew about the theater, and was able to speak about it in a way that it conveyed a powerful spiritual truth to his audience. Truly the trademark of an amazing teacher.

The "Mona Lisa of Israel" was truly amazing. It was the largest and most elaborate mosaic we would see all day. There were many scenes depicted, including a “procession of merrymakers,” and a drinking contest between two of the gods. It was an interesting and magnificent piece of art.

We ended the day in the Decapolis, at the city of Beth Sha’an/Scythopolis. This city is the only Decapolis city west of the Jordan River. The ruins at Beth Sha’an are some of the most amazing ruins I’ve ever seen. These ruins give you an idea of what life was like in the Decapolis. There was a huge theater, a gymnasium, and many shrines to pagan gods. I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like to try to be a follower of Jesus under those circumstances.

Sea of Galilee/Kursi/Qasri/Capernaum (Galilee Day 3)

We began the third day of our field study with a boat cruise on the Sea of Galilee. While on the boat we discussed the several different types of fish and fishing styles present during the time of Jesus. I highly recommend the book “The Sea of Galilee and its Fishermen” by Mendel Nun. We noticed that the city of Capernaum has a significant number of harbors, more than any other city. It is this city that Jesus adopts as a hometown during most of his Galilean ministry.

After our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, we moved onto the city of Kursi. It was here we discussed the different regions around the Sea of Galilee during the time of Jesus. The region to the northwest of the Sea of Galilee was a very religious region. This is where the cities of Capernaum and Chorazin were located. We labeled this region “Galilee” on our syllabus map # 13. The region directly to the east of Galilee was Gaulinitis. This region was known for being on the fence, so to speak. It was made up of people who were “half and half” in their religious beliefs. The region directly to the south of Gaulinitis is the Decapolis. This region is made up of 10 cities, and is an extremely pagan location.

After our discussion of the regions around the Sea of Galilee, we discussed the appointing of the 12 disciples. We also discussed how each one of us was called to be a disciple, just like the 12 so many years ago. Dr. Wright pointed out that 11 of the disciples were from the region of Galilee, and only one (Judas Iscariot) was not from the Galilee.

The last story we discussed at this location was the story of the demon-possessed man from Mark 5. In between the cities of Kursi and Hippos is the only steep ridge that runs to the edge of the Sea of Galilee. In addition, Kursi is the city identified as the “Gergesa” mentioned in Mark 5. It is very likely that the ridge in between Kursi and Hippos is the very ridge where the pigs ran into the sea. I believe the account of the demon-possessed man is one of the most powerful stories in the gospels. Here is a man whose life is totally changed around after a few minutes with Jesus. At the end of this story the people of the Decapolis plead with Jesus to leave their region. It is just before this time that Jesus tells the man who had been demon possessed to go and tell his story throughout the Decapolis. A few chapters later Jesus returns to the Decapolis and there are large crowds waiting for him. One of the best possible explanations for this is that the story of Jesus mercy had moved these people. The man’s story had touched the hearts of the people of the Decapolis, and they were curious to see what this Jesus was all about.

Later on in the day we moved on to the cities of Qasrin and Capernaum to discuss more themes from the life of Jesus. At Qasri we examined the insula housing model that was common during the time of Jesus. We also discussed that Jesus’ profession was not necessarily that of a carpenter, but something much more than that. It was interesting to explore the Greek word “tekton,” and what that meant for the life of Jesus. Jesus was a “stonecutter” or master builder, and would’ve been skilled at many different tasks. We explored the different professions that would have been present in a major city like Capernaum. We also noted that Capernaum was located directly on the Via Maris, which was the international highway in the time of Jesus. In the Gospels Jesus calls Capernaum “his hometown,” and “his own town.” The fact that Capernaum is on a major highway would’ve enabled Jesus to interact with every single possible group of people in the second temple. Not only was Capernaum on the Via Maris, it was also a center for agricultural manufacturing and fishing. It was so interesting to examine this in light of what we learned about the different people groups living around the Sea of Galilee at the time. Galilee truly was the perfect place to prepare the gospel to take it to the ends of the earth and beyond.

Hazor/Dan/Caesarea Philippi (Galilee Day 2)

Greetings blog fans!

I've decided to use this Succot holiday to make some much needed progress on the blog. It has been way too long since an update, so I am now posting my second update of the day. Today's previous update detailed our travels throughout Galilee on the first day of our field study. And now here is a summary of what we learned and where we went on day two!

