In Athens we visited
the Acropolis, a high rocky hill upon which the remains of several ancient
structures stand, including the Parthenon – the old temple of the city’s patron
goddess Athena. When the apostle Paul was in Athens over 19 centuries earlier,
“his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to
idols” (Acts 17:16). From atop the Acropolis, viewing the city’s myriad (tightly
compacted) buildings and houses, it’s hard not to share the apostle’s deep concern
for these precious souls. On the northwest side of the Acropolis, we climbed to
the top of the Areopagus (“Rock of Ares”) or Mars Hill, where Paul had
delivered his passionate speech about “the unknown God,” pleading for all to
repent in view of the coming judgment (Acts 17:19-31).
From Athens we
traveled about 1 hour by bus across the narrow isthmus to the ruins of ancient
Corinth, a journey that would have taken Paul a couple of days by foot (Acts
18:1). We entered the city with intrigue and fascination, while Paul had come
“in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). We spent about an
hour and a half exploring the empty ruins, where the apostle had invested a
year and a half “teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:11). We wondered
which of the dilapidated shops around the agora (marketplace) may have been used
by Aquila, Priscilla and Paul to manufacture and/or sell tents (Acts 18:2-3). We
viewed with interest the remains of the temples of Apollo and Octavia (cf. 1
Cor. 8:10) and the fountain of Peirene (cf. Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:14-16). But
perhaps the most poignant site was the Bema where Paul had stood trial before
the proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12-16), after which he left behind a thriving
community of believers (Acts 18:18; 1 Cor. 1:2).
We visited too many locations
in Israel to mention in detail, but among the highpoints were Caesarea Maritima
(Acts 10:1; 12:19; 21:8; 23:33), the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:16; 4:1, 36; 5:1),
Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13), the Mount of Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1; 8:1),
Mounts Tabor and Hermon (Matt. 17:1), Capernaum (Matt. 4:13; 8:5, 14; 11:23), Tel
Dan (Judg. 18:29), the Jordan River (Mark 1:5, 9), Chorazin and Bethsaida
(Matt. 11:21), Nazareth (Matt. 2:23), Bethlehem (Luke 2:4), the Dead Sea (Gen.
14:3; Num. 34:12), Masada (Herod the Great’s fortress), Qumran (where the Dead
Sea Scrolls were discovered), Jericho (Josh. 6:1-27), Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:5;
Mark 11:11), the temple mount and western wall (Matt. 4:5; 24:1-2; John 2:20),
the temple’s southern steps and ritual baths (Acts 2:14, 41), the Garden of
Gethsemane and Mount of Olives (Matt. 26:30, 36), traditional sites of Jesus’
death and resurrection (John 19:41), and Joppa (Jonah 1:3; Acts 9:36-43).
While the
proliferation of man-made shrines, cathedrals, pseudo religion, and
commercialization has significantly detracted from the modest dignity of many
of these sites, it helps to remember that there is nothing inherently sacred
about any given place on earth. What really matters is what God has
accomplished throughout history and all that he continues to accomplish in
every place through his Son Jesus Christ.
Most would agree that
the highlight of the trip was worshiping with the Lord’s church in Nazareth.
The last time Jesus was in Nazareth, even though he was among his hometown
kinsmen, he was rejected and mistreated (Mark 6:1-6). But thanks to him, we were
warmly welcomed in the midst of our spiritual family. Nowhere on this trip did
we ever feel threatened or in danger, but it was in Nazareth, in the company of
our brethren, where we felt right at home. “Now, therefore, you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of
the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).
--Kevin
L. Moore
Related Posts: The Macedonians Had Names, Ancient Corinth
Image credit: Photo taken by Lynne Moore from the Acropolis, with the Areopagus (Mars Hill) in the foreground and the city of Athens in the background.
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