The Road Less Traveled

Friday, January 6, 2017

For some reason posts this week hace gone out on grampswhat'shappeningman,blogspot.com.

I will post Jan 2 on Sunday. 

The Road Less Traveled

“Enter through the narrow gate: for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13-14).

Hey Gang:  One might think it would be hard to answer the question, “What is the most profound thing you learned in your trips to Israel?”.  The answer is very easy.  But first you must know what our motivation was that lead to our going to Israel.  For me it was to get my hands dirty, visit and learn about those very special places I had read about many times in the Bible.

Let me put some meat on that statement.   On our most recent trip to Israel we were truly blessed with a wonderful teacher by the name of Denny Thompson, who has spent many years walking the hills and dales of Israel, studying the word to seek God’s revelations, and a deeper understanding of the words of Jesus.  We have been blessed to be on other trips thorough the Holy Land and found that each teacher had a very special focus.  Denny was different, he covered as much ground as the group was able to observe and then some.

I wish I could share with you all of his illustrations that truly made the Word of God become more meaningful, but that would take copying his 130 his page manual that, not only shared the meaning of Jesus’ words but gave a historical background on each of the places we visited and culture.

But, I want to share one example of his teaching that was especially meaningful to me.  On the last day of the tour we experienced a very busy day starting on the Sea of Galilee and heading south. One of the stops was at Beit Shean, a Roman City where great progress in restoration has been made since our last visit to this site.  It was a city that one might compare to Las Vegas, New Orleans, or any of the sin-cities of the world. 

As we were walking into the city on the wide, very well maintained thorough fare, we passed by a path, one might call a “lane” that was not cared for.  There was no question to choose to walk this path would have been to choose the more difficult way.   Denny, stopped the group and explained that path was the path to Jerusalem where the Temple was, the center of the religious activities of the day- the place where Jesus will one day set His throne on Zion Hill, but note- the path is very narrow.  

He explained it is much like the many crossroads we encounter as Believers in Yeshua, we have to make decisions- to follow the wide road that leads to all the glitter, bangles and beads of the world, or to follow the narrow road that is often filled with stones and holes, trials and tribulations that leads to Jesus and Eternal Life with Him.

This morning, as I spent my time with the Lord, the thought of Beit Sheen was clearly etched on my mind but another thought came into my mind. I thought of the time we spent at Gordon’s Garden Tomb, where many believe is the tomb where Jesus body was laid on that fateful day.  When you read of the Biblical description of that place, this is the closest to that description that one finds.

It is always interesting to me that additional time is always scheduled for this stop because there are many that want to remain there for a while.    On my first trip to Israel I, too, was interested in spending a little extra time at the tomb, but God made it clear to me, “He is not here, He has risen! 

But today I am far more interested on standing on the top of the tel at Tel Tamar and looking across the valley top to Bozrah where the Word tells me one day Jesus will pass through on His way to Jerusalem. Perhaps He will stop even at Tel Tamar on His way to the Eastern Gate.  I also enjoy standing on the Mount of Olives knowing one day soon Jesus will stand on the top of that mountain and it will split down the middle.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).  Wow, what an awesome promise.

Blessings,

Gramps