July 03, 2005
06/30-31 Israel - Days Nine & Ten
On our way to Tel Aviv we stopped in Caesarea.
Look at all the PR Caesarea gets in the Bible - Acts 10:1-48 ... Acts 23:23 ... Acts 24,25,26:1-32.
If you look up the Bible passages, you noticed that both Peter and Paul were in the city. Peter had his famous vision about Cornelius, and Paul spent over two years waiting for the Roman leaders to make up their minds about his trial.
Why was this place so important for the Church? Let me give you my two reasons ...
First, God was doing a new thing. The Gospel was moving from among just the Jews to include Gentiles. God had to use the most respected leaders of the Christian movement to convince the rest of the Church about this important change. It was time for the prophecies to be fulfilled; that is, out of Israel God would provide a "light to the Gentiles."
Second, Paul's appeal to Rome was the reason that from Caesarea the Church was launched to Europe and the west. Paul was innocent and did not deserve to be put on trial, but the scriptures show us that when he appealed to Rome to be judged by Caesar, he was locking-in his option to have an audience with the Roman Emperor. (Acts 25:12) Paul was guilty of a tremendous passion to follow Christ, and yet, he was being tried like a criminal.
Peter and Paul were in the same city at different times. Peter spent a great deal of time in Joppa site of the current city of Tel Aviv/Jaffa. On Wednesday I was in Caesarea, and on Thursday Les and I walked into The Church of St. Peter and the house of "Simon the Tanner." As we sat inside the church near the location of Peter's stay, it occurred to me what God was showing His Church. Deuteronomy 19:15 says "A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." Likewise, Matthew 18:16 says "If he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." God was subjecting Himself to His own requirements. If He was going to do a new work and share the good news of Jesus Christ with the Gentiles, then He also must have the testimony of at least two witnesses. On the Last Day I picture God speaking to the people of the 1st Century that are gathered for the judgment. He will say to them: "Why didn't you believe in the testimony of Peter and Paul? You call yourselves 'People of the Book'... you follow Mosaic Law, and the Law was clearly written. Your countrymen, Peter and Paul, were my witnesses ... they spoke the words that I spoke to them, but you did not believe in them or in the One who sent them. Therefore, you are without excuse."
In Greece there was a patina of unbelief - a thin layer of cynicism and skepticism fueled by materialism and the spirit of the age. But in Israel I sense there is a wall of unbelief built-up by years of tradition, legalism, ritual, murder and mayhem between Christians, Jews and Muslims. Within our own traveling group the differences were apparent. There were 39 on our tour through Greece, but only 15 on tour through Israel. In the group of 15 there were 7 Christians and 8 Jews. Our tour guide was Jewish, but not a practicing Jew. We were very respectful of each other, but no one was persuaded by each other's faith. I think that Christians understand that their faith comes out of the Jewish background and we can get excited about the places and events of the Old Testament. But Jews don't share our enthusiasm for the New Testament. It is very hard to convince them that Christians are different from Muslims. They're thankful that we support the Jewish State, but they don't seem to understand our enthusiasm for Jesus. Jesus is just another misguided Jew who thought he was the Messiah in their minds.
It was a wonderful learning experience to gather the Jewish perspective on the Bible, politics, and their view of our faith. But, it would have been wonderful to have been able to stop and worship and study and pray in many of the places we visited. God had a plan for us, and there were many God-sightings while we were in Israel. I guess Les and I will just have to come back on another tour in the future - God willing.
Posted by roger at July 3, 2005 08:27 AM