Jesus said
"The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath"
Mark 2 v 27
A DayOne Tour of Israel — May 2011
Steve and Sue Barlow
After joining a Day One tour to Israel in 2008, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves, we agreed to help lead a tour to Israel in May this year, knowing that our esteemed leader, Clive Anderson, had done this many times before, and hoping that we could be of some help to him. Unfortunately at the last moment Clive had to pull out to be with his wife who was due to undergo an operation. Wishing Amanda every blessing, we found ourselves excitedly, albeit hesitantly, meeting a group of 26 people at 5:40 am at Heathrow Airport ready for our trip to Israel!
Following an eventful flight, we were met at Tel Aviv Airport by a representative of Worldwide Christian Travel, and introduced to our guide and our driver, for the ten days of our tour. Our guide was an Israeli citizen, Palestinian by nationality, from a Catholic family and a born again Christian! We soon found that we were very blessed by, and very grateful for, his knowledge, help, and sense of humour! About half an hour later, we arrived at the luxurious Olive Tree Hotel to spend the first four full days in Jerusalem. Although we had to make a few changes (time-wise) to the itinerary, we still managed to fit in all that we had planned, and even managed to see a little extra. We even met and were encouraged by a group of local Christians at a service just around the corner from the hotel.
Starting from Jerusalem and moving on to Tiberias later in the week meant that our tour started with a bang! Suddenly people were seeing all the things they had read about in their Bibles over many years and were standing on the Mount of Olives overlooking a city full of history. Somehow it doesn’t seem to go in that one is about to walk where God in the flesh walked. Our guide reminded us that in Christ’s time, sheep meant for slaughter during the Passover walked through the Sheep Gate (the old name for the Lion Gate) and were washed in the Bethesda Pools before being sacrificed—a picture of the Lamb of God who would soon walk through the same gate and perform a miracle in the Bethesda Pools before the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Himself. God’s word is amazing!
A visit to the Dead Sea (plus Masada and Qumran to see where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found) was great fun. Some of us seized the opportunity to experience the delights of the mineral-rich mud at the bottom of the sea and covered themselves from head to toe. Thankfully there are showers on the beach!
As expected, the Garden Tomb was the highlight of our time in Jerusalem, but standing where Jesus was tried before Pilate (and engaging in an unexpected time of prayer there), seeing where Peter denied Christ, walking through Gethsemane and especially experiencing the pit where Jesus was thought to have been kept the night before He died were all equally moving. It was lovely to hear of one and then another that they felt the Lord gently reminding them of how wonderful He really is!
On Tuesday we began our drive up to Tiberias, but went via Jericho, through the Jordan valley to visit Beth Shean and Gideon’s spring. We stopped to see the beautiful Jordan river and were astonished at the wildlife before driving to the delightful Ron Beach Hotel. Who can forget that first view of the Sea of Galilee from their hotel window and thinking that tomorrow we’ll be sailing on it!
The first full day in Galilee seemed to be full of the Lord—sailing on the very lake that He walked on, looking at a boat that could have been used by someone in His day, thinking of those profound words he spoke on the Mount of Beatitudes, looking at the places that he visited, Korazin and Capernaum, and then feeling the silence down by the lake where He met Peter and asked him if he loved Him.
Two more extras during the evenings at the hotel were to hear the testimony of one of our group, Brian Gault, who was born with no arms, and the wonderful way that the Lord had guided and helped him through the years, and also a visit from Phil Hill from the Nazareth Centre for Christian Studies who gave us a very interesting overview of the work of the Centre, and a general look at life in Israel.
On the last Thursday we drove north to Dan and saw where Jesus asked Peter, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ in Caesarea Philippi, where we learnt what He meant when He spoke about the Gates of Hell. We returned via the Golan Heights, which is Bashan in the Old Testament.
Our last full day in Israel found us visiting Cana and Nazareth and we tasted the delights of a typical lunch in Jesus’ day at the fascinating Nazareth Village which gives visitors an insight of life in Jesus’ time. We also visited Megiddo and Mount Carmel to see the amazing views. Finally our last day was spent in Caesarea by the sea—what a beautiful setting—before we began our trip back to Tel Aviv to catch the plane home.
New friends were made, and perhaps for some, an old friend was found again.
Steve and Sue Barlow
A DayOne TOUR OF ISRAEL—SEPTEMBER 2008
Paul Williams
On September 16th 2008, forty-five people met at Heathrow Airport to begin an eleven-day tour of Israel. They came from places as far apart as Honiton in Devon and the Isle of Skye in Scotland, and many other places in between.
How did it come about? A couple of years ago, two Day One authors independently expressed the need for an evangelical publisher like Day One to produce an Israel Travel Guide. Clive Anderson and Paul Williams soon began work on ‘Travel Through Israel’. While the book was being prepared for publication, plans were also put together for an Israel tour.