We began the second day of our Galilee of the Gentiles field study at the Hazor Tel, after a brief stop to review where we were according to syllabus map #12. The Bible calls the city of Hazor the “King of all these cities.” Hazor was the chief city in the North, and it was significantly larger than Jerusalem. Hazor was approximately 200 acres, compared to Jerusalem’s 12 acres. In addition, Hazor was at the beginning of the trade route coming from the north into southern Canaan. According to Mesopotamian documents this great Mesopotamian city-state is mentioned as being part of the tin-trading route. We learned that if you have control of the tin-trading route, you would have significant power in the ancient world.

After Joshua conquers Jericho and Ai, his next logical move would be to take Hazor. He already has the belly and feet of the Levant (french word for Israel), so it would make sense to take “the head of all these kingdoms” next. The King of Hazor realizes this and begins to formulate a strategy in Joshua 11:1. He calls on most of the kings in the surrounding areas to help him. All of the cities listed in this biblical text are in position to control significant passes and routes. Almost every single important pass (with the exception of Dothan) is covered in these verses. These kings all come together and withdraw to Mt. Merom in order to withdrawal and surprise Joshua. Soon after, Joshua attacks the coalition at Merom and destroys them. He completely destroys and burns the city, and kills the King of Hazor. The text then states, “Hazor used to be the head of all these kingdoms.” We noted that the destruction level from the 13th century supported the claim that Joshua burnt the city. Dr. Wright stated that the destruction level was so intense that the basalt cracked and was preserved.

We then moved onto discuss the rough times that were ahead for the Kingdom of Israel. Around 733 BC the Assyrian “cat” returns and makes a move down the coast. Israel is isolated to its heartland only, and 10 years later the Northern Kingdom is wiped out completely. The prophet Isaiah mentions the coming of the “mighty floodwaters of the river – the king of Assyria with all his pomp.” Later on in chapter 9 Isaiah discusses how God humbled Naphtali and Zebulon, which correspond to Nazareth and the area from Hazor to Capernaum, respectively.

The next stop we made was at Tel Dan, where we discussed the story of Jeroboam in I Kings 12. According to this chapter Jeroboam sets up an altar to Baal at Dan and tells the Israelites that Ball brought them out of Egypt. The evidence of Baal worship at Tel Dan is significant. We examined the remains of the Bamah, which is a raised platform where Baal was worshipped.

The city of Dan is also mentioned in Jeremiah 18:14. This passage asks if the springs at Dan ever stop flowing. The author is using this point to illustrate that nature always does what its told, with one notable exception. In verse 15 we discover that the exception is mankind. According to Jeremiah 18:15, “My people have forgotten me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways and in their ancient paths.” In verse 16 the writer tells us that the land will be laid to waste due to the lack of obedience displayed by the Israelites.

One of our last stops on Day 2 was at Caesarea Philippi. This city was the center for the worship of several pagan gods. The central god worshipped was the goat god Pan. Pan was a god of hunting and fertility. It is in this context that Jesus brings his disciples to the region of Caesarea Philippi. This story is described for us in Matthew 16:13-20. At the end of the story Jesus turns to his disciples and says, “On this rock, I will build my church.” In this passage Jesus was not only referring to Peter, but to the region of Caesarea Philippi as well. I believe he was saying that his kingdom could be built in this city and replace all of the evil of the goat pan with the goodness of the one true God. This ultra-pagan city would prove to be a perfect training ground for the disciples as they prepared to take the good teachings to the ends of the earth (which the rabbis taught was the Aegean Sea). Cities in Israel like Beth Sha'an and Caesarea Philippi were perfect models for what the disciples would encounter in Turkey. Preparation like this allowed them to change cities in Turkey from 95% hellenistic to almost totally Christian in under 100 years.

Caesarea/Mt. Carmel/Nazareth (Galilee Day 1)

Friends,

We just returned from a 4 day field study in Galilee not too long ago. This region is where Jesus spent over 80% of his time ministering to people. I'm going to give you a summary of each day, God-willing. So without further ado, here is day one.

We began our four-day field study at Caesarea by the sea. We discussed how our theme for this trip is Galilee of the Gentiles. The theme of Galilee of the gentiles originates in Isaiah 9:1. We started our day off by reading this verse. Dr. Wright made the observation that when we encounter stories in the Biblical text we realize that people living in the hill country tend to avoid the coast. This avoidance of the sea most likely originates from the Canaanites. The Canaanite gods usually represented different elements of nature; some were controllable and caring, others were uncontrollable and chaotic. In the Canaanite culture the god of the sea was the god of uncontrollable chaos and death. We see this theme in a significant number of passages from the biblical text. This theme is seen when the Israelites cross the Red Sea and later on when Joshua leads the Israelites across the Jordan river. It is also seen in the story of the prophet Jonah, who goes out to the chaotic sea to avoid the one true God. In addition, Revelation 21 mentions that when the Messiah returns there will be no more sea (Rev. 21:1) alluding to the fact that there will be no more chaos when the Messiah returns. Although the central image of the sea in the biblical text is an image of chaos, there is still something attractive and mysterious about the sea.

