Understanding the Book of Acts (1)

A student and former participant in one of the cruise programs we offer studying “The Life and Journeys of St. Paul” requested some of the materials that we hand out, so I am offering them in document files. I normally post in pdfs, but I am away with my laptop and don’t have the pdf maker program with me.

The file is a rather complete description of the Book of Acts and how it fits into the New Testament writings, with a summary of each chapters comments like “Cliff’s Notes on Acts”. If you want to use it, feel free as the material copyrights are owned by me.

Understanding the Book of Acts

The Story of Messianic Beginnings

 

The Book of Acts in the “New Testament” Collection

The term “New Testament” refers to a collection of twenty-seven first century writings that became the foundation of the faith and practice of Christianity. The collection was written primarily in the Greek language, the common language of the Roman world of that day. It contains four distinct types of literature: A biographical series on Jesus of Nazareth called the “Gospels;” a historical narrative of the progress of the early Messianic Jews and their later Gentile converts; personal letters called “Epistles;” and apocalyptic literature.

The four Gospels are named after their understood authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They chronicle selective accounts of the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth in first century Judea, Samaria and Galilee. The historical narrative of the early movement of the followers of Jesus the Messiah (called “Messianics” in Hebrew or “Christians” after “Christos”  – the Greek translation of the Hebrew term “Messiah”) is called the Book the Acts. Following the narrative are twenty-one letters of several early movement leaders, named either by the writer they are attributed to or by the city or person of their destination. The collection closes with one apocalyptic work (a prophetic literary form like Daniel of the Hebrew Bible).

The name “New Testament” was taken from the words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel According to Luke (cp. Luke 22:20). The term “testament” means a covenant or an agreement between God and man. In the case of the “new” covenant, the implication was that recent events had initiated a remarkable change in the relationship between God and man. The New Testament’s theme, therefore, is that a new provision had been made in the series of agreements (covenants) that God had made for His relationship with men, the terms of which are announced in these writings.

The collected writings of the New Testament span a remarkable variety of accounts, places, cultural settings and characters. As indicated, the record begins with the four accounts of the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth – a religious Jew of the early first century. The narrative traces His lineage, His birth in Bethlehem, His early life and childhood in the Galilee, His baptism in the Jordan River and His public ministry throughout Judea, Samaria, Perea and the Galilee. Jesus never wrote a book, and none of the account is from His hand. The accounts of His life and teaching were authored by several early followers (called “disciples”) of Jesus as well as some who never met Jesus personally (i.e. Luke the Physician). The four books act as early pamphlets to share the heart of the work and message of Jesus. The climax of each account is the cruel execution of Jesus by Roman crucifixion, and the victorious narrative of His Resurrection from the dead.

The disciples of Jesus took His teaching and the story of His Resurrection to many parts of the Roman world. They called on people to believe that Jesus was not only the long awaited Messiah promised to the Jewish people in the Hebrew Bible, but also the very Son of God that came in human form for all mankind (cp. Acts 17:32; Philippians 2). They spread a message referred to as the “good news” or literally “gospel” (Gr. euangellion). The core of this message was that God was singular in essence but multiple in personality. Jesus was God’s Son that came in the human flesh to the earth to fulfill a mission of bringing man into a relationship with the God of Abraham. The redemption price of mankind was the blood of Jesus, sacrificed like a lamb at Passover for the sins of men. They taught that God had accepted the death of Jesus as a sacrifice “once for all” (Heb. 10:11-14) and that all men, regardless of their race or background could be fully accepted by God if they trust the work of Jesus as the basis of their redemption. As emissaries of this message, they became known as “Apostles” (Gr. apostello, “one sent”).

The fifth book of the New Testament collection (called “The Acts of the Apostles”, or “Book of Acts”) is in part a travel diary of the pioneers of the gospel, and part an explanation of the issues and problems of the early communities of faith. These communities were called churches or congregations. The major theme of the book is an explanation of how the promised Messiah to the Jews became a part of the lives of many who were born Gentile. As non-Jews, they did not appear to be included in the promise of the Messiah, and most had never considered their need to be brought into a relationship with the God of the Hebrews.

The Author – Luke the Physician

Early church fathers of the first several centuries gave extensive witness that the third gospel was written by the “beloved physician” Luke (cp. Col. 4:14), the companion of Saul of Tarsus (also called the Apostle Paul). If this is in fact the case, the writer of this gospel was the only non-Jewish author of any book of the New Testament. There is ample internal evidence that he was likely a proselyte to Judaism who came to believe Jesus was the Messiah. In addition, we could surmise that the work was influenced by the preaching and teaching of Paul, in addition to the accounts of eyewitnesses collected (Luke 1:2).

Many scholars believe that Luke was from Macedonia, perhaps a Philippian by birth. It is interesting to note that in the accounts of Paul’s journeys the author apparently joins Paul just before his dream of the Macedonian man that changed the course of Paul’s journey toward Macedonia (Acts 16:9ff). The dream corresponds with the author changing the pronouns of the journey from “they” to “we” suggesting that the author is now an eyewitness to that part of the journey. The same happens when Paul reached Troas on his third journey to the area (Acts 20:6). The final selection of “we” passages is the trip of Paul from Caesarea to Rome (Acts 27 and 28). It is likely these reflect that Luke was with Paul all the way to Rome and wrote the letter that became this “book” from that city.

A brief review of the Gospel According to Luke (Epic one)

The Gospel according to Luke appears as part of a series of personal letters to a man named Theophilus who was seeking information on the work of Jesus of Nazareth. The letter opens with a statement of the primary purpose of the account. By the time of the writing of this gospel, the writer claims that “many others had taken in hand to write the things which Jesus said and did” (cp. Luke 1:1-4) and this account therefore was a collection of eyewitness accounts that focused on the chronology of the life of Jesus.

