Last Thursday marked 3 weeks since our arrival in Bethlehem. Things had become more familiar, and we had become more used to the work routines at the Bible College. We also were getting more acquainted with walking the streets of Bethlehem. That all gave a measure of freedom to us, but, I was also feeling a bit of fatigue and claustrophobia . It felt like time was needed, at least by me, to step out from our situation and get a little time away to gain perspective. It has also been much cooler here than we anticipated, and so we opted for a break to relax, retreat, and explore in a hotter climate. Hence, it seemed like a time to “go down to Jericho”. “Going down to Jericho” was the expression Jesus used in telling the familiar story of the “Good Samaritan”, as recounted in Luke 10:30. Even without robbers in the way, it really is a down hill trip, passing numerous Bedouin shepherds and huts as we descended to the 750 feet below sea level elevation of Jericho. It is called the oldest green oasis city in the world because, according to archaeological findings, it has been inhabited since almost 12,000 BC!

The Dead Sea is in the hazy background.

Archaeological diggings around the Old City of Jericho.

Somewhere in those 8,500 years of layers must have been some rocks buried from when “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”, (Joshua 6), but there is no definitive evidence to exactly where the Canaanite era would be located.

Across the road from this 1,200 square meter area of historical excavation is a park surrounding a spring which has been Jericho’s main water supply for centuries. It is also known as Elisha’s Spring for the time he purified the water in 1King’s 2:19-22.

Our first stop into Jericho, however, was not at the Old City, but at a tree made famous by Jesus’ encounter with Zaccheus, the notorious tax collector who had a problem seeing Jesus as He came into town, because Zach was rather vertically challenged (I can relate!). As Jesus was to pass by, Zaccheus climbed up a Sycamore tree to catch at least a glimpse of the Savior. This tree is reputed to be quite old….over 2,000 years, in Al-Jummmezeh Square in the center of town. There’s an old Sunday School song that you ,or your kids, may have sung, which exclaims emphatically that the Lord looked up at him in the tree and said, “ZACCHEUS….YOU COME DOWN! ‘cuz I’m going to your house today” (Luke 19:1-10). And so Dr. Luke leaves us with the Gospel punch line, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Across the street from the famous sycamore tree was an insistent vendor who wanted to see us more properly attired to visit Jericho, and hence, being new to town, we succumbed to his sales pitch. Doris got something I’m sure she can use at home:

But I”m not sure how much use I’ll have for this Bedouin cowboy hat!

We stayed in Jericho at a wonderful guest house, the Auberg-Inn. It’s spacious yard and gardens, excellent food and service, and reasonable prices made it a true hit on our list! We would gladly return there anytime. (The Moussaka was especially good!)

We had planned to hike up the Mt. of Temptation where Jesus is thought to have went after his baptism in the River Jordan, but we were running out of time, so we took an easier route:

We were hoping to visit the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Temptation but it was closed to visitors that day. It is cut into to the cliff and had a chapel in front of the Cave of Jesus where He reputedly sat on a loaf shaped rock when he was tempted by the devil to turn stones to bread.

We finished our time at the cable car platform with something cool to drink. Doris thought my non-alcohol, local beer, was fitting for the Mt of Temptation!

When it was time to leave to go back to Bethlehem, we were reminded of the mix of old and new worlds we had the privilege of sharing as we drove past this flock of sheep in our taxi taking us to the city center.