Galilee, the Logos, and Moses

Much has happened since my last post. I hope to catch everyone up with what has been going on in the Holy Lands during these past days. A bit ago we went to the Sea of Galilee for a long weekend as a part of class. Spending time in the beautiful area where Christ spent so much of his life and ministry was an awesome experience. We went to the various places where Jesus taught and ministered and it was neat to see where he actually was! The first night we spent in the Galilee I went out and sat on the shore thinking about the great things that once happened there. As I sat out looking at the water thinking about the amazing fact that Jesus Christ walked on those very waters and spent much time with his disciples on and around the lake, I began thinking about the Apostle Peter. He was really an interesting fellow and indeed an immensely important character with faith stronger than I will ever attain. Peter seems to have been the kind of guy who didn’t really think before acting and, as recorded in the Gospels, he sort of did and said whatever came to mind. I think that is why Jesus loved him so much and called him to be a disciple. When Jesus was walking on the water towards the disciples in the boat, Peter said “Lord, if it is you then tell me to come out with you.” Who would say that?! If I was in the boat and saw a figure walking on the water, the last thing I would say is “tell me to come out!” I would sail away as fast as I could. If Jesus told me to walk on the water with him I highly doubt I would have done it. I would have been terrified! Peter does it though. Amazing. At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was. Peter immediately said “you are the Christ!” He knew! He didn’t even have to think about it. He said exactly what he was thinking. Peter knew Jesus was the Christ and he loved him for it. That is why Jesus blessed Peter and told him that he would be the rock he would build his church upon. Later, during the humiliation of Christ, Peter followed him for a fairly long time. After the Lord’s betrayal Peter followed him into Pilate’s palace and watched Christ suffer terribly. Granted, Peter still betrayed Jesus three times (as Christ said he would) but he followed him farther and longer than any of the other disciples. That took guts because he could have been killed any time. If someone in the crowd found out Peter was one of his disciples he would have been beaten and killed on the spot. Eventually, Peter was the one to whom the risen Lord appeared to and informed him that Gentiles could now be grafted into the vine of Israel. Then Peter converted the first Gentile. Finally, Peter was martyred for his love of Christ. Tradition has it that St. Peter wouldn’t even allow his executioners to crucify him in the same manner as Christ since he didn’t deserve such an honor. So, he was crucified upside down. What a man! Throughout the weekend we went to places such as Caesarea, where the first Gentile converted to Christianity, Caesarea Philippi where Peter make his famous proclaimation of faith, Capernaum, Cana, Nazareth, and many other places where Christ worked and ministered either physically or through his disciples. It was truly a very spiritual weekend. We also visited many different Old Testmament sites, such as Dan, Megiddo, and Hazor. Visiting Megiddo was very interesting. Apparently, the word "Armeggedon" in the New Testament is this city. Therefore, many theologians think that the final battle for mankind will occur right at that very spot. I saw the whole city and it isn't very big. If a cosmological battle between heaven and hell is really going to happen at Megiddo then I am convinved that heaven and hell are not that big. Megiddo was an important city in antiquity. Whoever controlled the city controlled almost all of the Galilee region, which was a very important region. Therefore, since The Apocylypse of St. John (John the Apostle or John the Elder?) is Jewish Apocylyptic literature, which is a strongly metaphorical type of literature, perhaps the author (whichever John it was) was pointing to the fact that in the end of time all evil will be completely defeated and God will control all things. This would go along with Megiddo in antiquity because whoever controlled Megiddo controlled a lot of the eastern mediterranean world. I could be wrong, but regardless, spending time at Megiddo got me thinking about some things. My classes are still going well. In one class we are learning about something called "Logos Theology." In the prologue of his Gospel, St. John tells us that "the Logos took on flesh and dwelt among us." We have been studying the background of this passage looking at what exactly the Apostle was speaking of when he wrote "Logos." I am not going to go into it all here but it is a fascinating study to undertake. Basically, in the first century there was both a Jewish understanding of Logos and a Greek understanding of Logos. John, writing as bishop of Smyrna, would have most certainly had both Jews and Gentiles in mind when writing his account of the Holy Gospel. He also, being a Jew in the eastern mediterranean during the first century, would have be influenced by Greek culture. Therefore, John would have had in mind both the Jewish understanding of Logos and the Greek understanding when writing. In a nutshell the Jewish undersanding was that the Logos of God was the Word of God as in Genesis (God SAID let there be light) and also wisdom (as in Proverbs 8). The Greek understanding was that Logos was the rational mind of the wholly other Divine Deity, as sort of intermediary between God and man. Jesus, as I have learned about him and personally experienced him, is the culmination of all of these understandings of Logos! It amazes me to study these things in class. Trying to grasp the totality of the incarnation is impossible. The Logos of God, God's Word, God's Wisdom, God's Rational Mind, God's Intermediary to man, God Himself, the Mind of God...took on flesh (literally: "became enfleshed"). The Logos humbled himself and joined himself to man by taking on flesh...purely to die as an atoning sacrifice so that man might live. By Christ's incarnation man was brought back into the glory as children of God. We are once again united with God in a very physical and spiritual way. It is amazing to think about. Other than those things life is still moving along fast. Finals week is fast approaching and then the semester will be over. It is weird to think about. This past weekend some friends and I went to the Red Sea and spend time on the beach. It was quite nice. The water was clear and refreshing and it was good to get away from Jerusalem and relax on the beach.

From the Holy Land,
Jason