Hopefully, you've been able to keep up with what our team was doing over in the Holy Lands. It was a busy-yet-fruitful time for the four of us to tour and teach.
The most indelible part of the trip for me personally came during our time in Jerusalem, but not for the reasons one might suspect. A subtle discomfort rose within me after a long day of walking around the Old City. I'm not even sure exactly how to characterize the feeling in my gut other than to say that I was struck by the heaviness of law and ritual.
The burden of works-based religion isn't anything new for me theologically or theoretically, but walking through the different quarters of the old city in Jerusalem made it much more palpable; it gave me a real-life visual.
When folks in one quarter angrily yell, "Cover your head!", and folks in another snarl, "Take off your hat!", my heart responds, "Make up your mind, inventors of religion!"
The crescendo came as I was standing in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, being all but trampled by the frumpy crowds wanting to be, in a strange and ironic way, closer to Jesus.
I was abruptly overwhelmed with thankfulness for two things: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Lord's Supper.
First, I was thankful for the Spirit because it's by the Spirit of God that the Father and Son abide with us here and now (John 14:15-31). I wanted to scream to the crowds, "He's not here! He's risen and sits at the right hand of God the Father! If you want His presence, repent and believe! If you already know Him, he's IN YOU!"
Reflecting on this truth led to another, corollary thought. I don't remember the exact quote, but Augustine once mused that we will go to great lengths to view a majestic mountain range or breathtaking body of water, but we pass by ourselves every day without a second thought (a rough paraphrase with some creative license indulged, I'm sure). What I saw in Jerusalem jolted me. People--who surely wouldn't consider themselves idolaters--were in a frenzy, trying to put some oil on a plank of wood where Jesus was potentially laid. What great lengths people will go through for a tip of the hat to a relic, when we are imago dei! We're far less-gilded, but far more glorious!
Second, I was thankful for the Lord's Supper because it is through communion that Jesus told us to remember him. The elements of our remembrance involve the bread and wine of the table in the community of fellow believers in the Church. He never commanded a pilgrimage or told us to visit a special site or asked us to jump through hoops. The next time I take communion, I will have in the back of my mind those hoards of people going through great lengths to remember Jesus in ways that He didn't ordain. And I will be thankful for the bread and the cup, the body and the blood.
Finally, as I continued to chew on and discuss what I saw, I concluded with a question. This is a question for the masses in Jerusalem and for my own heart as well: What are you doing to let people see Jesus TODAY? This is a far more important matter than the less-important-but-more-easily-attained, What strides have you made to see/touch a place that Jesus may have possibly seen/touched 2,000 years ago? Rudely and robotically visiting historical sites does nothing for you spiritually.
The preacher in me couldn't help but summarize all of this in my journal with these five reminders that I'm personally trying to proclaim to myself:
- RECOGNIZE the imago dei in your neighbors and love them well.
- REPENT and believe the gospel; preach it to yourself and to others.
- REMEMBER Jesus through the Lord's Supper until He returns.
- REPRESENT Jesus in and through a local fellowship of believers.
- REPRODUCE Jesus as a lifestyle for a lifetime.
Visiting the Holy Lands was certainly interesting and educational, and I'd love to do it again! However, I don't feel closer to Jesus because of my trip. He's as present here in my office as He is in Jerusalem. One day, however, there will be a new city and a new sense of His presence. Are you ready?
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This post, contributed by Jason Seville, originally appeared on his website, which you can access here. He has also posted some pictures from the trip here.
