"They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord. And I will also take some of them as priests and a levites, says the Lord" (Isaiah 66:20-21).
One of the thoughts that struck me early on was that the Holy Land is an international land. During Jesus' early life and ministry in Galilee he would have seen, and perhaps, talked to the caravans that travel the road to the sea--the via maris. These caravans came from as far as India and China carrying silks and spices.
Following the fall of the Ottoman empire after WWI, about every country with a state church built a church building in Jerusalem. Each country battled to build the tallest church, I believe the Germans built the tallest. Each of these countries still maintains a presence there.
In Jerusalem there are more tour buses than in Branson, Missouri and each of them is loaded with tourists from many countries. We saw tour groups from Korea, Japan, China and India to name a few. All of them may not have been Christians or Jews, but they all came to see what happened in the Holy Land. It occurred to me that if a person was so motivated to become a tour guide, many seeds of the gospel could be planted without being offensive. The location itself tells the story.
I have the deepest respect for tour bus drivers. They drive those big buses around the narrow streets of Jerusalem without getting a scratch. They maneuver them through seemingly impossible tight spots. I had thought the best drivers were Iowa farmers, but after being in Jerusalem I have changed my mind. If you need a great driver, get a Jerusalem tour bus driver!
Grace&Peace
Tom
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