The structure of the letter includes some unusual features. In addition to the special attention to medical matters (as one would expect from a medical doctor when authoring a work -4:38; 8:55), it also includes the most complete view of the events surrounding the birth and early life of Jesus. As a collection of reports, Luke has a keen interest in revealing a personal side of the ministry of Jesus, and takes specific care in personal accounts of Jesus with people like Zacchaeus of Jericho (Luke19), and a thankful healed leper in Galilee (Luke 17). His account is as full and careful as any other, but he offers special detail to the questionings and trials of Jesus, and to the scene of the Crucifixion. His Resurrection narratives include a long story of the personal encounter of some followers of Jesus that discover the Risen One as they travel the road to Emmaus. His citations of the Hebrew Bible lead some scholars to wonder if Theophilus (the recipient of the letter) may have been a Greek speaking Jew, or at least a proselyte familiar with some Jewish discussions and Scriptures. This occurs also in the Acts sequel, where Luke tells the time of the year by the Jewish feasts (Acts 27:9).

The Theme of the Book of Acts (Epic two)

The style of the writing of the Gospel according to Luke and the subsequent opening of the Book of Acts both suggest that this was a series of letters written to share the progress of the Gospel from its inception to the work of the early congregations and Messianic leaders.  Perhaps along with the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, there was a third document intended but never completed or lost in history (an unfinished trilogy?). Some speculate on a third letter, an idea fueled by the incomplete ending in the Book of Acts. Luke was an otherwise thorough author. The main characters and several issues are left unresolved, as though more were to follow.

The journey to Rome is given in an eyewitness account, and may indicate one underlying purpose of Luke’s letter. It may have been written to express to Theophilus “I guess you are wondering how a Physician from Philippi ended up in Rome attending a Jewish prisoner. Well it all started a long time ago when…”

Another theme is woven into the end of the account in Paul’s words from his final recorded sermon. In Rome the Jews refused to hear of God’s fulfillment of the Messianic promise in Jesus of Nazareth, so he took the message to the Gentiles. It seems important for Luke to point out to Theophilus that the Gospel was taken to the Jew first, but then presented to the Gentile as a result of continual resistance on the part of some in various synagogues. Paul consistently offered the Gospel “to the Jew first” as Paul reminds the Romans in his Epistle to them (Romans 1:16). When refused more opportunity by resistance, he turned “also to the Greek”. This seems to be highlighted in the accounts of Paul’s major works in each mission journey: at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:46) in the First Mission Journey; at Corinth (18:6) in the Second Mission Journey; and at Ephesus (19:9) in the Third Mission Journey. If part of the intent was not a treatise in defense of Paul’s methodology, Luke seems to be preoccupied with it.

The Story of the Book of Acts

This second letter written to Theophilus continues the story of the spread of the Gospel that he began in the Gospel According to St. Luke. This second epic opens with Jesus (after His death and resurrection) meeting His disciples and instructing them in Jerusalem. Jesus told them to gather and wait there until the coming of the Holy Spirit and then He ascended into Heaven. His disciples went back to Jerusalem and selected a replacement for Judas by casting lots. They narrowed the choices by character to two men: Joses (called Barnabas) and Matthias, who was eventually chosen. [Chapter 1]

A short time later on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were together in Jerusalem praying and the Holy Spirit came upon them. This enabled them to tell the good news about the Lord in many languages that they had never learned before an international crowd of Jews gathered for the Feast. Peter followed the initial incident with an address to the excited and perplexed crowd explaining from the prophet Joel and from the words of David what had begun that day in their presence. He proclaimed salvation through faith in Messiah and more than three thousand people were saved. [Chapter 2]

These new “Messianics” were becoming known in Jerusalem, and began to care for one another. One afternoon at the gate of the Temple, Peter and John healed a crippled beggar who was asking for help. This caused quite a stir, as the people recognized him from the many times they passed by him and now saw that he could walk. They gathered around Peter and he explained that the power that healed the man was the power of the risen Messiah! He told the people they were guilty of killing Jesus, but that they could be forgiven of their sins by repenting and turning to the Lord. Peter and John were swiftly arrested and brought before the Jewish religious authorities who questioned them about the healing. They could find no wrongdoing by Peter and John and could not deny the healing of the crippled man, but they wished them to cease causing a stir among the people. They threatened the two and sent them on their way, recognizing the numbers of Messianic followers of Jesus were swelling to about five thousand! [Chapters 3-4]

The Messianic believers still worshipped in the courts of the Temple (mostly associated with Solomon’s Porch on the east side of the Temple plaza) and shared what they had with each other. Some sold property and then gave the proceeds to the apostles to distribute it as there was a need. These heartfelt acts of giving became marks of the followers of Jesus, and others began to mimic the giving, though not always for honest reasons, or with an honest heart. One such couple, Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of land but kept some of the money back for themselves. When presenting the money to the disciples they evidently lied about the amount they were giving, making a show of the gift. Ananias died on the spot before the apostles. When his wife came shortly after, she also lied about the amount of money and fell over dead and was buried alongside her husband. News of the event made all of the believers carefully consider their hearts, and began a long journey of the need to constantly renew their walk with God. This internal situation was but the first challenge or test to the fledgling movement.

Because the group continued to gain in strength, the Temple leadership decided they needed to take action and imprison some of the Messianic leaders. While awaiting the hearing, an angel opened the cell and told the Messianic leaders to go back and preach in the Temple courts, so they left the cell and returned to the work. The High Priest was informed about the “escape” and had them brought into the council chamber for an immediate hearing. The Messianic leaders explained their message, and refused to refrain from preaching it. Fearing the response of the crowds and listening to some of the more moderate voices in the chamber, the Temple leadership allowed them to leave, and they continued to spread the message daily. [Chapter 5]

As the size of the work grew, the needs of those who joined to the message grew. The leadership was taxed, as it was not able to both seek the face of the risen Savior and care for all the followers in a way that met their needs. A third test faced the Messianics as some were complaining about the uneven meeting of needs. It appeared to the Diaspora (Greek speaking) followers of Jesus that they were getting neglected in comparison to the local Hebrew speaking followers. New leaders of character and faith were chosen, and the problem was handled by better organization.

