Tag Archives: Faith

The Upper Room

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As I’m writing these blogs, my goal is to share not only the things and places I’ve seen on my trips to Israel but also to share the emotions and thoughts about my faith that came with those sights. Visiting the place archeologists have determined to be the Upper Room sent me to do a lot of research.

We learn about this room and events in Matthew 26:1-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-38, and John 13:1-38. Here, Jesus shared the His last supper with the disciples. This is where He foretold the denial by Peter, where He identified Judas as the man who would betray Him, and where He washed the disciples’ feet.

To stand in this room and visualize the Last Supper brought tears to my eyes. Even today, when we celebrate communion, I can see Jesus sitting across a rugged table in this room, foretelling what will happen to Him.

In Acts, chapters 1 and 2, the Bible tells us the disciples returned here to wait for the Holy Spirit as Jesus instructed them. It is here the Spirit empowered the disciples, and the Christian church was formed.

We were told during the persecution of the Christians by the Romans, all symbols of Jesus and His followers were destroyed. All but one. The pelicans on the columns remain today. Like many Christians today, the Romans did not know the pelican symbolized how much God loves us. Here is one link of many telling the legend of the pelican.

In this picture, the room appears quite spacious. However, my guesstimate of the size is 25 feet by 25 feet or about 625 square feet. In addition, I have problems visualizing 120 people in this room.

Impressions of Israel – God is Great

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One of my favorite things about travel in Israel is how it increases my understanding of the Bible, God’s Word.

While in Caesarea, our guide taught us about the custom of cutting the hands and heads off statues belonging to a conquered people to symbolize “our god is bigger and stronger than your god.”

Statues in Caesarea

That evening, I read 1 Samuel 5 about what happened when the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and put it in the temple of their god, Dagon. When the people entered the temple the following day, the statue of Dagon was lying face down in front of the ark. The people picked up their god and stood him back in his proper place of honor.

When the Philistines arrived at the temple the following morning, Dagon lay on the floor, before the ark, with his hands and head were broken off.

The ultimate “our God is bigger and stronger than your god.”

When I’m struggling and fearful, this memory reminds me there is no reason to fear because my God is greater and stronger than any other god.