Baptism Under Fire

According to Mark 1:12-13, Jesus was immediately driven out into the Wilderness after his baptism. You might say that here his baptism came under fire from Satan. For forty days, Jesus was tempted as to the proper use of his power and the understanding of his mission as Messiah. Steadfastly, Jesus resisted the tests of Satan. At the completion of his time in the Wilderness, he possibly returned to keep company with John the Baptizer.

The Wilderness of Jesus' experience is southeast of Jerusalem toward the Dead Sea. The barren, chalky hills stand in stark contrast to other regions of the land. The Wilderness is an inhospitable place, home only to wild animals, shepherds and demons. The region is considered as such and thus capitalized as a proper name.

Groups from the Jerusalem Center choose to travel a portion of the Old Roman Road to Jericho and encounter the Wilderness near the Wadi Kelt. In other times, we often walked the wadi into New Testament Jericho. Such an experience with the region puts the student in touch with some of what Jesus suffered. Alone except for the angels and hungry, Jesus set the course for his ministry and sounded the initial blast of defeat for the malevolent powers of this world.

The Beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ: Baptism

"The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ" (Mark 1:1) is the account of his baptism by John. Although John was baptizing at various sites, Jesus left Nazareth sometime in 27-28 CE and made his way to the Jordan River nearest Jericho and the Wilderness to be baptized. In submitting to the baptism of John, Jesus was affirming both the ministry and message of his cousin, John. John was the forerunner of the Messiah, the One who would baptize with fire rather than water. His message was one of repentance in preparation for the in-breaking of the kingdom of God.

At his baptism, Jesus was confirmed as God's Son when the heavens opened and the dove descended. More importantly, the voice of the heavenly Father announced that Jesus was the Son in whom He was well pleased.

Until recently, pilgrims and students have had only two options for their own baptisms in the Jordan. While Kibbutz Kinneret, on the southwestern corner of the Sea of Galilee, has worked diligently to improve this site (see photo above), the Yardenit (little Jordan) is not authentic and much too commerical. The other site, Bethany Beyond the Jordan, stands a better chance at authenticity but requires a visa to cross the border into the country of Jordan.

The good news is that the faithful can now access this site year-round from the Israeli side of the border at Qasr al-Yahud. No prior arrangements are necessary for your visit. The site is located some six miles from Jericho and is almost certainly in the vicinity where John was baptizing.

Come and Study with Us!

Almost five months have passed since I returned from my annual travel/study in the Holy Land. As is often the case, I am becoming restless to return. I miss my friends, the sights and sounds, and my walks through the land.

Nevertheless, it is much too early to become homesick. I will not depart for another five months. Such longing would be a waste of my days in a land equally as dear to my heart. So I will seek to live fully in the here and now.

One thing that I can do is to journey there through my Bible study over the next five months. For this journey of mind and heart, I am choosing the Gospel of Mark. When I am in the land teaching, I employ Mark's itinerary traveling through the Galilee and thrill in his account of the stories of Jesus. Bargil Pixner was the first to suggest this fruitful use of Mark as one walks the Galilee

Let me extend the invitation for you to join me in this journey! Come and study with us! My prayer is that the One who walked long ago these ancient paths will meet us anew, walk with us and teach us.

Pentecost and Shavout

On Tuesday and Wednesday (May 19-20), Jews celebrated Shavout. This Sunday (May 23), Christians will join in the celebration of Pentecost. This shared feast is also known as the festival of First Fruits.

Shavout marks the end of Passover season for the Jew. A sacrifice of grain is offered in gratitude for the spring harvest. According to the Talmud, the holiday is associated with the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.

Pentecost brings to a close the fifty days of Easter for the Christian and celebrates the birth of the Church. According to the Acts of the Apostles, God's gift to the infant Church was the Holy Spirit.

For the faithful, the Book of Ruth, the Song of Songs, and the Ten Commandments are to be read during this festival. Further celebrations are a sensual delight with challa in the shape of a ladder, cheese blintzes, and much greenery and blazing red decor. Blessings this Pentecost! "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!"

Roll Jordan, Roll?

My first experience of the Jordan River was like that of so many other tourists. "Where? Where is it? That's the Jordan River!"

Disappointment hardly describes the reaction. After all, I grew up along the mighty Mississippi River. That's a river!