During the time the Messianics were increasing in numbers, their message was being discussed all over Jerusalem, and the theological schools no doubt became heated with discussions of the merits of their claims. Some students decided to directly attack the Messianics, wholly disagreeing with the basic tenets of their message. Of the new group of seven Messianic servant leaders, one man named Stephen was singled out by a local Jewish Seminary for Diaspora students as a target of their wrath. After a lengthy defense which Stephen put before them and which they could not answer, they called on the Temple leadership to rescue them from the debate, and Stephen was brought before the council at the Temple. A long sermon followed, which illustrated the value of carefully examining the choice of these new servant leaders, and Stephen offered his defense of the Messianic message. He called on them to remember their history and the promises of God, and then told them Messiah had already come. Angry at his words, they took him beyond the wall of Jerusalem and stoned him there. One student held the coats, and stared as Stephen’s blood was spilt. He was Saul of Tarsus, who later became an important figure in the Messianic community. [Chapters 6-7]

Saul took on the attack of Messianics with great zeal, entering houses of suspected followers of Jesus and bringing them to prison. The followers began to separate and spread out, with some of the Diaspora Jews heading to their home countries with their new message. That was not the only way the good news that Messiah had come spread, however. God directed some like Philip, who was one of the servant leaders chosen by the people at the same time Stephen was chosen, to take the message to places in Samaria. After some remarkable movements of the Spirit of God there, Philip was compelled to go south along the road to Gaza. While moving along the road, he came upon a noble eunuch reading about the promise of Messiah, and Philip had the opportunity to share with him that Messiah’s promise had been fulfilled in Jerusalem. The eunuch had a desire to walk with the God of Abraham, but was not allowed to enter the Temple as a deformed man. After the man received his first opportunity of baptism, and knew God really accepted him, Philip sensed his mission there was complete, and left for Caesarea, preaching as he traveled. [Chapter 8]

Saul of Tarsus continued to cause real trouble for the Messianics; he had official letters allowing him to extend his search for Messianics to Damascus, trying to contain the spread of this growing Jewish movement. While on his way there, he was struck down on the road, and heard the voice of this same Jesus that the Messianics were talking about. He left the experience blind, with a promise that God was about to tell him what he should do for Him. Led by the hand, his companions brought him into Damascus, and Saul fasted three days waiting for instructions from God. Finally they came, and he was directed to Ananias, a man who had been given directions from God to lead Saul in his first steps of Messianic faith. Sight restored, Saul stayed for a time to share time with a small group of believers in Jesus. In a short time Saul began to preach the Messianic message in local synagogues, angering crowds that thought he was coming to shut down the Messianics. Some planned to kill Saul to stop the “defection” to the new message, and Saul escaped back to Jerusalem, being let down over the wall of Damascus in a basket. He was lead by Barnabas (the one who was not chosen to join the twelve in the cast lots at the beginning of the story), and taken to meet the Messianic Leadership. He remained a short time in Jerusalem, debating some from his old Seminary, and eventually returned home to Tarsus.

While Saul created a stir in the movement, yet another small group of followers faced intense pain over the loss of one of their key members. Shimon, called Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus who now helped lead the Messianic movement, was making his way southwest of Jerusalem, and had opportunity to heal some who were sick. The small group at Joppa heard of the healings and called on Peter to care for their loss, and return their dear one named Tabitha to life and health. Peter came and prayed for Tabitha, and her body was restored, causing the whole group to rejoice! Peter went to the house of another Shimon, who was a tanner, to remain with this small group for a time.

One afternoon, hungry and awaiting a meal, Peter was on the roof of Shimon’s house, and had a vision sent from God. The vision was of a sheet filled with animals that God had forbidden his people to eat. A voice told Peter to kill the animals and eat, but three times he refused, standing firm on God’s command. In the midst of the vision, a knock on the door of Shimon’s house brought Peter back to the moment. A centurion named Cornelius sent three of his soldiers to call for Peter to come to him in Caesarea. Peter, realizing that the vision of the animals was to call him to follow these three to the home of a Gentile, agreed to go with them on the following day to Cornelius. Peter offered the men lodging, and left the next morning. [Chapter 9]

After an eight-hour walk to Caesarea, Peter entered the house of the centurion and conversed with him, sharing with him and his household the good news of Messiah. God moved in the man’s heart, and the Spirit of God caused Cornelius to speak in a language he had not learned. With such an amazing demonstration of the power of God on his life, even the Jews were amazed that the good news was breaking into the heart of a proselyte who was not even circumcised! Seeing the work of the Spirit, Peter commanded Cornelius and his household to be baptized, and accepted them into the community of followers of Jesus. [Chapter 10]

News spread that Cornelius’ house had joined the ranks of the believers, and soon the Jerusalem leadership found themselves in a debate about this new ministry direction. Men of the leadership called on Peter to account how he could “eat” with a Gentile. Peter recounted in detail the whole move of God in his life. The room fell silent, as men of God saw for the first time the direction God was leading them toward. Peter finished, and the men agreed that God was opening the message to the Gentiles. They began to glorify God!

No sooner had the Jerusalem leadership acknowledged what God was beginning to do, than the Antioch believers began to see the door open in the hearts of Gentiles. Returning home when the persecutions, with arrests and Stephen’s execution were going on in Jerusalem, a small fellowship of Messianics was established in Antioch, preaching Messiah had come to the Jews. When they heard Gentiles were joining the movement, they opened the preaching of Messiah, and Gentiles responded. The Jerusalem Messianic leaders dispatched Barnabas to check out the growth. Thrilled with the work but seeing the need for depth in teaching, Barnabas went to Tarsus and brought back Saul to open a one-year series co-teaching the believers in Jesus at Antioch. During that year, a prophet had revealed that a famine was coming on the Roman world. The fellowships of Messianic followers and their new found Gentile believers took up a collection, and sent it to the Messianic leaders at Jerusalem to distribute it as they saw needs arise. The messengers entrusted to take the offering money to Jerusalem were Barnabas and Saul. [Chapter 11]

