Jesus Was Here

Sunrise over the Dead Sea. Photo by Pat Jones.

Pat Jones / Lead Pastor

Pam and I always enjoy returning to the Holy Land. Each trip we lead is spiritually refreshing, a chance to be reminded once again about the reality of our faith. Riding on a boat on the Sea of Galilee, my imagination transports me back to a day when a storm was tossing a boat like ours back and forth. Jesus speaks some words, and the wind and waves die down and all is at peace. And I think, Jesus was here.

We sit on the Southern stairs of the Temple Mount. All pilgrims entered the Temple courts on these stairs. As a young boy, Jesus was found talking to the teachers of the Law on these stairs. And I think, Jesus was here.

Walking the narrow streets of the Via Dolorosa, I close my eyes and hear the taunts, and the labored breathing as Jesus, marred and bleeding from His flogging and beating, carries His crossbar to the place of crucifixion. And I think, Jesus was here.

But not everyone is going to walk in those places where Jesus walked. Then I return home, and a brother tells me about reading a Scripture that gave him the wisdom he needed for a situation, and I realized Jesus was here. A sister was encouraged through our study of “Zume” to step out of her comfort zone and witness to a Muslim coworker in such a way that there is an ongoing conversation. And I thought, Jesus was here.

You see, He is real and walking with us every day just as He physically walked in those places in the Holy Land. So, for those who may never join us on a journey to Israel, know that Jesus is real, here, today. And I think to myself, the words of the old hymn are true:

And He walks with me and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other, has ever known.