There's more to Caesarea Philippi than I thought!

The second thing I didn't expect to see at Caesarea Philippi was King Agrippa II's palace and an ancient city.

The walk there was gorgeous. We followed Hermon Stream from the grotto into the woods, and this North Ga girl's heart was soooooo happy! Forests, streams, and waterfalls—yes please!

Along the way, we passed some modern ruins, like a mill and a hydro-electric station. I was so thankful for the shade, the cold water to splash on my face, and excited for what we would discover. I've basically realized that pretty much any place you go on a tour, you've probably only seen a piece of the entire park. There just isn't enough time to see it all. So this was completely brand new to me!

Then, there we were: Agrippa's palace

He had a very sophisticated sewage system for his day.

The palace ruins actually span either side of a modern day highway!

And then, outside of the palace, there are ruins from the town, including a basilica (of course) and a synagogue.

High up on the mountain in the distance is Nimrod Fortress!

Inside the synagogue:

As we left this area of ruins and walked around the corner, we found the cardo (main street), which tells us this was a very big town. Now it's a nature reserve with ruins, but that's only what we can see. There's so much more underneath the surface (as always!).

At the end of the path, as we walked to the parking lot, we saw this building, another excellent example of how Israel builds on top of the old.

The sign explains how below this building and on the building itself are building materials dating back millennia. You can literally see the passage of time and the modernization of tools and resources as your eyes move towards the roof!

Wow, there was so much more to this park than I realized! I can't wait to go back and explore more... somewhere in the forest is a waterfall!

What if it's True?: Combatting Resignation

In Chapter 5 "Talk to the Hand—Jesus Christ is Lord of All" of What if it's True?: A Storyteller's Journey with Jesus, author Charles Martin discusses the cancer of resignation and why it is so important to put all of our trust in God.

He points out, that in Caesarea Philippi, Peter's confession of "You are the Messiah" in Matthew 16 came six days before the revelation that Jesus was in fact, the Messiah.

"At its root," Martin says, "Resignation spins a lie that says our enemy is stronger than our King. Period.... [But], truth is, our hardship does not determine HIs character or HIs love for us, and it doesn't make Him any less King or any less capable or any less good or any less in love with us. The choice is ours. We get to choose whether to fix our eyes on the giants—or the King on the throne" (pages 63-64).

On page 66, he says, "Our enemy can take you and me from warrior to wuss through our agreement with resignation". The way to fight back through the word of God. "Counter every lie with 2 promises of God. Make bookends".

Pretty great advice! And actually, you can hear him teach on this yourself. Click here or on the photo above, because while in Israel earlier this year, Martin taught on this very topic and chapter from its setting: Caesarea Philippi. And while listening to his message, you can hear the calming waters of Banias Springs, the headwaters of the Jordan River... and watch a lot of tourists walk by and take selfies, haha.

Choose the video that says "Caesarea Philippi" to get the right one.

Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus: What does it mean to have a King?

In Chapter 3 of her book, Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus, Lois Tverberg asks the question, "What does 'Christ' mean, anyway?"

When I first read that, I thought, Well, Messiah, of course. After all, that's what I was taught: Jesus the Messiah. "Christ" isn't a last name, but a title.

But as Tverberg explored the true meaning of Messiah (you really need to read this book!) and takes it so much deeper.

Through example after example, verse after verse, Tverberg proves that "Christ" means "God's chosen King"—something a first century reader would have understood.

This really got me thinking. What does it mean to live under a king? As an American, I come from a political system where every 4 years, I have the opportunity to vote for the leader of my country. Any leader cannot serve for more than 8 years (or 10, for special circumstances*). Even if I am not a fan of my current leader, I have a voice in choosing the next one, and I know that no matter what, he will be gone in a few years.

In the Western world, we glamorize the word "king". All the best stories have a king. In fact, it's not even the West that does this. Proof of this is the enormous international audience during both Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding earlier this year. The numbers of people who watched were astronomical... one source even says 1.9 billion people watched Harry and Meghan's. 

But having a king, in some countries, might seem more like a nightmare than a fairy tale. After all, kings have absolute power. They can help their countries; or they can seriously hurt them. We see this time and time again throughout history. And maybe the hardest of all, they can do this for life. They don't lose their power after a few years.

I don't know what it means to live in a system where I don't have a vote and maybe won't see a change in power in my lifetime. I don't know what it means to pledge allegiance to a king in a practical sense. Yet, we talk about God as the King of Kings and we sing praise songs referring to Him as such. But do we, do I, really understand what that means?

First century readers did. They would have known immediately what the word "Messiah" meant, and what it could mean for them. This is why, when Peter made his declaration in Matthew 16 at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus shushed him. The time for him to be proclaimed as king wasn't ready.

What else can we, as 21st century readers in the Western, glean from this concept of having a king?

Upon this Rock | Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Phillippi, where Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16: "Upon this rock I will build my church."

The cave to the left was extremely deep (it has since filled with a rockslide), and the area in front of the mountain held temples to the god Pan and Zeus. Known as Banaiss Springs (because water flowed from the cave), pagan worshippers would throw animal sacrifices into its depths. #israel #apictureadayofIsrael