Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. Matthew 21:18-19 Continuing to think about Holy Week, this is my thought to ponder for today: What’s the deal with Jesus cursing the fig tree? While he goes on to talk about faith, but I want to focus on the tree itself. Figs ripen during the summer. Why would […]
Monthly Archives: March 2015
House Cleaning
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers.’ “ Matthew 21:12-13 Let’s continue to think about Holy Week in Jerusalem. After Jesus’ triumphal entry, he went up to his Father’s house, the Temple. The Temple Mount is still present today, although parts of the platform have been rebuilt. Despite still being revered by the […]
Entering Jerusalem
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem. Psalm 122:1-2 Today is Palm Sunday, remembering when Jesus entered Jerusalem. We entered a couple days ago by car, frenzied by the traffic and a malfunctioning GPS. Jesus entered much more gracefully and confidently on a colt. As I look around the city, I can point where the events of the week took place. This day kicks off 8 days of remembrance, similar to other 8 day festivals in the Biblical […]
Lakeside View
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. Mark 3:7 Excuse me for bragging, but this has been our view out the back of our hotel room the last couple days: When we think of Jesus withdrawing to the lake, it often conjures up having a cabin by a remote lake. It’s a place to get away from the busyness of life in order to relax. That’s the opposite of Jesus’ retreat. He surrounded himself with the people who need him. The crowds came from miles around to hear him teach and seek […]
The Snowy Mountain
The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it. You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name. Psalm 89:11-12 Most visitors to Israel see Mt. Hermon from a distance. Today I actually got to see it up close. The mountain sits at the northeastern most point of the country and is by far the highest. With a ski resort, it appears to be quite the attraction year round. We took a ski lift up for a panoramic view of the region. […]
Army Watering Hole
The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:11-12 Gideon began his story in fear of the Midianites. The Lord called him to lead an army against this strong enemy. After much encouragement and confirmation, Gideon eventually submitted. He gathered his army by the spring of Harod while the Midianites camped to the […]
Please Pass the Salt
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13 Along the southwest shore of the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth with its massive salt content) is Mount Sodom. Besides being the lowest mountain, what makes it truly extraordinary is that it’s made almost entirely of salt. We drove up there early this morning to view the sea from a vantage point on top. Just one more slice of […]
The Trails Less Traveled
This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, `We will not walk in it.’” Jeremiah 6:16 There’s something about pulling on a backpack, donning my hat, and setting out to explore a trail. What views will we see? What is around the next bend? How far will we go? As my heart pumps a little faster and sweat oozes from my pores, it makes me feel alive. God didn’t create […]
Israel: I Can Dig It
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4 One of our stops today was Tel Mareshah, a site I’ve been to a few times before. We signed up for something different for the visit: a program called Dig for a Day. For a chunk of the afternoon, a group does a little archaeological digging in one of the 5000 caves around the site, which is closed to the public. Then we gathered our buckets of dirt and rocks and […]
Meanwhile, Back in Israel…
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 I seem to be making a habit of hopping on a plane the last few years and getting at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. This week has started yet another such adventure. This time, I’m the driver of our rental car. Our itinerary is packed. Many kilometers lie ahead of us. Come digitally join me as we hit the road and bring the Bible to life in new and exciting ways! […]