From Galilee to Bethlehem

Today we made our way from Tiberias down to Jerusalem by way of Bethlehem. Our first stop was at the baptismal site at the River Jordan.  Now is the spot where John baptized Jesus...no, but it is the spot that has been designated for pilgrims to celebrate this part of Jesus' life.  Here we renewed our baptismal vows...Catholics do not do a full immersion when baptized but instead holy water is sprinkled on our heads (generally this happens when we are a few months old but the same applies to those baptized in the Church later in life) so we did not do the full immersion in the river as our fellow Protestant pilgrims prepared to do.

Whenever I travel to a place, I have to put at least a foot in the water.  Something about doing this gives me the feeling of a connection to the place that will never leave me.  I've been fortunate on this trip to put my foot in the Sea of Galilee and now today the River Jordan.  Not only do I feel a connection to these places, I feel a deeper connection to Jesus as I know this very water touched Him as well.

As we made our way to Jerusalem, we stopped at Beit She'an National Park. Beit She'an dates back to roughly 3,500 BC(E).  From a geography standpoint, Beit She'an is very important as it at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley.  From a history of civilization standpoint, it is extremely important.  The hill in the background is the "tell" which was the original location of the Old Testament Beit She'an.  

The Egyptians conquered Beit She'an in the 15th century BC(E) and made this their regional government headquarters for 300 years.  Following the Egyptians came the Canaanites and then the Philistines. Then came the Greeks and then the Romans followed by 300 years of Byzantine rule.  Next came the Arabs followed by the Crusaders then more Arabs and then the Turks then the Brits and finally the establishment of the Israeli state.  Given this history, it is easy to see why the tell is so big.

After Beit She'an, we started the two hour journey to Bethlehem. Because Bethlehem is in Zone A (Palestinian controlled), Israeli tour guides are not allowed so we dropped of Tamar just before entering.  There are territories in Israel that are controlled by the Palestinians (Zone A), territories that are controlled by the Israelis (Zone C) and then parts that are jointly controlled (Zone B). Israelis are not allowed in Zone A while Palestinians are allowed in Zone C with permits.

Our first stop in Bethlehem was an Olive Tree shop run by Christians living in Palestine.  There used to be a large Christian population in Palestine but after the 2000 Camp David Summit with President Clinton, Ehum Barak (Israel) and Yasser Arafat (Palestine), the radical PLO started an intifada making it very unsafe for Christians to remain.  Today, only about 2% of the population is Christian.  We were able to see the process for making different pieces and then of course do a little shopping.  As we entered the mill, there was the wonderful smell of the olive trees.

After lunch, we made our way to the Church of the Nativity but en route, we passed the Palestinian version of Starbucks.

The Church of the Nativity marks the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The church is actually shared by three denominations: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox.  Each denomination's symbol is represented on the roof top.  This is the oldest standing church in Israel...the only one the Persians did not destroy.

To enter the church, you have to hunch down (not a big stretch for those of us that are vertically challenged) to walk through the current door that dates to 16th century when  it was made small to protect worshippers from hostile Muslim neighbors.  The squared door frame is from the Byzantine period (6th century) while the arched door frame within the Byzantine frame is from the Crusader period (12th century).

Upon entering the church, we immediately queued for entry to see the spot where Jesus was believed to have been born and the manger where He lay. 

Here are a few pics as we made our way through the queue.

Entrance to Birthplace and Manger

Spot where Jesus is believed to have been born

Location of the manger

We celebrated mass at St. Catherine's today.  This is the church where the Catholic midnight mass is celebrated each Christmas and broadcasted around the world.

Photo credit: Bernie Still

The last stop of the day was Shepherds' Field where the shepherds were visited by an angel. "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2).

Inside Greek Orthodox Chapel

Entrance to Catholic Church in cave

After a very long day, we made our way to our next hotel which was much better than the hotel is Tiberias (admittedly I am a total hotel snob...comes from over 25 years in the event and hospitality business).  As it was Friday, it was Shabbat and dinner at the hotel was AMAZING!  I honestly don't think I've ever seen so much food in my life...everything from gefilte fish to caviar to carving stations to yummy challah to unbelievable desserts and much much more.  

Shabbat starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.  During Shabbat, Jews are not allowed to work or do anything that resembles work. For instance, pushing the button to call the elevator is considered work because it requires an action to be started.  So on Fridays, an elevator in the hotel is a Shabbat elevator which means the elevator automatically stops at every floor.  If you get on when it is going in the opposite direction you want to go, you can be in for a nice ride.  

After such a long day, it is time to lay my head down on my pillow.

Shabbat Shalom