A Not So Short Word About Israel....

I have wanted to write about something that has bothered me greatly since I have been back from Israel, but wanted to give it a little bit of time before I wrote about it. So hear, for y'all, is a not so short word on my thoughts about my time in Israel if you care to read it all.


The basic and underlying theme of this entire blog is that no matter what I do or say, and no matter how much people are interested to hear about my time in Isreal, they just won't completely understand or be able to relate, because they simple weren't there with me. I am asked all the time by friends (even not-so-much friends sometimes) and family, questions such as (but not limited to): What was it like in Israel? Did you like it? What was your favorite part of Israel/Jerusalem? And for those that have lived in Israel (or even lived abroad for that matter) you know full well how difficult and almost futile those questions are! But I will try to at least answer these three questions.


First of all, I loved Israel and Jerusalem and can't enough about them, but unfortunately it is impossible to explain to someone what a foreign country is really like (let alone the Holy Land)! And even then, living there is completely different than a tour of Israel. The tours really only go to the "tourist" or "pilgrimage" places and a person really cannot get a grasp of what it really is like to LIVE there. And this is not to bash tours to Israel. On the contrary, I believe every Christian should visit Israel (Lord and financially permitting of course :), but it doesn't change the fact that you cannot begin to know a culture really until you live in a culture. So when people ask me what it was like to live there, I honestly don't know what to say to that. The most and general answer that I give to people is that I have a greater and fuller understanding or the Bible, ANE (Ancient Near East)society, modern politics, modern culture, etc. because of the fact that I lived there. And for those in a Dr. J class, I will never read the Middle East section of the BBC again :) Living in Jerusalem through a fairly quite period (besides the Yesheva shooting in Jersualem) and still gaining an understand of the conflict there was somthing I could never learn in a classroom.

A second popular question I get asked is, "Did I like it there?" Yes, duh! And talking with some of the many MK friends I have, I now have a connection with them in the regard of having more than one home. I love Jerusalem and now consider it one of my homes. People asked me while I was in Jerusalem, whether I was excited to come home or not. And that was such a stupid question, but for those that haven't live abroad, I guess it makes sense to ask it. Something I had an MK friend say that really helps sum it all up was, "when you're there, you wish you were here. When you're here, you wish you were there." I wanted to come home, especially as the semester was coming to a close, because I was excited to see friends and family. Yet I was so sad to leave! I want to go back some day and possible get my masters there if the Lord allows. Jerusalem is home to me! It is just so hard to explain that to people, but I guess for those that have lived away from home in college, you can kind of get a sense of what it is like to have a different home. But then again, it really is not the same as a foreign country.

And thirdly, the question I probably get asked the most is, "what was your favorite part/place of/in Israel." I don't know!! What a silly question! I loved everything really! But I guess if I HAD to chose something I would say Jerusalem, simply because it was home. And whenever we would go on field studies for a few days, it felt great to come back home to Jerusalem. It was home to me (not at first though, just strange and different)! For those that have lived in Jerusalem or remember from possibly visiting there, that there is a tunnel underneath the Mt. of Olives. And if you are approaching Jerusalem from the East (which we did most of the time) you see the Mt. of Olives, and go through the tunnel and then immediatly as the exit the tunnel you see Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley! And you see the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock and this feeling of being home again hits you immediately, because you can't see Jerusalem at all until you either cross over or through the Mt. of Olives. It was especailly neat when I would get back at night and see the city (but particularly the Dome) lit up and almost breathing a sigh of relief that I was home again.


So Jerusalem (if forced to chose only one) was my favorite place. But I am also asked frequently, what was my favorite part. And once again, what a silly question! And once again, I loved almost all of it! But if I could generalize the whole semester into one favorite part, it would be that I learned from living there and studying the land and culture, that I am most thankful for learning the geography and culture of the Bible. And once again (not to bash short term trips to Israel), but I got to learn the land of the Bible like no trip could teach. And I admit, that before I went, that geography was not a overly huge deal to me when it came to understanding the Bible. And that is saying something from someone who absolutely loves geography. And I'm not saying that I didn't think geography was important to read the Bible or that I knew no Biblical geography, but rather it was not as important as I think it is now! And again that it one of the frusterating parts about being home now, because nearly no one back home understands or can relate even if they care to hear and try and understand! They may listen and be happy for me that I am excited, but they really could care less about the importance of the Wadi Kelt, Avdat, Megiddo Pass, Jezreel Valley, Harod Valley, etc!! I could tell you the geography of the Bible like the back of my hand now, which I am so thankful for. And how it has changed the way I read sripture (particularly the OT) and how it has challenged me to know more! And so I guess, if there was one overarching thing that I liked the most about being in Israel, it was what I learned there, both academically and nonacademically!


