Navigating Through the Heavy Traffic
Dave Faust
My wife and I traveled to Israel 18 years ago, and during our return visit last year we noticed that much about the Holy Land remains constant (and confusing)—a mix of the sacred and the strange.
In Jerusalem pilgrims rub elbows with pickpockets. Merchants hawk T-shirts outside the entrance to the Wailing Wall. A peaceful breeze blows at the Garden Tomb while trash accumulates behind a chain link fence by the bus station next door. Christians walk the Via Dolorosa past crowded souvenir stands while a Muslim call to prayer echoes loudly through the air. Near the site where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, gift shops offer bottles of river water for sale. The Sea of Galilee still glimmers in the sun, beckoning visitors to recall how Jesus taught by the shore, but it didn’t quite fit the mood when we saw someone water skiing on the lake.
Centuries ago when King Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem, the enormous number of animals sacrificed (22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats) reinforces the significance of the event and the size of the crowd (2 Chronicles 7:4, 5). Did every individual attending the worship service that day sincerely desire to keep God’s commands, honor his covenant, and observe his decrees and laws (v. 17), or were they mainly there for the show?
Extraordinary Courage and Purpose
The traffic seemed heavier in Jerusalem than we recalled from our previous visit. On a busy Thursday afternoon, it seemed like half the population of the Middle East was jam-packed into a few blocks as our bus driver slowly maneuvered through gridlock, winding through the Muslim Quarter into the Old City.
It’s different in Galilee. There, in the less-populated region where Jesus grew up, the cities are smaller and the traffic is lighter. Open roads wind through fertile fields loaded with vineyards, fruit trees, and vegetable gardens. For someone who grew up in a carpenter’s home in Nazareth, it must have been tempting to stay near his boyhood roots and avoid the hassles of the big city. Other than the annual feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, why bother going to Jerusalem at all—especially when the authorities in the crowded city wanted him dead? It required extraordinary courage and a driving sense of purpose for Jesus to “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). He was determined to navigate through the spiritual traffic and show us the way of salvation.
Arriving in the Holy City, Jesus rode a donkey’s colt down the Mount of Olives while crowds waved palm branches, threw their cloaks on the road, and shouted his praises. Jesus wept over the city, though, because he foresaw its coming destruction at the hands of the Roman army in A.D. 70 and because so many in the fickle crowd failed to receive the peace he came to bring (Luke 19:28-44). Later that same week multitudes would gather again, this time shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
I’m glad we had the chance to visit Jerusalem again. Even the heavy traffic was instructive. It reminded us that Jesus didn’t carry out his ministry in a serene, uncluttered place. In a confusing world beset by complicated problems and traffic jams, he died and rose again to forgive our sin and heal our troubled land.
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Mar 26, 2018.
‘Nation Will Rise Against Nation’
Jesus predicted, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Luke 21:10), and his prophetic words ring true. Throughout history, strife on earth has been more prevalent than peace on earth. In biblical history it was Israel versus the Philistines, the Babylonians versus the Jews, the zealots versus the Romans. American history includes the long battle for independence from Great Britain and the bloody conflict of North versus South. The twentieth century brought dramatic wars in Europe and the South Pacific, and today, strife continues in the Middle East, North Korea, Afghanistan, and other hot spots around the world. The dark cloud of terrorism creates anxiety and inconvenience whether we travel by air or run in a marathon. From the deserts of Iraq to the streets of Boston, the battle rages: evil versus good, strife versus peace. Political battles aren’t the only problem. Sometimes nature itself seems determined to hurt us. Jesus predicted, “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven” (v. 11). Floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, and tornadoes abound in a sin-cursed world that groans because it wants to be “liberated from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:19-22). Even worse, hostile forces oppose the very good news that can save us. Jesus warned, “They will seize you and persecute you. They will . . . put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name” (v. 12). Today in Saudi Arabia, it’s illegal for Christians to worship publicly. Pakistan’s blasphemy law threatens anyone who criticizes Mohammed. In Western Europe and America, university professors and students who stand for biblical truth risk being humiliated in the classroom and ostracized by their peers. Thankfully, Jesus not only warned his disciples about hard times to come; he also advised us how to respond. Jesus’ Instructions for Living in Hard Times “Watch out that you are not deceived” (v. 8). Deceptive leaders and false messiahs have risen up in every age, but the truth still sets us free. “When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened” (v. 9). God gives peace even in the midst of conflict. “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves” (v. 14). We should prepare for hard times, but we shouldn’t live in constant fear. Even when dragged before kings and governors, the disciples could “bear testimony” about Jesus (v. 13), and he promised to provide the “words and wisdom” they needed (v. 15). “Stand firm, and you will win life” (v. 19). The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, but God’s purpose still prevailed; and by standing firm in our faith, God’s people will prevail no matter what hardships come upon the earth. Jesus warned, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap” (v. 34). Today, nations continue to rise against other nations. But we believe in the King of kings who reigns over all. We preach a gospel all cultures can believe and embrace. We have a mission that brings hope and light to a dark and broken world. And we look forward to a glorious eternal city where “the glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it” (Revelation 21:26), and where the warring nations finally will be at peace. QUESTIONS: 1. How do you see God’s hand at work in today’s news?
Negotiating With God?
Do you ever try to negotiate with God?