One of the first things you learn at IBEX is that geography shapes history. The landscape is the ultimate determiner for where events will take place, and due to the variety in Israel’s geography, the routes leading to and from each city are essential to understanding the country’s history. Since geography has not changed over the past millennia, we can look at almost any biblical event and even if we do not know where the exact location of the event is, we can almost always know which routes were taken and why. In Israel, power was in large part determined by whoever had control over the routes to and from Jerusalem. During the Jerusalem Approaches field trip, we were able to travel on the routes where Israel’s history was shaped, and understand why the routes existed and why they were so crucial for the nation.
Since we had already explored the northern approach to Jerusalem (the Central Benjamin Plateau), we mostly focused on the eastern and southern approaches. First, we visited Beth-Phage and Bethany. Both of these are on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Bethany was the hometown of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and the disciples got the donkey on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem before His crucifixion from Beth-phage. We spent a lot of time discussing the raising of Lazarus (John 11) and how this miracle proves that our Lord Jesus Christ has the keys to death and Hades. The next time Jesus was in Bethany was for the Triumphal Entry.
The last major biblical event in/near Bethany was Christ’s ascension (Luke 24:50-52). When our Lord came into the vicinity of Bethany after His resurrection, the people were looking for a physical kingdom with power. Jesus tells them that they will receive power, but not the kind they imagined; they will receive the Holy Spirit which will enable them to be spread His glory and name throughout all of the nation and the entire world. As I thought about how the Messiah was taken up out of the disciples’ sight and how Acts 1 says that Jesus will come back in the same way as He went, I gazed up into the sky and worshipped the Lord for revealing Himself to mankind and returning to heaven to be our High Priest.
To get from Beth-phage to Jerusalem you must travel on the ridges because of the steep tributaries of the Kidron Valley. After reading the account in Matthew 21:1-11 about Jesus Christ fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 by getting on a donkey at Beth-phage and rode to Jerusalem, we walked where our Lord rode. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I had always imagined Christ riding a very short distance on a straight path leading up to the place where the crowds were waiting for Him with palm branches. Actually, this road was about 2 miles, and was mostly uphill. As I walked and dodged cars, I read Psalm 118 and could feel the excitement that the Jews must have felt as they sang part of the Hallel to welcome the King of Kings. I had always been taught that the same Jews who worshipped Him during His Triumphal Entry changed their minds in the worst display of fickleness humankind has ever known and cried out for Him to be crucified just a week later. I was relieved to learn that a better interpretation of this event is that there were different groups of Jews, which is why the High Priest needed for Judas to betray Him in the secret; Jesus had the favor of the multitudes.
After visiting the probable site of Jesus’ ascension, we visited some traditional contenders for the place of the ascension. The first Church of the Ascension was built by the Byzantines under Helena, the mother of Constantine, in the 4th century. However, after its destruction, it was converted into the “Pater Noster” church because other “Ascension churches” were built nearby on the Mount of Olives.
Seeing the Lord’s Prayer in so many different languages reminded me that every tribe, tongue and nation will one day confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We also visited the road that comes down the Mount of Olives and discussed Luke 19:37-44, when the Lord Jesus comes down this road and claims that even the stones would cry out if those worshiping Him during the Triumphal Entry were to remain silent, and when He weeps over Jerusalem. There are stones all around this road; in fact, beside this road there has been a cemetery for centuries, even during Jesus’ time, so it is possible that Jesus was referring to the stones marking the graves when He spoke the words of Luke 20:40. I could not help but wonder what it would have sounded like for stones to cry out and worship our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God’s people will be worshippers in spirit and in truth, so that the stones will never have a chance to cry out. We also briefly discussed the Olivet discourse and the power that will accompany the Mashiac’s second coming (cf. Zechariah 14).
