A lesson from Israel

By Jeff Long

I've had the good fortune to go to Israel with my family -- a life-changing eight days in 2009 overseen by a guide who was able to give us his full attention. Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jericho and Masada are all indelibly etched into my memories.

Being physically present at Holy Land sites changed my preaching. In spotlighting a text, what comes to mind are not only the words, but also the landscape seen with my own eyes: Mount Carmel, where Elijah successfully challenged the prophets of Baal; Capernaum, where St. Peter was based and in whose home Jesus launched his ministry in the Galilee; and the Mount of Olives, where Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane's garden.

Interestingly, my repeated efforts over the course of several pastorates have failed to drum up any interest in a congregational trip to the Holy Land. The reason isn't hard to comprehend. People can read. No matter how reassuring tour companies attempt to be, the fact is Israel can be a dangerous place. The U.S. State Department says security there is "complex," which is code for risky. It seems everywhere we went, Galilee to the north, Judea to the south, we saw IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) soldiers with rifles strapped across their chests. It is jarring to stand at a supermarket dairy case and next to you steps a fully-armed IDF regular buying cheese. Small-arms fire and mortar and rocket launches have occurred in the past two years from the Gaza into southern Israel. In 2015, an explosive went off in the back of a public transit bus in Jerusalem, injuring several.

Our family did not experience danger, but we were aware how security-conscious everyone was -- a heightened awareness rarely felt in the U.S. For all of this, the Holy Land is a magical place and Jerusalem remains the most contested real estate on earth. Jews, Christians and Muslims all lay claim to this sandstone-dominated city.

A recent Facebook post mentions the strange littoral topography of Israel. The post reveals the nation has two quite famous bodies of water: the freshwater "Sea" of Galilee (Lake Gennesaret) and the Dead Sea, which is the lowest saltwater lake in the world. The Sea of Galilee is teeming with life, containing 27 species of fish. Tilapia, a delicacy eaten often in Southeast Missouri, can be found there. In fact, it is quite possible the fish Jesus shared with the multitude (loaves and fishes tale) might have been tilapia. The shores of this famous lake are full of birds and lush with vegetation. The Dead Sea, by contrast, has no life at all. It is toxic and bitter. Yet both are fed by the same source, the Jordan River, into which Jesus was baptized.

How could two bodies of water, fed by a single source, be so different? Easy to answer. The Sea of Galilee receives water at one end and gives out water at the other. The Dead Sea receives water from the Jordan but has no outlet. It keeps it all within itself.

So it is with life. If you only receive but do not give, you do not live. I seem to recall someone important saying it was more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

A lesson from Israel.