Recently I taught Adult Vacation Bible School at Fairview Baptist Church. The lessons were simple, and well known: Zacchaeus (little man up in a tree), Samaritan Woman (came to the well), Nicodemus (came to Jesus at night), Blind Bartimaeus, and Jesus’ rebuff to his disciples of “Let the children come to me.”
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| Fairview Baptist Church, Statesville, NC |
The group I was teaching was well versed in the scripture, and I knew some of them had studied the Bible stories twenty or more times. I did not feel comfortable moving away from the curriculum lessons, so I prayed, and the Lord showed me how to teach the all too familiar lessons in a different way.
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| Ben Gurion Airport on our 2012 trip to Israel |
The inspiration came because of my recent trip to Israel. I could see, feel, and hear elements of the Bible stories through my experiences at the locations and on the very streets these events took place. I decided to take my class “on location” so they could experience the stories also.
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| "Elisha's Well" in Jericho |
For the first lesson I brought my class to the well in Jericho, Israel. As we sat facing the well, I told them how important water was for the land of Israel. Elijah had visited this well and healed its waters.
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| Bedouin village in Jordan. Mt. Nebo is in the background |
Not only had Elijah visited Jericho, but also Joshua as Israel was entering the land. The people came down from the mountains of Nebo and crossed the Jordan River (on a familiar trade route). They prayed at Gilgal, and then approached the walled city of Jericho.
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| Excavated walls of Jericho. Notice the different types of walls. |
After marching around the walls seven times, the walls fell down. They gave the first city taken in the land as a “first fruits” offering totally dedicated to God. Only Rahab and her family were saved.
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| Date Palm farm south of Jericho near the Dead Sea |
I showed the class that Jericho is in a rich agricultural valley. In addition to commercial opportunity which came from Jericho sitting on the trade routes, they raised sheep, camels, dates, bananas, and other produce. Taxes were collected on each commodity and at every opportunity.
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| A village in Jordan Valley. Olive Trees in foreground. |
The amenities of Jericho drew the richest people in the world. Jericho is well below sea level, so winters are mild. The air is dry and allergies are few. Herod had a palace in Jericho and Cleopatra had business interests in the area.
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| Ruins of King Herod's Winter Palace in Jericho |
Zacchaeus was the Roman-backed IRS. Within the lessons monologues were given by the toll collectors on the roads, the agricultural tariff takers, the commercial tax agents who received a portion of goods sold, and the real estate tax assessors. All of these “publicans” worked for Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. He was very rich.
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| Camel for Tourists entering Jericho |
The Bible tells us Jesus entered Jericho from the north. As he approached the city gates a blind man called out for healing. Jesus healed him before entering the city. As the report of the healing spread through the city gates, Zacchaeus heard. Because he was short, he could not fight the crowd and climbed up in a Sycamore tree (the saviour he wanted to see).
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| Perhaps Zacchaeus climbed a tree like this in Jericho city square |
Jesus called him down, and ate lunch at his home that day. The discussion at the home of Zacchaeus is not recorded in the Bible, but the results are. This man of wealth, who in a sense lorded over the people of Jericho, gave half of his wealth to the poor. Then he restored fourfold all that he had taken illegally.
Class members shared with me what they received from the lesson. My journeys to Israel enabled me to share the old story in a refreshing way. Can a trip to Israel refresh and bring a new sense of reality to your understanding of God’s word?
Join me next time
I am planning a trip to Israel in 2018, probably in June. To accomplish this I need 45 people who will travel with me to Israel. The cost will be about $5,000 per person (start saving money now)! … Let me know you are interested … and I will put you on the mailing list (no obligation at this point).
I will let you know through e-mails the steps in the planning process. If you are interested, you can help confirm the date (June 2018), or help set another date. I will be asking along the way what you want to see in Israel. Over the next year (until March 2017) I will be collecting ideas in order to plan. Then I will be talking to an experienced tour leader who will help put the trip together. (The price and plans will be complete about a year before the trip). My e-mail is KosherCopy@gmail.com. (Write to let me know you are interested, or to ask questions).
I will let you know of other plans as they develop, such as a potential add-on dig in the land, or an add-on side trip. What I need now is simply people who are interested (no obligation) and ideas for the trip.