Next on our itinerary was the “Ketef Hinnom,” or the Shoulder of Hinnom. We visited a tomb where the oldest Hebrew inscription, from the Iron Age (First Temple Period), was found. This inscription was found on a tiny silver amulet and contained the words of the Aaronic blessing
(Num. 6:24-26). One reason why this is highly significant is that it is the first time the name of Yahweh is mentioned in extra-biblical texts. These tombs are located below the Scottish Presbyterian Church, and date back to before the first destruction of Jerusalem. Since this was a complex burial system involving several built-in headrests for the corpses and an underground room for the bones of the dead, it was probably used for rich people. The bones of successive generations were buried on top of each other after the bodies started to decay, which could be what prompted the biblical phrase “his bones were gathered to his fathers.” Eight of us lay down on the tombs’ niches and one by one, Bill called out to us to “Come forth” as Lazarus had done. I was the first one he called, and as I rose up, for the first time this all too familiar Sunday School story came alive for me. I finally understood why it was such an awesome, powerful miracle, the culmination of every other miracle Jesus had performed on earth.
One more reason why Ketef Hinnom is relevant to God’s Word is that it is mentioned in the border description in Joshua 15. The boundary is said to go up on the shoulder of the Hinnom Valley on the southern side, with the Valley of Rephaim on the other side. The Levite in Judges 19 and his concubine also would have traveled near the Ketef Hinnom when they decided to travel to Gibeah or Ramah instead of stopping at Jebus. Finally, Abraham possibly met Melchizedek, king of Salem, near here.
After viewing Jerusalem from the southern side near the possible location of Caiaphas’ tomb, we finally got to visit the place of our childhood dreams: Bethlehem. An Eastern Orthodox church called the “Church of the Nativity” marks the supposed location of Jesus’ birth with a silver star. Even though we obviously cannot know exactly where the Christ was born, we do know that the area of the church is ancient Bethlehem. As we stood in front of the church, we read and discussed Luke 2:1-14 and pointed out many misconceptions regarding the nativity story, such as the late midnight arrival and Joseph and Mary traveling alone. In any case, Christ’s birth was definitely humble and reminded me of the amazing truth of Philippians 2:5-8. Next, we visited the shepherds’ field east of Bethlehem, which was mostly desert. We talked about how the angels appeared to the shepherds and how this was amazing in light of the four hundred silent years Israel had gone through. This was the first time God had publicly interrupted man’s affairs since the Old Testament prophets. We sang Gloria in Excelsis Deo and contemplated the good news of Jesus Christ’s birth. Another interesting event that took place in the fields near Bethlehem is the story of Ruth and Boaz harvesting barley.
Seeing the Herodium right after Bethlehem was a stark contrast. On the way there, we read some of Josephus which talked about the pomp and splendor accompanying Herod’s life and death. In fact, he was called the king of the Jews by the Romans. What a contrast to our Savior’s humble birth, life, and death. We visited the military post from which Herod could have ordered the death of the babies in Bethlehem, as well as the courtyard and ancient synagogue built by zealots.
Next we visited Tekoa, the hometown of the shepherd-prophet Amos, who ministered in the North. The main thrust of his message was to denounce a life of prosperity and ease, and to emphasize that worship and conduct cannot be separated. After reading some of Amos, we turned our attention to another biblical event which took place near the fields of Tekoa: the defeat of the Moabites and Ammonites by Judah under Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20). For a long time this has been one of my favorite stories in the Bible, because it is an amazing picture of how the LORD fights our battles and why we should put all of our trust in Him rather than in our own strength. I had never really paid attention to the geography of the story, however, and did not understand that the Moabites and Ammonites were attempting to invade and control Jerusalem from the south, or that the En Gedi-Tekoa ridge route on which Jehoshaphat’s singers led the army exists because of the Nahal Arugot. The people all knew about the Nahal Arugot, which is comparable to the Grand Canyon, and would have seen it as they passed by the Tekoa route. The people only had to look at the splendor of the mountains and valleys around them to know that God was real and His promises were true. Nearby, at the Valley of Rephaim, the Philistines were defeated twice by David (2 Samuel 5:17-25). When David exclaimed that “The LORD has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood” and named the place accordingly, he probably had the nearby springs in mind. We got to visit a similar spring which literally burst forth incessantly like a flood, and could understand why David would have used this terminology.
