Rocks: A Reminder of Reality

Today started out like any normal field study day. We went to Mount Scopus and looked out over Jerusalem, and read Psalm 48, which commands us:

“Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation
that this is God, our God forever and ever.
 He will guide us forever.”

How amazing that I have the opportunity to fulfill this psalm. I am so thankful for that.

As soon as we crested the top of Mount Scopus, we were confronted by a much different view: the desolate Judean wilderness. From here we could see Anatoth, where Jeremiah grew up. Living on the edge of the wilderness, he must always have felt aware of the threats to Jerusalem, and the danger must have felt very real. Those inside the city on the other side of the mountain, however, would not have thought about the danger so much (“out of sight, out of mind”). Concerned by their complacency, Jeremiah, from his experience on the “front line,” used striking imagery from the wilderness to alert them to the dangerous reality of their vulnerability from the wilderness. As we stood there, I wrote in the margin of my notebook, “When we feel comfortable and we can’t see what’s coming, it’s easy to become complacent and let down our guard.”



From there we headed to the busy side of the Mount of Olives. We read 2 Samuel 15-16 and discussed Absalom’s coup d’etat. Then we read Luke 19:37 and the verses following, and meditated on Jesus’ last week of Passover--a festival rich with the symbolism of freedom and redemption. As I pictured Jesus praying on the Mount of Olives, late at night under a full moon, while everyone else was sleeping, I thought about how easy it would have been for him to quietly slip away. He could have gone back to Galilee and kept doing miracles…that was a good thing, right? And certainly much easier than bearing the cross. But Jesus chose to follow God’s will, even though it was the hard way. I remember thinking, “I also want to follow God’s will for my life, even though it will probably be the hard way.” We also read Acts 1:8-9, where the disciples are commanded to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Again, how easy it would have been for them to return to their lives as fishermen on a peaceful lake! Much easier than dying for their faith in the big city. Yet, as followers of Jesus, they also chose the hard way—the best way.

On the way down the Mount of Olives, we stopped at a first century tomb. Dr. Wright talked a bit about crucifixion. I never knew that those who were crucified were hung from the cross at eye-level with people on the ground. That way, people could interact with them—spit on them, look them in the eyes, curse them, kick them—the ultimate shame. Jesus endured that for me.



As we continued, we passed the Russian orthodox church and headed to the garden of Gethsemane. I enjoyed seeing the old trees and the church’s beautiful dark glass windows, but my favorite part was reading a plaque in the garden that read:

“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39).

O Jesus, in deepest night and agony You spoke these words of trust and surrender to God the Father in Gethsemane. In love and gratitude I want to say in times of fear and distress, ‘My Father, I do not understand You, but I trust You.’ MB”

After I read that, I prayed the same. Even if it’s hard, I want to follow Jesus, and trust God’s will for my life.
Just twenty minutes later, as we drove through the West Bank, two young Arabs threw rocks at our bus. One shattered through the window and hit two of my fellow students, wounding their heads. T-shirts were quickly given up to help stop the bleeding. Glass was everywhere. Israeli soldiers came and surrounded our bus, and others searched for the boys. An ambulance came. There was not much we could do, so I prayed in the back of the bus with some of the girls. The words from the plaque replayed over and over in my mind, “Father, I do not understand you, but I trust you…I trust you…I trust you…”



Looking back on the day, I feel like I learned a lot. First of all, like the people of Jerusalem who can’t see over the hill, I often become too comfortable with my life. I don’t like to think about the very real danger that is present…not only physical danger in this part of the world, but spiritual danger. Lately, I’ve forgotten that we are part of a very real battle. I need to live with this awareness, being constant in prayer, on guard against temptation, and watchful for opportunities to advance God’s kingdom. Those boys who threw the rocks desperately need Jesus…and someone needs to tell them.

Secondly, the Lord reminded me that as a follower of Jesus, I will not have an easy life. In fact, it’s going to be hard, just as life was hard for Jesus and the disciples. The incident on the bus awakened me to the reality of danger here in the Middle East. If I’m going to live here more permanently someday, this will not be the last time I see violence. In fact, I will probably see worse, and it may involve my family someday. That scares me. But, at the same time, I can still say that it’s worth it. Jesus is worth any sacrifice I can make for Him and His kingdom. I still choose to follow Him…no matter what the cost.