Today was a nice day of relaxation for our minds and bodies. We drove out through barren lands and saw shepherds in the hills and wild animals roaming. Ibex and Hyrax climb about the Negev Desert and delighted us like we were driving through a wildlife park.
We took the cable car to the top of Masada, and ancient city build by Herod the Great in 74 BC. The city, stationed 1,400 feet above the Dead Sea, was barely accessible to outsiders. Almost all historical information about Masada comes from the 1st-century Jewish Roman historian Josephus. The walls of the fortress were breached in 73 AD. According to Josephus, when Roman troops entered the fortress, they discovered that its 960 inhabitants had set all the buildings but the food storerooms ablaze and committed mass suicide by stabbing each other. Josephus wrote of two stirring speeches that the Sicari leader had made to convince his fellows to kill themselves.
Next we drove down to the Dead Sea, which is the lowest place on Earth, 1,388 feet below sea level. Due to the extremely high salt and mineral content of the water, people literallt float instead of swim. And the mud is believed to have great cleansing properties, so floaters took a chance to lather up and take the years off, or at least the day off.
After playing in the water and on the beach for a while, we returned to Jerusalem and to the Passion. We went to the House of Caiaphas. From this spot you can see the Valley of Gehenna, often referred to as Hell, and the Field of Blood, where Judas committed suicide. The Gospel of Matthew states that Jesus was taken to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together (Matthew 26:57). Below some steps is a courtyard where tradition says Peter denied Jesus 3 times (Luke 22:52-62).
There are 2 physical places where it can be confirmed that Jesus was, according to our guide. One we went to yesterday, the teaching steps next to the Western Wall. The second is this dungeon. It was used as a cistern originally. Jesus was lowered down into it before being removed for trial. Here he sat, waiting for what he knew would come, the cup he'd asked to have taken from him.
Later in the evening a Board of Global Ministries missionary, Alex Awad, came to talk about the Bethlehem Bible College. This college offers Christian education, created first public library in Bethlehem area and has various community programs. More information is available at www.bethbc.org. He also spoke on the Israeli-Palestinian history and conflict, including his own story. His site is available by clicking here.
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