About the time the collection money was on its way, a government lead persecution of Messianics in Judea began under Herod Agrippa I. Herod decided the stir caused by the Messianic sect of Jews was an unhealthy influence on stability, and had James the son of Zebedee (brother of John), one of the Jesus’ disciples executed. When he saw his favor grow in the Temple leadership as a result of the execution, he decided to further it by taking Peter into custody. Because of the Passover, Herod held Peter in prison for execution after the feast. While there, Peter was held between two soldiers, chained in a cell as the fellowship at Jerusalem prayed fervently for his release. Late one night, the angel of the Lord freed him and told him to dress himself, opening each gate and leading him out of the civil prison, as he had years before from the Temple guard. Peter came to the door of the small fellowship that was deep in prayer for him. Startling the local believers, he came to the share the news of release. He told them to tell the other leaders, and then left to stay in Caesarea. A short time later, Herod Agrippa died in Caesarea and the immediate threat abated. To add to that good news, the offering money arrived in Jerusalem. After a brief visit, Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch with Barnabas’ nephew, John Mark. [Chapter 12]

In Antioch, the worship time drew people into the presence of God. The Messianics began to be known as “Christians” (after the Greek term for Messiah). The Spirit instructed the believers to send out Barnabas and Saul to a work that He called them to. The congregation gathered together and sent them out with prayer and fasting. Departing Antioch with John Mark attending their needs, they walked to the port of Seleucia and caught a ship to Cyprus. Landing in Salamis, they preached the Messianic message in the synagogues and then traveled to Paphos on foot. While at Paphos, Saul and Barnabas were sent for by Sergius Paulus, the Proconsul. As they shared with the Proconsul their message, a certain sorcerer tried to keep him from believing. Saul (usually called “Paul” in Gentile areas) called on God to blind the sorcerer and he was blinded. Seeing this power, Sergius Paulus believed the message of Jesus.

Setting sail from Paphos, the three messengers of Messiah made their way north to Perga in Pamphylia. When they arrived in Perga, Paul was dominating the party. John Mark decided to depart the team and return to Jerusalem, apparently not liking the change in leadership. Paul (Saul) and Barnabas made their way through the Taurus mountain pass, and came into Antioch in Pisidia. That Sabbath, Paul preached a stirring message to the congregation about the coming of Messiah. Some Jews and some proselytes came to faith, while Gentiles requested that next week they be allowed to hear about Jesus. The following Sabbath Paul again preached to a vast group in the city, many of them Gentiles. Jews that had not believed the message of Jesus began to heckle them, but Barnabas and Paul spoke zealously that the message was to be for Gentiles as well, and many believed. The synagogue leaders who were against this preaching went to the city council and had the Messianics expelled. Paul and Barnabas moved on the nearby Iconium, but the believers in Pisidian Antioch remained and rejoiced in their newfound faith. [Chapter 13]

In Iconium, the Messianic messengers preached and debated, as many believed, both Jews and proselytes. After preaching and some amazing demonstrations of the power of God, the city was divided between those who believed and those who thought the message a hoax. Those who did not believe the message wanted to catch the men and stone them. Aware of the rising tide of trouble, Barnabas and Paul fled to the nearby Roman colony of Lystra in Lycaonia, a pagan city with no synagogue. Believing that God had opened the door for Gentiles to receive Messiah, they preached the good news that a relationship with the God of Abraham was possible for them. After healing a local boy who was born lame, people in the town began to worship them as manifestations of the pagan deities. As they assembled to offer sacrifices, Barnabas and Paul tore their clothes and begged the people to see them as mere men. After some time, some instigators of trouble came from Iconium and Pisidian Antioch and convinced the people of Lystra to have Paul stoned and left for dead. After the stoning, the believers gather outside the city around the body of Paul, and Paul got up and went home with them. The next day the men left Lystra and journeyed to Derbe, preaching to the people there. After a good response, they returned the way they came, checking on each small congregation as they returned through Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch. They returned to the coast of Pamphylia, preaching again in Perga, and returning to a ship at Attalia. They sailed back to Antioch filled with awe at what God had accomplished, and shared it for a season with the Antioch followers of Jesus. [Chapter 14]

In Antioch there were Messianic followers of Jesus from Judea who insisted, “One who is not circumcised according to the Torah of Moses cannot be justified before God.” When Paul and Barnabas came to Antioch, they disagreed and a debate ensued. The question was submitted to Jerusalem’s Messianic leadership, and a council of key figures of the movement was convened at Jerusalem. The debate was long and difficult. Peter argued that God had also chosen Gentiles and demonstrated that fact a long time ago. He saw no difference in the essential faith that lead to their justification, though in practice they remained different. He did not want the yoke of “living as a Jew” to be placed on their lives, with all its weight. Paul and Barnabas testified next, arguing that the work of the Spirit was clear in the lives of the Gentiles.

An Apostle named James (the half brother of Jesus and writer of the Epistle of James) presided over the meeting, and brought the concluding judgment in the matter. He stated that God was at work in the Gentiles, and they had no place disregarding this fact. He disregarded the suggestion that Gentiles needed to physically identify with Israel’s covenant symbol of circumcision and become part of Israel physically. He also distinguished the need for Gentiles to follow four specific commands that clearly separated them from their pagan past. He commanded that they: 1) abstain from idol offerings at pagan temples; 2) abstain from any pagan blood rituals; 3) abstain from idolatrous sacrifices even if they are bloodless and include only strangulation; 4) abstain from the sexual sin so much a part of their temple practices. In general, James said they must leave the paganism that pervaded their lives before, to clearly follow after Jesus. If they avoided these things and trusted in the atonement of Messiah alone for justification, they did not need to become a physical part of the Abrahamic covenant of promise to the sons of Isaac through Jacob, nor subject themselves to all the Torah standards associated with Israel’s inheritance.

In addition to the pronouncement to the Gentiles, James made no change in the ruling concerning Torah commands to Jews, simply adding that Moses was explained to all of them in their home synagogues every Sabbath. With that the council wrote the judgment in letters, and sent it out to the various congregations, restating the words of James. Letters were given to Paul and Barnabas to carry abroad to the congregations, while verbal testimony of Judas and Silas would reinforce the veracity of the report of the ruling. The letter was issued, and the teams were sent out to settle the matter in the congregations, beginning with Antioch.

