Jericho

Two weeks ago we took a trip into the West Bank to visit... Jericho! The oldest (dating back to 8,000 B.C.) and lowest (1300 feet below sea level) city on earth. This city is 4,000 years older than the pyramids. The pyramids people! It was quite the experience and it was really hot down there below sea level. ;) I'm sure many of you know the old Biblical story where Isreal, under Joshua, surrounded the walls of Jericho and for 6 days and 7 times on the 7th day, 7 priests blew rams' horns and the walls fell down. Then Joshua took the city (go to Joshua 6 for a good read). According to archeological findings, not all of the wall fell, but enough to get through.

Prophets such as Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha all frequented this city. The most important person to pass through, however, was the Savior.
Great multitudes followed Jesus in Jericho (Matthew 20:29) and it was here that Zaccheus climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus who later dined with him and converted him (Luke 19). Jesus also cured a blind man named Bartimaeus as well as another man here (Matthew 4; Mark 10; Luke 18). Although seemingly desolate, there was a lot to learn there.


We also visited a few other sites in the area. Including King Herod's winter palace as well as the Mount of Temptation. Shortly after He was baptized, the Savior went into the wilderness and was there tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). We hiked up the mountain to the Greek Orthodox Quruntul Monastery where, according to Christian tradition, the alleged stone that Satan used when he tempted Jesus to turn the stone into bread is located.
Once inside the monastery we gathered in a cave (with bats flying around) while one of the professors talked to us about the temptation experience. The women in our group needed to be completely covered, including our heads, before entering in. I'm glad we took this trip in May and not July considering the heat and the shawls. ;)