Just Imagine!

View of Galilee from cliffs of Arbel

Prior to coming to Israel, I could only imagine the hills of Judah, the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.  I have seen pictures, listened to descriptions by people who have been here and read about what towns were like during Biblical times.  In some ways, however, I realize that I had read about these places and events as literature and fiction.  I didn’t expect to see them anymore than I expect to see Harry Potter’s Hogwarts or Fred Flinestone’s town of Bedrock.  There are times when I have to pause and remind myself, “this is the real thing.”   Imagining these places has not diminished the overall gospel message but it has certainly left out some of the significant nuances.  

Yet the longer I am here, the more I see, the more my imagination gets going.  I never imagined that I would see the remains from the ancient city of Dan on the border with Lebanon.  A city arch was uncovered that dates from the middle Bronze Age, about 3,800 years old.  It is quite likely that Abraham walked through that arch to pay his respects to the elders of Dan when he was in this area.  I can only imagine!  

City gate of Dan

We began our morning with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.  A lot has changed in this Holy Land.  Shrines have been built over holy places.  City upon city has been destroyed only to have another one built on top of it.  There are places where nothing looks as it did when Jesus was here and imagination is a struggle.   But there are also places that remind me that water, mountains, and geography don’t change. Excavation sites have dug away 2,000 years of dirt and more to reveal a glimpse in to years gone by.  It is enough to make the imagination run wild.   It was easy for me to visualize little fishing villages instead of sprawling cities from the middle of the Sea of Galilee or to see Jesus in the mist from the shore.  It is breath taking to look from hill top to hill top and imagine the route of the Good Samaritan, or the shepherds, or Joshua strategically planning his next attack.  Israel is a place to get in touch with the real land and it is a place that feeds the imagination in new ways. 

Sea of Galilee

Boat ride on Galilee

Jesus also wanted to engage the imagination of the people.  Especially when he taught about the kingdom of God, it was as though he was saying, “you know this... now imagine this...”  We need a kind of grounding to our real life experiences but we also know that following Jesus is so much more.   Just imagine what it might be like for you.  Just imagine what Jesus has waiting for us.  It is perhaps beyond imagination!

A possible type of place where Jesus was born

Imagine cooking supper here

Olive press to make olive oil

Lamp on a lamp stand.  Let your light shine!