Like I mentioned before, it was one of the best semesters academically! I learned so much while I was JUC, which is why I wish to go back. What makes it so great is the location. I could read the BBC all day (for those in Dr. J's classes) but would never have the understanding of the Middle East that I have now, if I had never gone to Israel and lived there. And I could study the Bible till I'm blue in the face, but when you are there and live there, you understand customs and a culture that have not really changed much since Biblical times. Studying in Israel allowed me to go many places that NO tour groups go to such as: Cypros, Hyrcania, Hippus, Wadi Rum, Wadi Danna, Dibon, etc! This was possible because I did not have the crunch for time that many tour groups have, which allowed me to hike to remote sites. Quite the blessing! Another great perk for JUC is that according to the Israeli Supreme Court, JUC does not have to have an Israeli tour guide along with the groups tour guide. Although while I was in Jordan twice, this was not the case, and we did have to have a Jordanian tour guide along with Dr. Wright (my prof), for the obvious reason that we weren't under Israeli law in Jordan.

But besides being challenged academically there, God taught me many many valuable lessons that I will never ever forget. Without going into a lot of details, God taught me things that I needed to learn the hard way. And while spending time in Israel was one of the best and rewarding experiences of my life, it was also of the most difficult and a time that I really grew in my faith! And despite being one of the hardest semesters (not speaking academically, even though that was difficult as well) of college, I would not trade it for anything. I can look back at those struggles and hard times and see that God taught me a whole stinking lot, and am now thankful for those lessons that I learned (even though they were learned the hard way). I am a new person because of Israel and thank the Lord for providing me with the chance to spend time in Israel!


Now some of the things that frusterate me now that I am home. First is lingo, terms, ect. that I can't use back here. A lot of it is geography, which I mentioned was so emphasized at JUC. But not so much just Biblical geography, but modern day places. And like I said earlier, I know Jerusalem like I know, say the Cedarville area. I will rattle off places like: Jaffa Gate, Eastern Hill, Tyropean Valley, Ben Yehuda St., Jaffa Road, Coffee Bean, Christian Quarter Rd., Shabban's shop, etc., and expect people to know what I am talking about. Because all of my friends at JUC knew what I was talking about when I would mention these names. It really is frusterating, because that was home, and I want t people to know this very important piece of my life. But even if someone is really sincere and wants to know about my experiences, they really can't understand because they just weren't there and don't share the same experiences as me. I remember before leaving for Israel, talking with a friend who studied at JUC for a year, and he told me all these places to go and how to get there, and he would rattle off streets and places as if I should know them all. And I remember thinking, "I will never remember any of this." And I didn't until I was there for a few weeks, and then it all started to come together. And now I feel the same frusteration of people just not understanding, no matter how much I want to share and no matter how much they want to know!

And for those that have spent significant time overseas, you understand that you pick up the language around (at least a little bit). Now at JUC, everyone speaks English which was nice, because I was not there to learn the language (at least not yet...maybe). And in Jerusalem, honestly, almost everyone speaks English, belief it or not. This is not the case so much in Cairo or Jordan, but still many people speak Enlgish. But I did pick up a few Hebrew words, but mostly Jewish prayers, Psalms, and liturgy. And some Arabic as well. And now coming back to the States....absolutely no one speaks either Hebrew or Arabic. Which is frusterating because a lot of the world (particularly the Middle East where my passion is, speaks Arabic). And most of the Bible is written in Hebrew, which is why I have started to learn some Hebrew. But it is just another little thing that is frusterating about being home and people just not understanding!

I left a lot of friends when I left JUC. Many of those that I knew at JUC, I know I will never talk to again let alone see again. But my close friends, I know that I will at least keep in contact with. And what is so hard is knowing that all those that were there during the Spring of '08, will never again be together again in Jerusalem, which is really sad. And even though I may keep in contact with my closer friends, I still may never see them again (on this earth at least) because they are scattered across the country. And of course inside jokes are inevitable when you are together that long. Inside jokes like, "Fitness cereal," "Little Bentley," "Why not?" "Exactly!" I can never say to any of my friends back home. It is just sad and frusterating when you make friendships but then have to leave after only a few months.