After sixteen visits to the land and to the banks of the Jordan River, I now come away with a profound appreciation of the lifegiving contribution of the Jordan. I better understand how one could sing "Roll, Jordan, roll!" Such words are more a prayer for God's gift of water to a "dry and weary" land.

Therefore, I joined in grave concern with others this week upon reading the story that the Jordan River could dry up within the year:

"Unless urgent action is taken, large sections of the Lower Jordan River, which runs from Lake Kinneret to the Dead Sea, will dry out next year, according to a study released on Sunday by EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME).The NGO ran tests over a year to determine how much water would be needed to rehabilitate the river and damage had been caused by the lack of water in it. Israel, Jordan and Syria divert 98 percent of the flow for their respective country’s use."

How can this be?

And yet we know how. Prolonged drought, diversion of the waters of the Jordan, and politics have brought us to this critical point.

Please join in singing, or rather praying: "Roll, Jordan, roll!" May the powers that be join minds and hearts in resolving the issues.

To read the entire article, go to the Jerusalem Post at http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=174550

The Land and Preaching: The Resurrection

The Book: "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes." - John 20:1-10

The Land: Two locations contend for the hearts of the faithful as the site of the tomb of Jesus, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb. While the Garden Tomb is a wonderful place to pray and remember the Easter story, most scholars confer on the church the mark of authenticity.

Given the status and role of women in the first century, the identification by John of Mary Magdalene as the first witness to the resurrection is certainly reckless if not true. In fact, other women (see John 20:2) accompanied Mary Magdalene that first Easter and joined her as the first witnesses. While Mary is the first to encounter the risen Jesus, all of the women discover the first evidence of the resurrection, an empty tomb and grave clothes that are no longer needed.

The Lessons for Preaching: Christian apologists offer many causes for belief in the resurrection of Jesus. Among them are the transformation of the disciples, their newfound boldness, and 2,000 years of continuous history of the Jesus' movement.

However, the empty tomb was the evidence for resurrection trumpeted by the gospel writer. Seven times John references the tomb, the empty tomb. While the empty tomb has been explained away, the fact of the matter is that no body was ever produced.

Yes, there is much to proclaim as confirmation of the Easter hope grounded in resurrection, but

the earliest proclamation of the first witnesses was that the tomb was empty. The tomb was empty. The Lord is risen!

The Land and Preaching: The Mount of Olives

The Book: When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples saying, "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here." ...after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they sat Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road...the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" - Luke 19:29-38a

The Land: Departing Galilee for Jerusalem and the celebration of Passover, Jesus journeyed through the Jordan River Valley, tarried in Jericho, and climbed the final miles through the Wadi Qelt via an ancient road. The road empties onto the Mount of Olives near Bethphage and Bethany.

With the Holy City and the Temple in sight, Jesus sends two disciples for transportation. In light of the fact that Jesus and his disciples have walked from Galilee, the request for a donkey might seem odd. Nevertheless, the two men obeyed his command, and history and biblical interpretation have filled in the blanks for the faithful across the centuries.

In the tradition of the prophets, Jesus acts out his message for the residents of Jerusalem. The parabolic action of such an humble entrance, that of "riding a donkey," fulfills scripture (Zechariah 9:9) and corrects a rather common understanding of the messiah. Jesus enters Jerusalem, not as a conquering warrior, but as God's servant-king. Jesus' choice of such transportation parallels that of King Solomon's approach to his coronation.

In addition, the choice of the Mount of Olives and especially Bethphage as the point of departure for the processional to Jerusalem embodies the message Jesus intends. According to the rabbis, the messiah will come from the clouds if God's people are prepared. If they are not ready, the messiah will come from the city limits riding on a donkey. Bethphage was the city limits in Jesus' day.

Without saying a word, Jesus' claim and message were clear to the religious community. Jesus offered himself as messiah, albeit a different one. Later when he pauses before the city, his tears are a foreshadowing of the response of Jerusalem's leaders. They did not know the things that make for peace.

Lesson for Preaching: The first decision for the pastor in terms of preparing to preach this coming Sunday is whether to observe Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday. Here I have offered insight from the land for celebrating Palm Sunday.

A second decision will be sorting through all the possibilities at hand for the theme and the thrust of the Palm Sunday sermon. The temptation for the preacher is to make seven points once each, rather than stating the main point seven times.