Israel

Saturday, June 17

Here is my first photo after arriving in Jerusalem. 

Just like the panoramic of the city, I’ll begin our journey with a wide overview of the Bible. The goal is to start everyone on the same page, while not getting mired in the details. I’ll attempt the whole thing in only two paragraphs. Big breath. Here goes:

Old Testament

The Bible centers around a covenant, an agreement between God and his people. If the people follow Yahweh, He will care for them. First, the wandering Israelites were promised a place of their own. God led them through a series of battles to eventually arrive in Canaan (modern Israel). Their numbers increased, and they gained a king and a capital city: David and Jerusalem. The following kings knew that God needed a home on earth, so they built a temple. Even though the people attempted to follow all 613 commandments, God was often frustrated with their level of commitment. He sent prophets to warn them what could happen, but it reached the boiling point in 586 BCE. He allowed the Babylonians to conquer the land, destroy the temple, and exile the people. After about fifty years, they returned to Jerusalem, rebuilt the temple, and did their best to keep both sides happy. The prophets spoke of a new covenant along with a new leader coming soon.

New Testament  

The promised leader arrived in a man named Jesus. Everyone expected a powerful king like David to take over the land. Instead, Jesus preached tolerance, love, and forgiveness. He was more concerned about the next world than the current one. He spent most of his time around the Sea of Galilee gaining followers through preaching and performing miracles. He and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem to peacefully celebrate the Passover, but his ministry was seen as an insurrection by both the Roman and the Jewish leadership. He was arrested, crucified, and died. The sacrificed lamb of the Old Testament became the sacrificed Jesus of the New Testament, forming the new covenant. He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, confirming that he was the Messiah. He returned for a brief time to encourage the apostles to spread the good news throughout the region. Their writings documented the growing pains of starting a new movement. The final book details the battle between good and evil and how God will establish the kingdom in the new world.

Whew! I missed a few things, but we'll round out the story with sites to see in the coming days.

If you're wondering where I took the photo, it was from the bell tower of the Church of the Redeemer. A gentle warning though. It involves a lot of stairs and very tight quarters.  

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