After studying what sea represented to the writers of the scriptures we moved on to discuss what motivated Herod the Great to build a seaport in this location. At first glance it seems that there is no good reason to build a port here. There is no natural harbor and there are swamps behind and to the east of the location. In addition there are no decent land routes anywhere near the location. But as we realized at Masada, none of these factors is enough to deter Herod when he has his mind set on building at a particular location. It appears Herod built a port here not only because he had the ability to, but also because it gave him land in the middle of the levant. If he built his main port at Joppa, he would have problems controlling Galilee; if he built it at Ptolemais, he would have trouble with Jerusalem. This location would allow him access to both the northern and southern regions of the Levant.

Later on in our visit we moved to the ruins of what was most likely the prison where the apostle Paul was kept before he was sent to Rome. We read the story in Acts 10 of Cornelius, a roman soldier who lived in Caesarea. Cornelius had a vision of God and sent for the apostle Peter, who later baptized him in the name of Jesus Christ. That story has always been quite a moving story for me, and I never knew anything about the location where it took place. Now that I have a picture of the location to place with the story the text is even more meaningful to me.

After our visit to Caesarea we proceeded to the top of Mt. Carmel and studied the story of Elijah and the Baal prophets. Mt. Carmel is a place that is very near and dear to my heart for several reasons. The main reason is that this is the first place I was ever taken to in Israel. This site was my very first exposure to the land of the text, and it will always be special to me for that reason. This site also has special significance to me because of its close association with the story of Elijah and the Baal prophets. Elijah is such a passionate follower of God, and the first person to have disciples. His disciple Elisha prays for double the passion of Elijah, and according to the Talmud Elisha ends up performing double the miracles of Elijah. I believe the stories of Elijah and Elisha need to be studied by anyone who wishes to become a disciple.

We ended our day on a ridge overlooking Nazareth. The ridge we sat atop is remembered by church tradition as the ridge where the people of Nazareth attempted to stone Jesus. Sitting atop this ridge, watching the sunset, was the perfect way to end our first day in Galilee of the Gentiles.

I'm slowly but surely uploading the 400+ pictures I took on our trip, so be patient and continue to check back at http://photos.yahoo.com/robkol2

Thanks!

Rob Kol

The Rabbi and The Roman

Greetings everyone!

Well, it has been a nice 2 week break from any trips, and we've been hitting the books hard here at JUC. We did have a break this week as it was Rosh Hoshana, or New Year's Day. Kind of exciting that I get to celebrate the New Year twice this year, once in Israel, and again when I'm home in December.

This weekend we are leaving for a 4 day study tour in Galilee where we will be doing an in-depth study of the life of Jesus. Jesus spent the majority of his time in the region known as the Galilee. This will be my second trip to Gaililee in the past 2 years, so I'm very excited!

I wanted to share a story with you that I first heard when I was in Galilee last year with Ray Vanderlaan (www.followtherabbi.com). It has to do with a 2nd temple period Rabbi that lived in Galilee shortly after the life of Jesus.

There is a passage in the book of Isaiah that reads, "I, even I, am the Lord. Apart from me there is no Savior. I have revealed, redeemed, and proclaimed. I have, and not some pagan god among you. You are my witnesses, declares the LORD, that I am God."

There was a Rabbi named Akiva, who was walking along the dusty trail along the sea of Galilee. He was reciting the portion of the day from Isaiah. It was getting dark and in his passionate focus on the text he was so preoccupied that he turned right instead of left at a fork in the road. Instead of finding himself in front of the gate to Capernaum, where he lived; he found himself in front of the gate of a Roman fortress. He was surprised, he didn't expect to be there. He was trying to figure out where he was when the guard on the wall shouted, "Who are you, what are you doing here?!?!

Akiva said, "What?"

The soldier shouted again, "Who are you, what are you doing here?"

Akiva said, "What do you get paid for asking me these questions?"

The soldier responded, "3 denarii a week, Jew, why?"

Akiva said, "I'll give you double if you stand outside my house each morning, and ask me those questions before I leave each day."

Who are you? What are you doing here? To me these are 2 of the most profound questions I've ever heard and wrestled with. To address these questions is central to life with Jesus. I'm trying more and more to focus on these questions, and hopefully discover who I am, and what I'm doing here. There is a purpose to each life, and hopefully we can all discover our purpose here on earth.