With its being the first tour, we decided to try and follow the outline of the book ‘Travel Through Israel’, beginning in Galilee.
The first full day in Israel was spent around the ‘gospel triangle’ of Capernaum, Korazim and Bethsaida—the small area on the northern side of the Sea of Galilee. Few Christians realise that approximately 75% of Christ’s ministry took place in this very small triangle.
Visiting Capernaum enables us to appreciate the significance of our Lord Jesus starting His ministry here. It is situated on the ancient route of the Via Maris, which runs from Africa, through Israel and branched out into Europe and Asia. Therefore, this was an ideal ‘launch pad’ for the gospel into all the world. The Via Maris milestone can still be seen among the wealth of archaeological exhibits in Capernaum. The remains of the 4th Century ‘white synagogue’ are clearly not the same building in which our Lord Jesus performed miracles, but the black basalt foundations can be seen, identifying this place with the site of the original synagogue.
Being in Galilee also gave us the opportunity us to sail on the water. From the vantage point of a boat on ‘the Lake’, it was helpful to get a bigger picture of the geography of the whole area. Many of those present would also say how profoundly moving it was to read and pray with other believers in such a setting.
The tour continued further north, with a walk through Dan National Park, stopping at the site where Jeroboam I built his altar. The ancient Gate of Dan gave an impressive insight into the significance of city gates in Old Testament days. But one of the most rewarding parts of the tour was the visit to Caesarea Philippi, providing us with a clear picture of the context in which the Lord Jesus asked Simon Peter, ‘But who do you say I am?’ In a place associated with gross idolatry, Peter made his wonderful confession, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’
Although I had led several Israel tours before, walking up to Nimrod’s Castle was a new experience for me. It was certainly well worth it, because the views from the top were simply stunning. Travelling back through the Golan Heights, we were able to stop at the viewpoint looking into Syria towards Damascus.
While staying in Galilee, we travelled west to the coastal town of Caesarea-by-the-sea, visiting Nazareth on the way. Without question, one of the highlights was the tour of the Biblical Village in Nazareth. We agreed that every tour should include this in the itinerary. It is owned and operated by evangelical Christians, as a kind of living museum. We saw ancient customs being demonstrated here, much as they would have been during our Lord’s earthly ministry, with a vineyard, watchtower, cistern, olive press, synagogue, house and so much more. It is highly recommended.
Tel Megiddo is one of the many places of great archaeological interest, with its ancient Canaanite altar and the water tunnel. It also offers spectacular views for miles around, looking towards Nazareth, Mount Tabor and the Jezreel valley.
Arriving at Caesarea-by-the-sea, it is surprising how much it is being developed as an archaeological site year by year. There is a fine amphitheatre and hippodrome. The steps going down to an ancient harbour can still be seen—a place that would have been familiar to the Apostle Paul.
En route back from Caesarea to Tiberius, we briefly visited Muhraqah, the site of Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.
We travelled on Day 5 from Galilee down through the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem. On the way, we detoured slightly to Gideon’s Spring, the natural water source at En Harod where God directed Gideon in his choice of 300 men. It sits at the foot of the Mount Gilboa mountain range, looking out across towards Gilead. Beth Shean was also quite spectacular.
For Christians visiting Israel, it is invaluable to see all of these places whose names are so familiar from our Bible reading. We have no interest at all in visiting shrines, but seeing the land and locating places of biblical significance enriches our understanding of God’s word.
Almost all Israel tours available tend to regard the Lord’s Day like any other day. But we planned the tour with the aim of setting the Lord’s Day apart as different. So we met together to worship God both morning and evening, in a conference room at our hotel in Jerusalem. We were so thankful for this opportunity, and the Lord blessed us. It also gave us a welcome break, and a time to stop and rest in the middle of the tour.
One day was set aside for visiting the Dead Sea region. The mountain fortress of Masada was one of several huge projects of ‘Herod the Great Builder’. Like most people, we all took the cable car. It seems that Herod was determined to surpass even Solomon’s greatness as a builder.
On the return journey we had plenty of time to relax, floating in the Dead Sea at En Gedi. And despite the high temperature, we were still able to stop at Qumran and view the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and realise their significance in illustrating the principle of biblical inerrancy.
A visit to Tel Lachish and to Bethlehem later made way for the rest of our time to be spent in Jerusalem itself. There is too much to write about Jerusalem and too little space in which to do so here. But one of the highlights would be the walk through ‘The Kotel’ or Western Wall Tunnels. Having only been opened to the public in relatively recent days, this again is a must for the visitor—if only to see the size of the stones that Herod used in constructing the supporting walls of the Temple Mount. But actually there is a superb model in the tunnels of Herod’s Temple and the surrounding site.