After two days in the bustling cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, we headed through the Judean mountains to the Judean desert, land of Saul and David, John the Baptist and Jesus. The barrenness of the land looked familiar to us and we realized we had come full circle having passed this way a week ago as we headed from Tel Aviv to Jordan. Only a week? Could it be? We have seen and learned so much during this week, thanks in large part to our incredible guide, Hani - a Biblical scholar who speaks five languages, an Israeli citizen of Palestinian descent, a devoted Christian and "let me say" Saint, He has with Betty Ann, LuAnn, Amanda and Alice, truly made the land become a '5th Gospel' for us - giving us a much better understanding of the life, land and history of our Lord.
As we approached the Dead Sea we were reminded that it is 1400 feet below sea level - the lowest place on earth. 35% salt, its water is 10 times saltier than ocean water. It is "Dead" because nothing lives in it or beside it. Unlike the Sea of Galilee, which gets water from the Jordan River and nourishes much life around it, the Dead Sea, which is also fed by the Jordan River, doesn't give life to anything. Hani reminded us that it was in this region that Jesus told the parable of the talents, teaching that we should share the blessings we receive to enliven others instead of keeping the blessings for ourselves. As always, in that parable, Jesus used the familiar landscape to illustrate His point to His audience.
Heading south with the Dead Sea on the left side of the road and the rugged, rocky desert mountains on our right, we were reminded that it was in this wilderness that Jesus was tempted to turn these stones into bread.
Approaching Masada, Hani recounted the story of Herod building this mighty fortress overlooking the vast wilderness. Here, Herod built his lavish palace with bath houses and a swimming pool, where he could see potential enemies approaching from all directions. Later, after the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, a group of 900 zealots occupied Masada for three years, until under siege, they chose to take their own lives instead of becoming slaves to the Romans.
Next stop was Qumran where in 1947 a Bedouin shepherd boy found seven clay jars containing Biblical parchments - now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scrolls were written by the Essene community, a monastic brotherhood that left temple worship for the purity of the desert. Sally Lazar, in her excellent devotion, pointed out that sometimes we choose to go to the desert and sometimes we find ourselves there against our wishes; either way, Jesus has been there before us and is with us.
After all this learning it was time to relax, so we headed to the Dead Sea where many of us put on our bathing suits, covered ourselves in the black mud and floated on the Sea. After 20 minutes, we emerged wrinkle free and looking 10 years younger!
Returning to Jerusalem, Hani pointed out the acacia tree, the only green plant growing near the Dead Sea. It only survives because it has very deep roots which go down to a fresh water aquifer. I pray and believe that while in this land, we have all deepened our spiritual roots - to allow us to thrive whether we are in our own deserts, valleys or everyday neighborhood and lives.
Anna Neal Blanchard
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