Judas and Silas taught the ruling of the council to the congregation at Antioch, and Paul and Barnabas brought the letter. A short time passed and Paul asked Barnabas to accompany him on another outreach journey. The two could not agree on whether to offer another opportunity of participation to John Mark. Paul decided to go with Silas to the works in Pamphylia and Pisidia (the mainland areas of the previous journey), and Barnabas took John Mark to check on the Cypriot congregations (the island area of the previous journey). [Chapter 15]

Paul and Silas made their way through Syria past the famous battle site of Issus, and through the “Cilician gates” into Pisidia, where they visited the believers at Derbe and Lystra. At Lystra they added to their team a young man named Timothy of mixed birth (father Greek, mother Jewish), and Paul circumcised him. Paul knew the Jews of Pisidia would watch carefully how he treated the Torah in the life of a non-observant Jew. They saw the churches were growing and strong, and moved north and west through the lake district that lead to Phyrgia, and into southern Galatia trying to move west to Asia Minor. The Spirit led them north to Mysia and the city of Troas near the Hellespont. When the team arrived in Troas, they met Luke the Physician, who had come from Macedonia (possibly from his home in Philippi). Paul was wrestling with the direction, and his desire to go into Asia Minor to great cities like Ephesus, Pergamon, Miletus and Smyrna. As he slept in Troas, a vision of a man from Macedonia (probably the physician Luke) called to him and requested help. Paul knew it was God’s call to move west into Macedonia, so he immediately looked for a ship to take him across the northern Aegean Sea.

The four men took the boat from the harbor near Troas, and went overnight by ship to harbor in at Samothrace Island. The next day they moved on to Neapolis, where the team disembarked and traveled on foot over the mountain ridge to the Roman garrison and colony at Philippi. Finding no synagogue that Sabbath, the team made their way to the nearby stream to pray and worship (a common Jewish practice in such circumstances). At the stream a Thyatiran woman named Lydia heard Paul speaking, and was drawn to the message of Messiah. Yielding her heart, she was baptized. Afterward, she asked the team to come to her home and stay there.

As they continued in the city, they had regular times of prayer and met together. During one such occasion a young demon possessed slave girl kept harassing Paul and the others, and Paul commanded the demon to come out. With the exorcism, the owners of the slave girl lost the revenue her “gifts” provided, and complained to the magistrates of the city, falsely accusing Paul and Silas of subverting some Roman laws. The crowd seized the two, pulled off their clothes, beat them with lashes, and then imprisoned them without proper trial. Night fell, and Paul and Silas sat in their cell singing and praising God, when an earthquake opened the gates. The jailer saw the openings and thought he would be executed in humiliation when the prisoners under his charge escaped, but Paul cried out to him, “Do yourself no harm, we are all still here!” The jailer’s heart melted and Paul and Silas shared the good news of Messiah with him. He accepted the message of Jesus, and took the men out of their cells to his home. He washed their wounds, and returned to the jail with them. In the morning the magistrates sent a message to let them go, but Paul refused to leave without an apology. Paul was a Roman citizen and was imprisoned and beaten without proper trial. When the magistrates heard he was Roman they came to him and asked him to leave town. Paul and Silas left the prison, visited Lydia and the other followers of Jesus, and then depart westward along the Via Egnatia. [Chapter 16]

Passing through the cities Amphipolis and Apollonia – Paul, Silas and Timothy headed directly to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish community and a synagogue. Their host in the city was a man named Jason (and was likely a relative of Paul). The team arrived and Paul debated for three Sabbaths in the synagogue, explaining in detail that Messiah was promised and had come, suffering for them. A number of proselyte Greeks believed, as well as some prominent women in the synagogue. Among those who did not believe were some influential Jews who pressed a mob into pulling Jason from his house and placing him under bond. Paul agreed before the city council to leave and Jason was released. Paul and Silas said goodbye to the believers and slipped away in the night to Berea.

At Berea the team found an anxious audience that listened intently and tested everything that the Messianic teachers told them.  Men and women both studied with them, and many believed, including some prominent proselyte men and women. Soon some of the Jews of Thessalonica who did not agree with the Messianic message found out about Paul and Silas’ work in Berea, and came to disrupt the teaching. Those who believed gathered and determined it was best if Paul leave. Silas and Timothy remained in Macedonia, and Paul left to Athens alone by ship.

Paul’s stay in Athens was a time of challenge. He was without the team, had experienced the pain of persecution, endured physical beating, and had an intense desire to go back to Thessalonica. Wrestling with these issues, he encountered the world center of pagan philosophy at Athens and was deeply stirred. He directed his first speaking in the synagogue but made no real progress. He turned his attention to the marketplace, encountering a number of philosophers and temple attendants. His preaching drew enough of a crowd that he was whisked off to the guardians of the teachings of the market, “the Areopagites.” Paul offered a sermon that included quotes from two famous Greek poets and was mocked by some of the hearers. By the end of his time in Athens, he saw God draw a few to the faith, including Dionysos the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, with a handful of others. Paul left alone on foot by way of the ceremonial Roman road that passed the Eleusian temple of Demeter and Persephony, and made his way to Corinth. [Chapter 17]

By the time Paul got to Corinth, discouragement set in and he needed a lift from God. The encouragement began in the form of some new Jewish friends named Aquila and Priscilla who shared the same craft of tentmaking. Though he spoke each week in the synagogue, his real boldness to share the Messianic message returned when Silas and Timothy came and refreshed him with news from Macedonia. With poor reception from the officials in the synagogue (with the exception of the chief ruler named Crispus) Paul decided to turn his attention to reaching Gentiles in the city with his message. Many Corinthians believed and were baptized. Still Paul held back. He had suffered deep wounds on the journey, and needed a profound meeting with God. A vision came in the darkness of the night. Jesus came to Paul and assured him that if he would remain in the city, he would be protected from further attack. Paul believed, and remained there another eighteen months. It was apparent his promise to remain there became a vow before the Lord, not completed until the eighteen months was passed.

Even when tested before Gallio the consul of Achaia, Paul knew that God would protect him. The new ruler of the synagogue (named Sosthenes) who replaced the now Messianic Crispus brought Paul to the judgment seat, but Gallio threw the case out. Then Sosthenes was taken and beaten by some locals with the court refusing to intervene. The disinterest of Gallio in perceived internal Jewish issues allowed the work to continue until the consul’s term was over. Paul left about that time to the nearby eastern port of Cenchrea.

