More on the Mountains

Take the road from Joppa, near Tel Aviv, on the Mediterranean and you will leave the coast and begin an ascent through the Plain of Sharon. Climbing higher as you go, eventually you will come to Jerusalem, a city surrounded by mountains as we mentioned on previous posts. What a sight on that road it is! Stay on that road and it will lead bring to the Joppa Gate, one of the Gates of the City, all which are so interesting. For instance, go out the Damascus Gate and stay on that road and you will end up in Damascus, Syria. You are catching on. Pretty cool, eh? Oh yeah but we are talking about the mountains.

Let me talk about one mountain this morning (as the bright winter sunshine comes through the window at my desk). It is spoken about in Luke 4.29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. The people of Nazareth took great offense at what Jesus had said in the synagogue. They were going to kill Him. It was not the way He was to die nor was it the time or place. He walked away from them.

If you go to Nazareth today, and you stand in the Valley of Armageddon (yes Nazareth is above this valley- In fact this valley is formed in part by the hills of Nazareth.) you can look up and see this whole large side of limestone that one of the hills has. It is apparent that this is where they wanted to throw Jesus off. This is an example of what He was saying about laying His life down and no on e taking it from Him. This is also an example of how in some instances, In Israel, you can go to Biblical sites that have not changed with time and witness with your eye their validity. I never read that verse without the picture in my mind now.