From the beginning of this field trip to the end, we were able to clearly see how God repeatedly intervened in man’s affairs to bring about His glory and work His perfect purposes in history. We were reminded of the importance of geography in studying God’s Word and understanding key biblical events, and thankful once again to be able to see Scripture come to life in the very places where God ordained for His people’s history to be shaped.
Since we had already explored the northern approach to Jerusalem (the Central Benjamin Plateau), we mostly focused on the eastern and southern approaches. First, we visited Beth-Phage and Bethany. Both of these are on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem. Bethany was the hometown of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, and the disciples got the donkey on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem before His crucifixion from Beth-phage. We spent a lot of time discussing the raising of Lazarus (John 11) and how this miracle proves that our Lord Jesus Christ has the keys to death and Hades. The next time Jesus was in Bethany was for the Triumphal Entry.
The last major biblical event in/near Bethany was Christ’s ascension (Luke 24:50-52). When our Lord came into the vicinity of Bethany after His resurrection, the people were looking for a physical kingdom with power. Jesus tells them that they will receive power, but not the kind they imagined; they will receive the Holy Spirit which will enable them to be spread His glory and name throughout all of the nation and the entire world. As I thought about how the Messiah was taken up out of the disciples’ sight and how Acts 1 says that Jesus will come back in the same way as He went, I gazed up into the sky and worshipped the Lord for revealing Himself to mankind and returning to heaven to be our High Priest.To get from Beth-phage to Jerusalem you must travel on the ridges because of the steep tributaries of the Kidron Valley. After reading the account in Matthew 21:1-11 about Jesus Christ fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 by getting on a donkey at Beth-phage and rode to Jerusalem, we walked where our Lord rode. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I had always imagined Christ riding a very short distance on a straight path leading up to the place where the crowds were waiting for Him with palm branches. Actually, this road was about 2 miles, and was mostly uphill. As I walked and dodged cars, I read Psalm 118 and could feel the excitement that the Jews must have felt as they sang part of the Hallel to welcome the King of Kings. I had always been taught that the same Jews who worshipped Him during His Triumphal Entry changed their minds in the worst display of fickleness humankind has ever known and cried out for Him to be crucified just a week later. I was relieved to learn that a better interpretation of this event is that there were different groups of Jews, which is why the High Priest needed for Judas to betray Him in the secret; Jesus had the favor of the multitudes.
After visiting the probable site of Jesus’ ascension, we visited some traditional contenders for the place of the ascension. The first Church of the Ascension was built by the Byzantines under Helena, the mother of Constantine, in the 4th century. However, after its destruction, it was converted into the “Pater Noster” church because other “Ascension churches” were built nearby on the Mount of Olives.
Seeing the Lord’s Prayer in so many different languages reminded me that every tribe, tongue and nation will one day confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We also visited the road that comes down the Mount of Olives and discussed Luke 19:37-44, when the Lord Jesus comes down this road and claims that even the stones would cry out if those worshiping Him during the Triumphal Entry were to remain silent, and when He weeps over Jerusalem. There are stones all around this road; in fact, beside this road there has been a cemetery for centuries, even during Jesus’ time, so it is possible that Jesus was referring to the stones marking the graves when He spoke the words of Luke 20:40. I could not help but wonder what it would have sounded like for stones to cry out and worship our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God’s people will be worshippers in spirit and in truth, so that the stones will never have a chance to cry out. We also briefly discussed the Olivet discourse and the power that will accompany the Mashiac’s second coming (cf. Zechariah 14).Next on our itinerary was the “Ketef Hinnom,” or the Shoulder of Hinnom. We visited a tomb where the oldest Hebrew inscription, from the Iron Age (First Temple Period), was found. This inscription was found on a tiny silver amulet and contained the words of the Aaronic blessing
(Num. 6:24-26). One reason why this is highly significant is that it is the first time the name of Yahweh is mentioned in extra-biblical texts. These tombs are located below the Scottish Presbyterian Church, and date back to before the first destruction of Jerusalem. Since this was a complex burial system involving several built-in headrests for the corpses and an underground room for the bones of the dead, it was probably used for rich people. The bones of successive generations were buried on top of each other after the bodies started to decay, which could be what prompted the biblical phrase “his bones were gathered to his fathers.” Eight of us lay down on the tombs’ niches and one by one, Bill called out to us to “Come forth” as Lazarus had done. I was the first one he called, and as I rose up, for the first time this all too familiar Sunday School story came alive for me. I finally understood why it was such an awesome, powerful miracle, the culmination of every other miracle Jesus had performed on earth.One more reason why Ketef Hinnom is relevant to God’s Word is that it is mentioned in the border description in Joshua 15. The boundary is said to go up on the shoulder of the Hinnom Valley on the southern side, with the Valley of Rephaim on the other side. The Levite in Judges 19 and his concubine also would have traveled near the Ketef Hinnom when they decided to travel to Gibeah or Ramah instead of stopping at Jebus. Finally, Abraham possibly met Melchizedek, king of Salem, near here.