Looking out over the Saronic Gulf, Paul could see in his mind’s eye all the way back to Jerusalem. It had been a long time since he was comfortably in the halls of the kosher friends at Jerusalem, and he missed them. He shaved his head, having completed his vow to serve Jesus in Corinth and gathered his friends for a farewell. He took a boat east with Aquila and Priscilla to Ephesus and spent a short time in the synagogue teaching. He left his friends there, and continued on to Caesarea, to the feast in Jerusalem, and eventually back to Antioch.

After some time, Paul decided to travel to the established congregations in Galatia and Phrygia. At the same time, other followers of Jesus were spreading the message to the Roman world. One such man was Apollos of Alexandria who was teaching and evangelizing effectively in Ephesus. He met Aquila and Priscilla there, and they added some details on baptism to his message that greatly aided him. After some challenging ministry in Ephesus, Apollos went on to Achaia and took up teaching believers in Jesus in Corinth. [Chapter 18]

While Paul was passing through Mysia venturing south to Ephesus he came upon a group of a dozen believers that had been taught by Apollos before he was instructed in the work of the Spirit by Priscilla and Aquila. Paul told them of this work and they experienced powerful manifestations of it, prophesying and speaking in unlearned languages. Paul remained there, teaching in the synagogue for about three months, until he realized that no one else there would believe in Jesus. Then took the believers next door to a local school, continuing to teach for two more years. God used Paul mightily, showing miraculous works through him, healings and the casting out of demons. Many idolaters turned to faith, and those in the black arts destroyed their evil books of incantations and spells.

After these years, Paul knew it was time to move on and check on the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. Paul saw things turning for the worse in Ephesus and delayed his departure for a bit. He sent Timothy and Erastus to check on the Macedonian believers. While they were gone, the Messianic believers got into trouble with the local guild of metal workers, who made their income by creating small replicas of pagan gods. Demetrius, the silversmith, lead the riot to get rid of Paul, whose ministry was killing their market. Gaius and Aristarchius both of Macedonia were fellow workers of Paul. These two were caught and taken into the theatre. The town clerk saw the mob and tried to listen to their grievances, but finally dismissed the assembly as illegal. [Chapter 19]

Hostilities quieted and Paul felt he could leave. He journeyed to Mysia and came to Troas on foot. There he met a delegation of several friends that went before him into Macedonia and returned. This select group of friends included Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, Luke the physician (probably of Philippi), Timothy of Lystra, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Ephesus. The whole group came to Troas after Passover, waiting there for Paul to join them. When Paul arrived they celebrated and shared in a meal together, followed by an extended study that lasted until dawn! During the meeting a young man named Eutychus fell asleep listening and tumbled from his spot on a window ledge to the floor. People gathered around and presumed him dead, but Paul came over him and raised him up. The people were relieved, but Paul got up and continued with the lesson! Paul sent the team by ship from Troas to Assos, but decided to walk alone and met them in there.

From Assos, Paul joined the team and sailed to Mytilene on Lesbos Island, harboring overnight. The next day they continued to Chios Island, another day to Samos Island (with an overnight at Trogyllium), and finally landed at Miletus. Paul had only been gone a short time out of Ephesus, but he felt that he may not get the chance to return to them in Asia Minor so he gathered the elders of the congregations together (including those of Ephesus). At Miletus, Paul delivered one of his most difficult emotional sermons. He told them they would not see him again, and they wept. After a time of prayer together, they took him to the ship and waived goodbye to this one who had shared the good news so tirelessly among them. [Chapter 20]

The ship journey took the team for brief stops at Cos, Rhodes and Patara. In Patara the team found a ship that was set to sail for the Phoenician coast. The ship sailed south of Cyprus directly to Tyre and offloaded her cargo. The team sought out local believers and met with them for seven days. During that time, several Messianic followers declared that the Spirit was warning Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. After the week of sharing, the believers prayed together and the team boarded a ship to head south. Following the coastline, they harbored the next day in Ptolemais, with time to visit the local believers there for one day. From Ptolemais, the team came into the great harbor at Caesarea.

At the modern and bustling port the team found their way to the house of Philip, one of the seven servant leaders chosen in Jerusalem years ago. Paul was in no hurry; he was refreshed to be back on Judean soil with a great company of friends from all over his ministry! While he was there, God sent a messenger to him, a prophet named Agabus (who had predicted the Roman world’s famine years before). When the prophet came, he tied up Paul, and told the team that Paul was about to face such an arrest by Jews who did not agree that Messiah had come, and an imprisonment at the hands of the Gentiles. Though greatly urged to stay away from Jerusalem, Paul would not back off his plan and told them he was ready for what God had told them.

Hiring horses for the trip, Paul and the team made their way up to Jerusalem. Joining the ever-swelling ranks of the team were some Messianic followers from the Caesarea congregation, as well as Mnason of Cyprus, who had a house in Jerusalem. When they arrived in Jerusalem, the Messianic leaders warmly embraced the team, and assembled a meeting with James and all the leadership. They listened intently as Paul shared what God had done in the ministry to the Gentiles. They were excited to hear his account, but were also burdened by outside reports that had come back to them of his ministry.

Some had reported that Paul was telling Jews that lived in the Diaspora not to keep the Torah, but rather to forsake the ways of the inheritance that the Fathers had instructed them. The leadership reiterated the council finding of the Jerusalem Council, and made sure the team understood that their ruling was only for the Gentiles, and should not have affected the way the Jewish believers in Jesus behaved. They wanted to be clear, Gentiles needed to leave idolatry and cling to Jesus, but Jews needed to remain as Jews, clinging to justification through the blood of Messiah alone. To make the message clear that Paul was still walking according to the Torah, they instructed Paul to take four Jewish men who had taken a vow to the Temple to offer sacrifices. Paul did as he was instructed, was ritually bathed and got himself ready for seven days to bring the sacrifice necessary to complete the vow.

