Got up this morning at 5 am and got on the road by 6. Stopped and got gas and a croissant and made my way up north. Its amazing how the land changes over here. Within three hours you can drive from the desert, to wheat fields, and then into rolling hills that look just like your in Kentucky.
I arrived at Mt. Carmel about 8. Mt. Carmel is a mountain range that sits a few miles from the Mediterranean and Haifa, the 3rd largest city in Israel. I was looking for a certain place on Mt. Carmel, the site where Elijah battled the Prohpets of Baal. Apparently everyone who comes to Israel, comes with a group and has a tour guide who knows where certain sites are. But if u are traveling alone and without a tour guide, you are literally on your own. I am still not sure how I found this place, but God is good and I made it.
The story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I am sure most of you all know it, but I will give you the short version real quick. Ahab was the king, Elijah was the only prophet of the Lord, the people of Israel were worshiping a god named Baal, who had 450 prophets at the time. So Elijah convinced the King to summon everyone to Mt. Carmel, the poeple of Israel as well as the prohets of Baal. So Elijah asked the people to choose one god, Baal or the Lord. He then set up a contest to show the people who the true God was. There were two bulls, one for Baal and his prophets and one for the Lord and Elijah. Elijah told the people that whichever God answers with fire and consumes the bull is the treu God. Everyone agreed and the prophets of Baal went first. The Bible says that the prophets danced, hobbled, and shouted from morning til noontime. Then Elijah began to have fun with them, he knew that there was no shot of them winning. So he mocked them saying "maybe your god is on vacation, or daydreaming, he may even be asleep, or better yet he may be in the bathroom." So what did these fools do in response? They screamed louder and even began to cut themsleves so they were bleeding out everywhere, this lasted into the evening. Picture this, a huge crowd is gathered around and all day they have been watching these prophets dance, scream, and bleed. And then there is Elijah, chillin on a rock laid back laughing. We always think of people in the BIble being so serious, but Elijah was a funny guy, someone that I am going to def hang out with in heaven. Ok so back to the story. So finally Elijah steps in and says its my turn. He then digs a trench around his bull and gets some volunteers form the crowd. Tells them to cover the bull with water three times. So the bull is now soaked and the trench is full of water. He then prayed "God prove to these people that you are the true God and bring them back to you." Immdediatley fire came down from heaven and burned up everything even the water in the trench. The people praised the Lord. Then all the prophets of Baal were siezed and killed.
This is the first thing you see when you get to the church which was built on the historic site. It is Elijah killing one of the prophets. I thought that Elijah reclining on a rock with a smile on his face would have been a much better statue, but thats just me.
Inscription next to the statue
The view towards the Mediteranean
After I left Mt. Carmel I headed west to Nazareth. I was expecting a small quite town. When Jesus lived in Nazareth it was a small community made up of just a few families. That is not the case today. Its the most crowded, hectic cities I have ever witnessed. Driving in Nazareth is an adventure. The streets are narrow, there are people everywhere, and then everyone drives like they are late for their own wedding. I got yelled at by an elderly woman for not driving fast enough thru a group of tourists. I finally found a parking lot and walked toward the old town. Nazareth has three main attractions, 3 churches built on the historic sites. First the Bascilla of the Annunciation. This a huge cathedral built over an ancient byzantine church where Mary, the mother of Jesus, was informed by an Angel that she would be with child.
The next site is the Church of St. Joseph. Only about 100 yards from the Cathedral above, this church is a small chapel built over the house that Jesus grew up in.
The third site, which was hidden behind a market, was the Nazareth Synagogue. A church built on the site of the original synagogue that Jesus taught at when he returned to Nazareth. The first two places in Nazerath were very touristy. People everywhere. But it was like no one knew or cared about this place.I was walking thru a market came to a dead end and saw this sign.
Very cool place, I stayed in there for a few minutes, very peaceful, a few monks came in and said a quick prayer. I almost felt like I was not supposed to be there, like I had walked past the do not enter sign. I just couldn't figure out why everyone was so concerned with Mary and Joseph and not waiting in line to get into this place. Driving out of Nazareth I prayed that I never forget that its all about Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
On my way home this afternoon, I found my first McDonalds with a drive thru. I ordered a chicken sandwhich and fries. The chicken was bad, but the fries were awesome. God is good!
Going into Jerusalem tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment