In the Land of Milk and Honey: Near Nazareth

Morning Devotions

Rabbi + the Soapmaker

We get off the bus just outside of Nazareth and walk at the edge of a field

Ripe grain

Don’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then the harvest’? Well, what I say to you is: open your eyes and look at the fields! They’re already ripe for harvest!

So interesting that you can just do that

walk on the path between fields

to experience the parable:

A sower went out to sow

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell alongside the path; and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky patches where there was not much soil. It sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow; but when the sun had risen, the young plants were scorched; and since their roots were not deep, they dried up. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. But others fell into rich soil and produced grain, a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as had been sown. Those who have ears, let them hear!”

Some seed fell in rocky places

We are the field We need to be cultivated, and

stones removed so we can receive the seeds

in a way that there will be a rich harvest

In the back of the picture are rocks

Todd led us in a loop to see this part,

but because we were socializing the loop became a straight line

and most people missed it.

Todd reminded us without mincing words that we were not on a social tour

but on an ^"Israel in Depth" tour, where we are to follow exactly

that's what disciples do

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

He led us back to the place most missed,

an ancient quarry between Nazareth and Zippori

Joseph Jesus' father was a Tectan (carpenter, stone mason, builder)

Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Miryam?

Herod Antipas gave orders for every tecton to work in Zippori

It is possible that Jesus went to this quarry

and on from here to the city Herod Antipas was building

From the quarry we could see Zippori

to the left of our bus

(The bus should have been hidden so we wouldn't know)

Met some cows on the way

What do you need to build a city?

after so many days we all knew the answer:

water, and lots of it

We'd been on this A B C tour

Another

Blessed

Cistern

Actually, I think it's pretty cool to walk through all these cisterns

It was the life line in ancient times

and by walking through we remember

This one was large

21.000.000 gallons, sections were added over time

This city was build by Antipas, he is in the bible

wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle

Herod was delighted to see Yeshua, because he had heard about him and for a long time had been wanting to meet him; indeed, he hoped to see him perform some miracle

Jesus talks to all kind of different groups in their language

to Pharisees He talks Remez (clues in scripture)

to Pagans he talks angels and demons

to Romans authority

to Herodians Kings

We learned that the Romans & Herods together

crucified 100.000 Pharisees

Herod Antipas about 5.000

Jesus calls Antipas fox (weasel)

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.

This was a Greek theater,

no backdrop so you would look into the countryside

theater was mission, all the plays were about the gods

Jesus knew theater

“Yerushalayim! Yerushalayim! You kill the prophets! You stone those who are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you refused!

something to think about-

How much do you need to know to have report with people

Shape your message to the audience