Bethlehem

Bethlehem

Bethlehem was not on our original itinerary. We were able to schedule this on our ‘free’ day as an option. Aaron had been in contact with Alycia Wood from our church, who has friends at the Bethlehem Bible College and so most of our group took advantage of the opportunity to go. Bethlehem means ‘house of bread’. My initial brief history lesson for the day was to learn about the Oslo agreement in 1992. This agreement stated that there would be no new Israeli settlements. In 1996 a new Israeli settlement was started on the West Bank. This used to be Palestinian land before the UN dictated otherwise in 1967. The ongoing tension has a physical manifestation in barbed wire, electric fence, sand, more electric fence, and more barbed wire. Also surrounding the border of Bethlehem you could not miss the huge concrete wall that now separates Palestine and Israel. The border is guarded and each vehicle is checked before admittance in either direction (although it was more stringent returning to Israel). Without the proper authorization from the government you may not cross.

In contrast, the first site we visited once in Bethlehem was a peaceful place called Bet-sa-ul. Betsaul means ‘house of night’, and was probably named for the shepherds that lived here. You could see the rolling hills where shepherds would have kept watch at night. This particular area has a much higher percentage of Christians- about 80% of the only 2% in all of Bethlehem. As we overlooked the shepherd’s fields we talked about a particular lowly shepherd. Shepherds were considered unclean because they worked with animals. Because they lived with the sheep they probably also smelled a bit like animals. It was a good reminder of the lowly beginnings of David who would later become King. Also at Jesus’ birth the shepherds (the lowly of the society) were given the first announcement.

Aaron pointed us to 1 Samuel where Israel was asking for a King so they could be like the other nations. As Saul is anointed, he looks the part (chapter 9). He is tall, strong, a warrior. This is the kind of king the people want. However we see God directing Samuel to Bethlehem to find David (chapter 16). When Jesse sees this important prophet he throws a party and invites all of his sons, except David. His own father did not think he would be worth inviting to the party. But then- one of my favorite verses 16:7- The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. David did not meet the expectations people had for a king, later Jesus would not meet the expectations people had for a messiah.

There was also a cave here that demonstrated how many of the people in Old Testament time would have live. It was explained that most families dwelt in one space with an area on the side of the cave for the animals for safety. If you had enough money you would build another room on top an “upper room”. When a woman gave birth she was considered unclean (40 days for a boy, 80 days for a girl). With Mary’s upcoming delivery, she would not have been able to stay in an upper room with other people so she would have been housed in the deepest part of the cave.


Church of the Nativity

This is the oldest church in the holy land. When Christianity was declared the official religion of Rome, Helena, the mother of the emperor, came to designate the significant places of Jesus’ life. This church was originally built in 326-339 AD, designed as a basilica (a design for a king). It was built on top of the cave where Jesus was possibly born. In 614 AD when the Persians came through, they destroyed every church except this one. There was a mosaic in front of the 3 wise men and the infant. Since the wise men appeared to be Persian, the church was spared. Cedars of Lebanon were added along with mosaics around 1000 AD by the crusaders, and in the 4th century extensions were added that gave the floor a cross shape.

It might be my protestant background, or my personal taste in simplicity, but this church was over the top for me. There were elements of beauty but all cased together it was too much, to the point of being gaudy, Perhaps it was the irony of knowing that Jesus, the King of Kings, was born a lowly humble birth to a poor family, that the surrounding opulence seemed wrong. Even going into the cave, almost the entire wall had been covered in tapestry; a marble slab was placed where perhaps he was laid. A silver star marked the floor with a gold altar type table above it, on the place he may have been born. Pictures were hung on the walls on almost every available space. For me personally I think a barren, quiet cave might have been more meaningful.

Bethlehem Bible College

This is a bible college run by 2 Arab Christians. Sixty years ago there were 15-20% of Christians in the holy land, now there is only 2 %. More than 2/3 of Palestinian Christians live outside their country. 75% of Arab Americans are Christian. The current political and economic instability prevent Christians from staying, so they are trying to combat this issue with education and opportunities. Dr. Awad started his lecture with a modern day parable, that paralleled the story of the good Samaritan: Mr. Gaza lie wounded and badly in need of help as Mr. Church and Mr. Politician passed by and discussed the issue without offering any true assistance. While I have basically grown up with this as a background issue- hearing often in Christian circles that we must support Israel, this was really the first time I have had the saga succinctly explained in a way that helped me understand the ongoing issues. Dr. Awad has lived this story on the front line so to speak. He lost his own father as a result of this war, yet he explained his mother taught him, “Never ask God why, always ask God how”. I learned for the first time that 800,000 Palestinians lost their homes in 1948. I also learned that 4 million Palestinians are still in refugee camps today in the Middle East. Other countries have not allowed them in, so they continue to be homeless. He pointed out that political pressure influences more radical religions. Taking away a person’s land, hopes, and dreams, is fertile ground for breeding terrorism. What a huge and complicated issue. How are we to be peacemakers, to encourage and hope for peace?

The Herodian

Another impressive palace Herod built for himself, and the only one named for him. Once again the palace/fortress was enormous with a massive swimming pool sitting well below the actual living area. The aqua duct system here was another engineering feat as the water was supplied from Solomon Pools four miles away. This particular day was extremely windy and you could feel the sand hitting your skin like little needle pricks. After viewing the main living areas we retreated into the tunnels. We viewed multiple water cisterns and learned that Herod was so paranoid that he would kill the servant that got water after a few days to prevent the possibility of someone poisoning the water. Herod’s tomb was found just three years ago. His tomb had contained many relics and of course his body. During his lifetime he was powerful, rich and took upon himself every indulgence of kingship- ruling over his servants, squelching any possible threats to his leadership. You can see the self-love in the opulent way in which he lived contrasted with the relatively simple lifestyle of the people at that time. Jesus on the other hand chose to serve instead of dominate. He chose love for God and others over self-love. His tomb was and is empty.

Once again we went through the wall to return to Jerusalem. How much we take our traveling, freedom and safety for granted. As the 2 soldiers came on our bus and checked passports, I was not fearful, but I did think of how out of place that would be within my home. A concrete wall that separated towns, that ended some streets, that even separated families in some situations: tangible and visual evidence of lives disrupted, economic instability, the tearing apart of community. Physical walls that perhaps were mental or emotional walls before. Political distinctions, racial distinctions, and even religious distinctions: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Arab, Israeli, Palestinian, seem to be important labels in that place. We have our own labels and categories in this country. God help us to see a broader label- we are all God’s children.