The day came to take the men, and Paul went into the Temple with the men as well as some of the Messianic team from Asia Minor. Some people in the Temple saw him and stirred up the people, accusing Paul of bringing in Gentiles to the inner court of the Temple, because they had seen him earlier in town with Trophimus, his team member from Ephesus. Paul was taken away and the inner court Temple doors were closed. The crowd gathered to kill him, pulling him toward the outer gate and beating him. Meanwhile news came to the Roman guards of the adjacent Antonia Fortress that a riot had broken out. Roman soldiers were dispatched and took Paul from the hands of the angry crowd.

As he entered the fortress, Paul turned to the captain of the guard and spoke Greek to him. Startled, the captain asked his identity, and Paul identified himself as a Jew of Tarsus. He asked if he could address the people under the protection of the Roman guard on the stairway, and the captain agreed. Paul turned and spoke in Hebrew to the crowd. He delivered a powerful testimony to what God had done first in his life, then in the Messianic movement. When he reached the part of the message where God had sent him to Gentiles, the crowd roared and shook the dust of their sandals into the air. The captain ordered Paul brought inside. Binding him for a lashing, Paul told the soldiers he was a Roman citizen, and they warned their captain to be careful how they handled him. The captain came to him and asked him directly if he was a free citizen. When Paul made it clear that he was, the captain loosed him and kept him inside the Antonia. [Chapters 21-22]

The next day the Claudias Lysias (the captain of the guard) sent word that he wanted a meeting with the council and with Paul to settle the matter. Paul came before the council and proclaimed he was innocent of all charges. The High Priest commanded those who held him to strike him on the mouth. Paul chided the High Priest (not knowing it was the High Priest) and complained that he was struck unlawfully. When the chamber called on Paul to reckon why he upbraided the High Priest, Paul apologized and told them he did not know whom it was that he was addressing (recognizing it was unlawful to chide the High Priest). When Paul saw the room was composed of both Pharisees (who believed in afterlife) and Sadducees (who did not), he proclaimed that he was a second generation Pharisee and was brought in because of his defense of resurrection and afterlife. The debate that ensued became a pulling match, and Claudius Lysias had Paul taken away, fearing he would be ripped apart in the scuffle. Paul was taken back to the Antonia.

Late the following night Paul awoke to find Jesus standing beside him. Jesus spoke words of encouragement to Paul just like he had at Corinth so long ago. He told Paul that he would be called on to go all the way to Rome with the message he preached in Jerusalem. With that Paul rested and knew that his death was not imminent.

The next morning a small band of men prepared to kill Paul. They vowed to fast until he was dead, and told the Sanhedrin council to call for him to be re-examined. Their plan was to kill him on the way to the meeting, but Paul was warned by his nephew and relayed the plot to Lysias. The captain sent a large contingent of soldiers with Paul under protective custody (accompanied by a letter that explained his actions) to the seat of the Roman Procurator named Felix at the port city of Caesarea. In his letter he explained that he saw no reason to hold Paul, but felt the need to protect him as a Roman citizen. Paul was taken away by way of Antipatris and eventually to Caesarea for an audience with Felix. Felix ordered him held and said he would hear the matter when his accusers were assembled. [Chapter 23]

Five days later, the High Priest Ananias and a delegation came from Jerusalem, together with their lawyer Tertullus. The lawyer indicated (after am extremely complimentary opening) that Paul was a seditious fellow, spreading insurrection among Jews and desiring to defile the Temple. He argued that Paul would have been killed under Jewish law had they not been disrupted by Roman guards. Paul got an opportunity to answer the charges. His points were clear and simple. He said he had only been in Jerusalem twelve days ago, and there was no evidence of him having any dispute, raising any issue in the Temple or in any local synagogue. He argued they lacked evidence because their charges were false. He then restated for the record that he considered himself Jewish and kept the law as was common to Jews in Jerusalem, but was being persecuted because he believed in the resurrection of the dead. Felix decided to wait on the arrival of Claudius Lucias to see if his testimony would clarify the accounts. In the end, Felix called for Paul to explain his message on several occasions, even before his wife who was a Jewess. In the end, he left the issue for his successor, and Paul awaited judgment for two years! [Chapter 24]

After the new Procurator, Porcius Festus, came into the office, he made a trip to Jerusalem. The High Priest and a delegation met with him and requested that Paul be sent back up to Jerusalem and put back in the jurisdiction of the Temple court. Festus decline, but did offer them the opportunity to present their case anew before the judgment seat in Caesarea. Paul came before Festus and boldly charged that there was no evidence he had done anything improper under Jewish or Roman law. Festus offered to have him sent to Jerusalem and put under Temple jurisdiction and Paul appealed to Caesar (Emperor Nero) to be held under Roman law. Festus closed the case of jurisdiction by declaring that Paul had the right under Roman law to appeal to Caesar, and he had to be sent to Rome for a hearing. [Chapter 25]

During the time Paul awaited his trip to Rome, he was called on by Procurator Festus to tell his story to Herod Agrippa II and his consort Bernice. Agrippa was a Jewish client king who served under Romans. Genuinely interested, Agrippa called on Paul to give an account of himself. Paul carefully explained all that had happened to him, from the vision on the Damascus road and the message of the risen Messiah. Agrippa told Paul, “You almost have me to persuaded to join the Messianics!” Agrippa admitted afterward to Festus and Bernice that Paul was guilty of nothing. He expressed, “Had Paul not made the appeal to Caesar (a matter of Roman jurisdiction) he may have been set free.” [Chapter 26]

Luke and Aristarchus of Thessalonica joined Paul for the journey to Rome. The prisoner ship was under the penal supervision of an Imperial centurion named Julius. They launched out to the north, and briefly stopped in the port of Sidon, where Julius allowed Paul to refresh himself in a local friend’s home. Launching from there, they sailed south of Cyprus because north winds were making travel difficult. They turned north to Myra, along the coast of Lycia.

In Myra, Julius found a large ship of Alexandria that was heading to Rome and put the prisoners on it (the ship had a total complement of 276 people). The ship left port, but had barely any wind and traveled painfully slowly along the southern coast of Asia Minor, finally crossing into the Aegean Sea to Crete, where they harbored in the southern area called the Fair Havens, near Lasea. Paul warned them it was too late in the year to attempt the journey to Rome, but the captain of the boat felt he could make it, and did not like the conditions wintering in Fair Havens. Loosing from port, the ship was caught in a strong northwesterly wind that drove the ship beyond the ability to direct the sails, so they did their best to steer west, crossing below the island of Clauda. The timbers were loosening as a result of the fierce wind strain, and the sailors tried to keep the ship together. Caught in open sea and pulled by fierce winds, they lightened the ship on the second day, but the storm did not still. Days passed and the ship was pushing toward Sicily, but the situation grew desperate.