Before I went and lived in the Middle East, I thought that I had a varily good grasp on the modern and ancient Middle East. I knew I was no expert by a long shot, but I knew at least more than the average Joe. And I probably did know more than the average Joe, after all, I am a International Studies Major, I better know more than most people! But after living there for a few months (which is really not that long), I realized how little I knew. Sure I knew all the facts, but it is completely different when you see things with your own eyes. It's hard to describe, but the best way to put it is that I was able to see the big picture more clearly, and better able to put myself in the shoes of those that live in the Middle East. I remember a group of student from a Menonite school in PA, and they were also doing a study abroad program for their school. But with their particular program, they traveled the whole semester from the Middle East up to Rome, never spending a "significant" amount of time in one place and getting a lot of different experiences. Which to be honest, would be cool to see a lot of places and do that program, if I could also spend a semester in one place AND get to know a particular area very well. But anyway, that is a different topic. What was interesting about this group was that they began their trip in Palestine (and I use this term to denote the region of Israel proper and it's territories) in the West Bank with Palestinians. Which this is not to bash on Palestinians, because I knew A LOT of awesome Palestinians while I was in Israel. The point is that these students came to spend a few weeks at JUC after living with these Palestinians for a few weeks and almost every single one of them were strongly oppossed to Israel and the "attrocities" taking place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They would sport "Free Palestine" and "Israeli apartheid" t-shirts around campus. And discussion about the what is wrong on both sides has its place, but these people were off the wall. And it was just so frusterating because they acted like they had solved the problem of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and knew all the answers. And I had only been there for a little over a month at this point and had realized that the conflict is MUCH more complicated than many Americans think. What I learned while over there was that the more you know about the conflict, in many regards the harder it is to come up with a solution. Everyone has to understand this....that there are radicals on BOTH sides and there are some great poeple on BOTH sides! I knew lots of awesome Palestinians while I was in Israel. And I knew lots of awesome Jews while I was in Israel. I met lots of Palestianian jerks while I was Israel. I met lots of Jewish jerks while I was in Israel. It was all really just based on the individual when it really came down to it. Just as in the states, anybody can be rude and a jerk, and at the same time anyone can be kind. I am so glad that I was able to live in Israel, because now I have a much deeper and better understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict!


Now little things will trigger off memories from Israel all the time. One example of this is the song, "Better Days," by Goo Goo Dolls. And the reason for this is that on the very last night that I was in Jerusalem, we had a kind of going away party and we had a video of everyone's best picture from the semester that was played. And one of the songs that was put to the pictures was "Better Days." And of course ever time I watch that video of the semester or hear "Better Days", everything comes right back and I am flooded with memories. Except, everyone back home just sees some cool pictures, but to me they mean so much and that just makes it so much more frusterating because even though people want to see pictures from my trip, I can never really express fully that moment that a simple picture captured. Or the other day when I was golfing with my sister, we saw some wildflowers and they looked just like the ones you see everywhere in Israel during the springtime and that again, it brought me back there. And everytime I am reminded of Israel it is a bitter sweet feeling. I miss it so much but at the same time am thankful for all the memories and lessons I learned. It is a feeling that can't be described to those that have never felt it.

Overall, going to Jerusalem was one of the best times of my life and because of that, it can be very frusterating! Because if there is ever something that you were passionate about but no one can understand what you were talking about, simply because they just don't have the same experiences of passions, then you can get a little sense of what I am going through. It is frusterating, because practically everyone that I knew in Jerusalem, had all these experiences with me, but I won't see them on a regular basis. I will use Hebrew/Arabic phrases now and people will look at me weird. I wil try to explain a geographical place and its significance, but people just give me blank looks (even if they really are interested). I wouldn't trade last semester for anything...it changed my life! And it's because of the fact that it changed my life that it is so frusterating when people don't understand my passions. And I can't blame people for not understanding...they didn't go through what I did. But I will never stop trying to tell people about what I learned in Israel and will never forget the things that I learned there, no matter if people can relate or not!

The Curiosity of Jesus' Humanity

The doctrine of Christ being both 100% human and 100% God at the same time is a well known doctrine. But when we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that more often than not, we tend to emphasize the diety of Jesus more than we do the humanity. Not that we do not recognize the humanity and diety of Christ, but rather we simply emphasize one over the other. And maybe it is just me, but I tend to emphasize Christ being completely God, because it is SO essential to our salvation. But what we tend to forget about sometimes is that it was also ESSENTIAL that Christ be 100% human for our salvation to take place.
The reason that I bring this up is that I was reminded of something a professor said when I was at JUC. He was talking about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. And of course the passage in this story that we all know so well containing shortest verse in our English Bibles as, "Jesus wept." It is a profound (though short) verse that really shows us the humanity of Christ. But think about the context of the passage and what may not have been recorded for us. Lazarus had just been risen from the dead. Christ knew, because of the fact that He was God, that he also would be raised from the dead and would also been in the grave for approximently the same amount of time as Lazarus. And remember that Jesus was good friends with Lazarus.
Now I cannot say this happened for sure, but just out of my own curiosity as a human, I wonder if after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and assuming that Jesus wouldn't leave abruptly after raising a friend from the dead, that he stayed at least a little while to talk with Lazarus and his family, that He didn't pull Lazarus aside and out of His curiosity of being human, didn't ask Lazarus, "So....what was it like in there, Lazarus?"
Just a little food for thought and something to think about....