After viewing Jerusalem from the southern side near the possible location of Caiaphas’ tomb, we finally got to visit the place of our childhood dreams: Bethlehem. An Eastern Orthodox church called the “Church of the Nativity” marks the supposed location of Jesus’ birth with a silver star. Even though we obviously cannot know exactly where the Christ was born, we do know that the area of the church is ancient Bethlehem. As we stood in front of the church, we read and discussed Luke 2:1-14 and pointed out many misconceptions regarding the nativity story, such as the late midnight arrival and Joseph and Mary traveling alone. In any case, Christ’s birth was definitely humble and reminded me of the amazing truth of Philippians 2:5-8. Next, we visited the shepherds’ field east of Bethlehem, which was mostly desert. We talked about how the angels appeared to the shepherds and how this was amazing in light of the four hundred silent years Israel had gone through. This was the first time God had publicly interrupted man’s affairs since the Old Testament prophets. We sang Gloria in Excelsis Deo and contemplated the good news of Jesus Christ’s birth. Another interesting event that took place in the fields near Bethlehem is the story of Ruth and Boaz harvesting barley.
Seeing the Herodium right after Bethlehem was a stark contrast. On the way there, we read some of Josephus which talked about the pomp and splendor accompanying Herod’s life and death. In fact, he was called the king of the Jews by the Romans. What a contrast to our Savior’s humble birth, life, and death. We visited the military post from which Herod could have ordered the death of the babies in Bethlehem, as well as the courtyard and ancient synagogue built by zealots.
Next we visited Tekoa, the hometown of the shepherd-prophet Amos, who ministered in the North. The main thrust of his message was to denounce a life of prosperity and ease, and to emphasize that worship and conduct cannot be separated. After reading some of Amos, we turned our attention to another biblical event which took place near the fields of Tekoa: the defeat of the Moabites and Ammonites by Judah under Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20). For a long time this has been one of my favorite stories in the Bible, because it is an amazing picture of how the LORD fights our battles and why we should put all of our trust in Him rather than in our own strength. I had never really paid attention to the geography of the story, however, and did not understand that the Moabites and Ammonites were attempting to invade and control Jerusalem from the south, or that the En Gedi-Tekoa ridge route on which Jehoshaphat’s singers led the army exists because of the Nahal Arugot. The people all knew about the Nahal Arugot, which is comparable to the Grand Canyon, and would have seen it as they passed by the Tekoa route. The people only had to look at the splendor of the mountains and valleys around them to know that God was real and His promises were true. Nearby, at the Valley of Rephaim, the Philistines were defeated twice by David (2 Samuel 5:17-25). When David exclaimed that “The LORD has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood” and named the place accordingly, he probably had the nearby springs in mind. We got to visit a similar spring which literally burst forth incessantly like a flood, and could understand why David would have used this terminology.
From the beginning of this field trip to the end, we were able to clearly see how God repeatedly intervened in man’s affairs to bring about His glory and work His perfect purposes in history. We were reminded of the importance of geography in studying God’s Word and understanding key biblical events, and thankful once again to be able to see Scripture come to life in the very places where God ordained for His people’s history to be shaped.
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