On Feb. 14, the Rev. Steven King, pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church, Jacquelyn McCray and Carolyn Blakely, members of St. Paul, embarked on an awe-inspiring and inspirational 10-day journey to Israel.
As members of an 18-member group of tourists that also included three others from Pine Bluff — Hazel Linton and Mr. and Mrs. Jack Lewis — the group departed from Little Rock at 6 a.m. and arrived in Tel Aviv at 9:44 a.m. Feb. 15.
Although exhausted and expecting a day of rest in their hotel, the group soon learned that they were scheduled for a full day of touring before checking in to the hotel. So, a full day was spent visiting Mount Carmel, Nazareth, the Mount of Precipice, Caesarea on the Mediterranean, where they toured the ruins of one of the homes of King Herod, and other wonderful sights before checking in to the Leonardo Club hotel in Tiberias.
On the next day, the group visited Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Golan Heights, and the Jordan River, where about five of the group’s members were immersed in the river for baptism. They also visited Mount Tabor, where it is recorded in Mark 9:2-4 that Jesus took Peter, James and John where he was transfigured before them.
On the following day they visited the Sea of Galilee, where they viewed a boat made of cedar and oak, which was recorded as a discovery dating back to the first century A.D., the time of Jesus. The boat is now on exhibit at Kibbutz Ginnosar and is thought to have served as either a ferry boat or as a boat for fishermen using a seine, or dragnet, “cast into the sea” as described in Matthew 13: 47-48. The highlight of that visit was a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee that simulated the ride where Jesus walked on the water to join the disciples in the fishing boat.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
During the rest of theirtour, the group visited the Dead Sea and toured the mountain caves where the more than 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1953. The Scrolls are written translations of the Old Testament that pre-date the life of Jesus Christ. Some travelers enjoyed massages with Dead Sea mud and swam in the Dead Sea while others collected salt to bring home as mementos.
As the group traveled from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem, they toured Masada — the site of the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans. At Masada, Jewish rebels chose mass suicide rather than submit to Roman capture. The site is 50 miles above sea level and is isolated from its surroundings by deep gorges on all sides. The group reached the site by cable car.
Other historical and biblical sites visited included Jericho, Mount Nebo, the site of the slaying of Goliath by David, and Emmaus. The group’s final four days were spent in Jerusalem, where they toured the Garden of Gethsemane, Golgotha, the Mount of Olives, the Western Wailing Wall, Shepherd’s Field, Mount Zion, the Upper Room, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, among many other soul-stirring sites. They walked through a model of ancient Jerusalem, which featured Herod’s Palace, Herod’s Theatre, the Stairway to Huldah’s Gate, the Antonia Fortress and the amazing Temple of Jerusalem. They also visited the Holocaust Museum and other cultural sites significant to Jewish people.
Returning home well after midnight on Feb. 24, the group was well-worn by the walking, hiking and challenges of international travel, but was also a group of spiritually inspired Christians who had actually walked where the Messiah lived.