Jon the Baptist.

Place where Jesus was tempted...

This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.  If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me.  If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me.  For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.” Ps. 139

Things are continuing on.  The days are going faster and faster.  Though it seems every week is better then the last.  This past two weeks has been an enormous amount of learning facts and truths.  I say the facts and truths becuase sometimes facts don’t prove anything, they just get in the way of it.  We have been going to all the places that are “Possibly” the places where Jesus did this, or where that city was located, or where this event happened.  It is interesting to see just how hazy things are for those that are supposed to be seen at the specialist.  The walls of Jericho first first proven to be found in 1950, but then due to bad excavation it was proven eitherwise later…  There is a church over where Jesus was born…  But apparently it is proven that it actually wasn’t there.  I get to hear not only the tour guides comments about what happened, but the scientists perspective of what the facts actually say.  It seem the facts just never line up perfectly…

Being among all these really smart people has been crazy.  There is just oodles and goodles of knowledge around me.  I have a question I just ask one of the guys who has his PHD, or the guy who recites who books from memory if you so ask him (It took him 45 mins to go through the whole book of Revelation…), or ask the guy who has written a book upon the whole subject.  It is crazy how brilliantly small I have become.  Theological discussions come up all the time, as you could imagin, and the facts just fly!  One can prove this, the other that, the other comes in saying, “well, we have different theologies”, another looking on in confusion as to the big theological words being spoken.  For some reason this is really unatractive to me…  Not so much the aspect of talking over beliefs and truths, but looking to the spirit it is said from.  One begins by being vulnerable and bringin up something they confess to with their heart, then the next person just comes along and says, “well… from this, this, and this, “we” know that is not true…”, the next person comes and sides with one of them… the next sides as well.  All the sudden you get to this place where there is somthing much deeper going on than just talking about what you believe.  There is this deep seeded desire for your side to be right…  Your every thought is consumed by the fact that this other person in front of you does not see how obvious the “real” truth is.  So much so, that the mind begins to say that this person in front of you is “lesser” or ever so slightly judges by you to be seen as someone in the wrong.  It always starts as such a small shift of judgement…  then that judgement festers, you begin to gosip, you begin to see that person and perhaps looks through them instead of at them.  You no longer can value that person…  You have just decided in your mind that because that person has not the decensy to see life your way that they somehow dont deserve your love of Jesus.  I have seen it very much here…  Not to judge… but this has been on my heart.  Seeking “truth” can consume someone so much that they forget the very simplicity that is right in front of their face.  The simplicity of having one who is made in the image of Jesus right in front of you.  He is there, in those people that you are arguing with; in those people that you give yourself reasoning for not loving; in those people that you think that just don’t quite get it.

We went to meet a Syrian Abbot (Fairly high level in the Syrian Church) his name was Simoun (arabic).  We had a very rare experience of his being open with a group of about 10 of us.  Normally (as our teacher describe) such vulnerable comments are never heard from such a man in that position.  He was describing the church, and it is in desparate need.  He meets with all the church leaders of Jerusalem and he complaint was that it was all talk.  So much talking and Jesus’ love not being shown…  He raise his hands in confusion saying, “Where is Jesus love?  Where is it…?”  From the tear in his eye I could tell this was no show for us outsiders, but his heart.  He couldn’t see Jesus love…  Going through the streets…  Where is it?  I thought to myself…  Can I see it?  Where is the last time I have seen Jesus love?  When was the last time I was Jesus love?  The love of putting others first; the love that sacrifices their own well being for the simple act of showing someone you care…  Is trying to prove someone wrong showing them that you care?  Is trying to make your point known going to lead to someone following Jesus?  Or would proving someone that you care by sacrificing your own means showing love?  Would anyone understand this love in all the earth?  Are you so obsessed with being right that you can’t love those around you?  Are you trying to hard to find the truth that you are walking right by it while it sits on the streets?

Wasn’t that one of Jesus temptations?  Satan told him… “jump and have the lord save you… everyone will believe that you are truely the Son of God then”.  Jesus temptation was to prove to everybody that he was the Son?  Why would Satan temp him in that?  Is that not counter to what he wants everyone to know?  Or is it that Jesus was not to prove to everyone…  Was it God will that he only show those that God has chosen for him?  Maybe there is a lesson here for me as well…  Maybe I am not to focus on proving to people that I am right… but love them…  Sure I know truth…  God has taught it to me…  But does that mean that everyone is ready for it (Mark 4:33…)?  Perhaps proving myself right is not my job, but God’s.  He is the only one who can choose to start a relationship with someone who is lost.  I am simply here to give them the introduction He deserves…

Blessings!

Jarrod Going into a hole from 8000 BC!