A letter from Doug Dicks in Jordan
March 2012
Dear Family and Friends,
I am oftentimes asked what or where is my most favorite place in all of the Holy Land, and I am hard pressed to come up with a definitive answer. There are so many places associated with Christ and his ministry that I love, each unique for its own reason and setting.
Yet without question, I would have to say that the little, black basalt church on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee known as “Mensa Christi,” or Table of Christ, has to rank up there as one my favorite spots in all of the Holy Land today.
Doug observes bright, red poppies and anemones on a hillside in Jordan. Were these the "lilies of the field" to which our Lord referred?
It was here, according to tradition, that the Risen Lord appeared to the disciples, preparing a meal of fish and bread on a rock on the seashore. And it was here that Jesus challenged Peter, asking him to feed His sheep.
Here Christ taught the disciples and the crowds that followed him in parables, healed the sick and the lame, and calmed the stormy sea.
Here, in the quiet and solitude of this place, save for the hundreds if not thousands of tourists and tour groups that also come here, the Bible speaks to me in profound ways.
The area around the Sea of Galilee, which is still referred to today in Hebrew as Kinneret or “harp" (because the sea is in the shape of a Biblical harp or lyre), is ablaze with color in the late months of winter and the very early weeks of spring. Wildflowers of purple, blue, pink, and white cover the once barren hills. Wild mustard can be seen throughout the Galilee region. Surely Christ's teachings to the disciples were provided to them in the images that they could readily see and understand. Who can gaze out on the region around the Galilee and not understand the parable of the mustard seed? It is prolific in the springtime, and without a doubt "if you had faith such as that of a mustard seed," you could move mountains! Bright red poppies and anemones spring forth on the dry, rocky hills surrounding the sea. Were these the lilies of the field to which our Lord referred, when he exclaimed that Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed such as these?
"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of glad songs has come"
(Song of Solomon 2:12).
Across the lake are the remnants of two ancient cities of the Roman Decapolis—Hippos, or Sussita, on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and Umm Qais, in Jordan, which was the Biblical Gadara and region of the Gadarenes or Gerasenses mentioned in the book of Matthew. Was it one of these two cities, either of which could have been visible at night from the western shore of the lake, to which Christ referred, mentioned in Matthew 5:14, when He said to the crowds, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid”?
In Jesus' day the Decapolis—a confederation of at least 10 cities—was a region of Roman power and influence. It was an area that was largely avoided by the Jewish inhabitants on the opposite shores of the lake.
Doug surveys the remains of Jerash, (Gerasa) Jordan - one of ten cities of the Roman Decapolis.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. That event is believed, according to tradition, to have taken place on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. However, the Bible records at least two feedings along the lakeshore, including one on the eastern side of the lake—the region that was considered to be pagan, distant, and to be avoided.
It was to this very region that Christ also came, challenging his disciples to get into the boat and go with Him to the “other side” of the lake in order to minister to those who would otherwise remain lame, lost and left out.
On the western shore the Bible tells us that 5,000 people were fed and, according to Mark 6:42, ”all ate and were filled” and 12 baskets of leftovers were collected. On the eastern shore 4,000 people were fed and, according to Mark 8:8, “they ate and were filled.” The broken pieces left over filled 7 baskets.
In both stories we are told that Christ had compassion for the people because they were like “sheep without a shepherd” and because, in the case of the 4,000, they had been with Him for three days and had nothing to eat.
In just a few short weeks these hills covered in green and bursting forth with wildflowers will turn brown. The grass will wither and die, and the once vibrant colors of spring will give way to the daunting heat of summer. The brevity of the beauty of this scene speaks loudly to the fragility of life.
"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever"
(Isaiah 40:8).
While the beauty and serenity of this place implores one to stay, yet we are called away from this place, just as Christ called His first disciples from this place, and out into the world. Still, the words and lessons of Jesus' teachings to his disciples and to those who were privileged to hear Him, resonate with new meaning: “Love your enemy”; ”Do good to those who hate you”; “Give them something to eat”; “Feed my sheep”; “Follow me . . . ”
Wishing you the beauty and joy of this Easter Season!
Doug
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 300
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