We awoke to a beautiful clear morning in Netanya. After breakfast, we headed out on the bus.
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| A daylight look at our hotel |
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| Ready to go! |
We left Netanya and traveled north to Caesarea, excited to begin exploring the Land we have read so much about.
Our first stop in Caesarea was the Roman Theater, then Herod's Palace.
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| Roman architecture |
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| Dr. Jim Coakley, one of our Red Bus Moody guides |
I
was struck by the beauty of Caesarea. And the Roman-ness. This is the first
place we have really seen (and we picked up Walt and Brenda McCord here). It
was the first we saw of Herod the Great’s building genius. The aqueducts were
amazing, bringing fresh water almost 10 km. Herod had a palace that was recently
uncovered by archaeologists, including a hippodrome (for horse/chariot races).
There was also an inscription about Pontius Pilate that we saw here. We also
sat in a reconstructed theater (only goes half-way around – and had great
acoustics!). It was this very spot that Herod Agrippa addressed the people. He
dressed all in royal clothes – all silver and reflecting in the sunlight, Dr.
Coakley said – and spoke to them. The people were crying out, “The voice of a
god and not of a man!” We started saying it as our group of 80 and it was a
little freaky to hear it...gave me goosebumps as we were saying it. I can only
imagine the absurdity yet the gathering noise and energy (almost like a runaway
train that you’re helpless to control) as more and more joined in. Acts 12:23
says, “And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory (my emphasis), and he was
eaten by worms and died.” He was a sight to behold, all glittering and
beautiful in the sunlight with the Mediterranean behind him, then he was dead
in front of their eyes, being eaten by worms.
Dr.
Coakley compared that Caesarea experience with one that Peter had in Acts
10:25-26. Peter has had his vision about going to the Gentiles and Cornelius
sent for him. Cornelius waits for Peter in Caesarea and when Peter arrives, Cornelius,
a Roman centurion, “fell at his feet and worshiped him.” Peter responds in a
completely different way than Herod Agrippa, who didn’t give God glory. Peter
tells Cornelius to “Stand up; I too am just a man.” He didn’t elevate himself
over Cornelius (in some ways interesting since he had struggled with Gentiles
and the gospel).
It makes me think about how I need to give God the glory for what He has done, for things
I didn’t have anything to do with. I can’t take credit for what He has
done.
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| A view from ground level, looking into the stands |
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| A view of what remains of Herod's Promontory Palace |
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| A floor mosaic that remains. I think this was a bath floor. |
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| The hippodrome for horse races |
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| Roman aqueduct at Caesarea |
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| Sea side of the aqueduct |
After Caesarea, we drove northeast to Mount Carmel.
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| Goats on the hillside |
Mount Carmel is where Elijah called down God's fire to an altar and killed the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. At the top of Mount Carmel, there is a church (there is a church built on every holy site in Israel). There was also an overlook behind the church where we could see how hilly the land is.
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| A statue of Elijah slaying the prophets of Baal |
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| A view from the top of Mount Carmel |
We ate lunch in a Druze village on our way down Mount Carmel - delicious food!
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| Lunch - salad and schnitzel |
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| Getting to know our fellow travelers on the (red) Judah bus |
Then it was off to our next destination -- through Nazareth to Galilee.
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