No we didn’t go to Rome today, but we used today as a transition to Roman Jerusalem as it was during the time of Jesus and the early Apostolic period and studied the impact mighty Rome had on the first century Jewish culture.

We started the day on the shore of Galilee talking about Susita. This was a Roman town with pagan shrines on the eastern shore of the lake. The lights from Susita were visible from Capernaum. So when Jesus talked about the city on a hill he could have been pointing to Susita.

We read from Mark 4 through 8. We see Roman imagery throughout this section, particularly with words like "strength" and even "legion". They found tombs in the nearby town of Kursi, so that is also a good candidate for the expelling of the demonic.

We talked about Jesus as a disrupter. He disrupted the storm. He disrupted Legion. He disrupted the pig industry. He disrupts you and me if we let him.

Some contrasts.

A couple of chapters later, when Jesus returns for the feeding of the 4000, they welcome him. How much this crowd came because of the testimony of the healed man? We can never underestimate how God works. All we have to do is be obedient.

This decapolis city was Rome at its peak.

Rome was an enticement. It was power. It was entertainment. It was luxury. It was the symbol of having arrived. For the Jewish men and women who ignored their Rabbis advice never to set foot in the city, it was a culture clash.

We have to imagine the culture shock for a Jewish villager. Even the modern sewer system would have been overwhelming. Pagan gods are everywhere. In the Mikveh, the Jew was spiritually cleansed in humility before God. In Roman bath, the naked body was glorified and it was all about the self. The center of this town was not the Synagogue, but all about pleasure and commerce. The society was not about the fact God provides you just enough, as Jews have been taught, but is all about getting more and more.

Video devotional:

I was asked to read 1 John 2:15-16 to the group:

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

All of this is a reminder for our world we live in. We’re supposed to have the same kind of shock and separation from our pagan world.

Megiddo is where we can geek out on history and archaeology, as 30 different layers of civilization dating back to the early Bronze Age.

This area has been the scene of many battles throughout history including as most recently as WWI. It will be the assembly ground for the final battle of the kings of the earth preparing to make war against the LORD. Of course this sounds preposterous, but we know the world is increasingly against God. We know how this story ends!

One other fun fact. Nazareth is directly opposite Megiddo. Here’s a quick video devotional on this subject.

We gathered in a forest in the Mount Carmel range and studied lessons from 1 Kings 18. Of course there’s Elijah’s challenge to us. "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.". We also looked at Elijah’s character and leadership. He stood up for what’s right in the face of strong opposition.

Our final site of the day was Caesarea. It was the primary location of Herod’s and Pilate’s administrations. They typically were not In Jerusalem unless there was a potential for trouble.

We looked at the beautiful theater where both Acts 12 and the secular Josephus record the death of king Agrippa the first.

We looked at the location of the discovery of the only extra biblical reference to Pilate. It was on a dedication stone and was used in one of the theater seats or steps. It was found face down! Apparently they didn’t think much of Pilate.

Before this discovery, skeptics said Pilate didn’t exist and the Bible was making it up. Finding the stone was certainly a "see, I told you" moment for the conservative academic community and faithful believers. We don’t need discoveries like this to prove the Bible but they give further support for our belief that the Bible is inerrant.

We concluded the day by standing where Paul’s trial room was in Herod’s palace. He likely was under guard at night. This area is only steps away from the theater and the hippodrome where the chariot races were. I imagine Paul listening to the Roman entertainment around him and drawing a contrast between freedom as the world and Rome defined it, vs the freedom we have in Messiah.

After the long ride to Jerusalem in rush hour traffic, we checked into our nice hotel where we’ll be for the remainder of the trip.