View of the column-lined Main Street of Beit She’an from the top row of the theater
This continues our series on the Holy Land Adventure. We are touring Israel and the West Bank with a bunch of rowdy James Madison University students. It has been a blast, and we’re only 3 days in. Here is a guest post by Julie Kasulis, a rising junior at JMU.
With sun kissed skin and mispronunciations of Arabic words, we had an unmatched second day here in the Holy Land. The overarching theme of the day was simple: worship. We started at Mt.Carmel learning from the life of Elijah that when things are tough the Lord is not punishing us but preparing us. We learned it is how you hear and obey the Lord that allows your life to be a living sacrifice that worships Him. [You know the problem with living sacrifices? They always squirm off the altar… added by Pete] Next, we walked through the Caesarea Theater by the Mediterranean Sea. We meditated on the idea of our current culture and compared it with the Greco Roman culture of old. Personally, I was shocked at the similarities and how historically humans worship the same Earthly things despite the century. We were reminded that Caesarea was the exact place men and women decided that what Jesus offers is meant for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, you and I alike. We then toured Megiddo, seeing the ruins of cities built upon cities. The day ended with what was my favorite spot so far, Beit She’an. Beit She’an was like the Las Vegas of biblical times. Except what happens in Beit She’an stays in Best She’an…until its ruins are uncovered. This city was a visual of how storing up treasures on Earth and worshipping anything but God is fleeting; one of the most majestic cities of its time destroyed by a simple earthquake. At Beit She’an I was convinced even more that it’s all true, and it’s all real.
We continue our trip pondering the questions: When your life is over, what will last beyond your time? What will stand the test of time? Where does your treasure lie?