After a long time in the terrible storm, Paul had a message sent from God by an angelic vision. He told the crew that no one would die but they would lose the ship and be grounded on a small island. Fourteen days into the storm they knew they were coming close to landfall. Sounding depths, they got as close as they dared in darkness, dropped anchor, and waited for sunrise. Some shipmen began to lower the launches, but Paul warned the Julius and his men, “Unless these men stay on the ship, you will not be saved!” Julius had his soldiers cut the ropes, and the boats dropped into the sea.

Paul urged the whole complement, in the midst of the storm to stop and eat something. He reiterated to them that no one would die, blessed God for the bread and began to eat. The crew and prisoners ate, and then cast the rest of the cargo overboard to lighten the ship. After daybreak, they took up anchors, loosed the rudder and hoisted sail. They ran the ship aground and she began to come apart. The soldiers turned to execute all the prisoners, but Julius (in order to save Paul) told all prisoners and crew to swim for shore. As the ship broke up, the whole complement swam ashore or held to pieces of the ship to arrive to shore, but no one was lost. [Chapter 27]

Soaked but safe on dry land, the ship re-gathered its crew and prisoners on the island of Melita (Malta). The local people did not speak Greek, but they did show kind hospitality. While Paul helped to gather firewood, he was bit by a poisonous snake, but shook the snake into the fire. At first people thought he must have been a terrible criminal who was getting his justice, but when he did not swell or die, they thought him a god!

A local man named Publius offered lodging to Paul and his companions. Publius’ father was dying of dysentery, and Paul healed him. As a result, after the three days the team stayed there, people kept bringing their sick to Paul for healing. People openly expressed their thanks, and gave Paul and the whole company things they needed for the journey. Their time on the island lasted three months as they awaited another transport vessel to Rome. They were put aboard a ship of Alexandria, bearing the sign of “Castor add Pollux” and sailed for Syracuse on Sicily. After a brief three-day stop, they landed at Rhegium in southern Italy. Another brief stop and they continued on the journey north to Puteoli, catching good winds and making the trip in excellent time. At Puteoli the team met some of the faith, and remained with them for a week. News of their arrival reached the area congregations, and when they began to journey toward Rome they met believers in The Appian Forum, and even more in the Three Taverns area. Paul’s heart was filled with thanks as he saw what God had done to spread the message of the Gospel. When they reached Rome, all the prisoners were surrendered to the common prison, but Julius assigned a protective guard to Paul and arranged private lodging for him.

A few days after they arrived, Paul called for the Jewish leadership of the area to meet with him to explain why he had been sent there from Jerusalem. The local leadership had received no word from the Temple leadership and was totally unaware of Paul’s case. Paul had the chance to explain to them the story of the good news, and he wasted no time doing so. After his message, the leaders left discussing it among themselves. Paul hired a house and remained under guard for two years in Rome. During that time, he preached and taught openly, and no one tried to stop him. [Chapter 28]

The Emphasis of the Book of Acts

The Book of Acts is a complex letter. It appears that part of the letter was written to catalogue the spread of the Gospel geographically to various people groups. Luke probably intended to offer evidence of the fulfillment Jesus’ promise before His Ascension from the Mount of Olives: “You shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8b). The letter seems formed around this geography, with the movement of the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 1:1-8:3), Judea and Samaria (8:4-40) and beyond (9-28).

Within the geographical frame above, Luke also clarifies some of the key challenges faced by the early Messianic movement. He appears to systematically move between the internal and external crises of the believers. In the early stage of the narrative he mentions the frequent threats against the Messianic leaders by the Temple authorities (4:3-7; 5:17-27), which led to the stoning of one of the Messianic leaders (6:8-7:60). Later external pressures included the rampages of Saul of Tarsus that ransacked the houses of suspected believers in Jesus in a manhunt (9:1-5). In addition to the external pressures, the movement internally fought against complaints of inequity in matters of finance among its members (6:1-7), and even lying in matters of property between followers (5:1-11). The leadership struggled to define the community of believers, and attempted to reconcile the promises of the Hebrew Scriptures to the reality of the work of the Spirit in the Gentile born followers of Jesus (Acts 11:1-18; 15:1, 6-35; 21:21-25).  This pressure plagued the Messianic movement throughout the period of the writings of the various letters of the Apostles to the congregations (Epistles).

Another emphasis of the letter includes an insightful narrative of the chief personalities of the leaders in the new movement. Biographical sketches are drawn from the glimpses in the letter of individuals like Peter (2:14-5:42; 9:32-11:18), Stephen (6:1-7:60), Philip (8:1-40), Barnabas (11:19-30; 13:1-14:28) and of course Paul (9:1-31,11:25-30, 12:24-14:28, 15:36-28:31). This view of the leaders is critical to our understanding, since it is often difficult to see a balanced perspective of the leaders from their writings. Many Epistles address certain arguments or problems in the fledgling congregations, without giving a sufficient background of the writer. This narrative gives a cross reference to a number of their struggles, and offers context to their other writings.

One of the most critical features of the letter is the explanation of the so-called “New Covenant” and its beginnings in the Gentile world. The Hebrew Scriptures promised that a “New Covenant” was coming to the Jewish people. A careful study of the Hebrew texts of this covenant offer no hint that Gentiles would in any way be a part of the plan. In fact, the covenant as it is described in the Hebrew Scriptures is primarily about the return of the people to the land and their hearts to the God of Abraham (Jer. 31:27-40; 32:37-40; Isa. 59:20-21; Ezek. 16:60-63, 37:21-28). One of the specific purposes of the letter to Theophilus appears to explain that while this is completely true, it was not complete. The New Covenant, according to Luke, BEGAN with a small number of Jews (cp. Acts 1 and 2), then entailed a dramatic conversion of many Gentiles (Acts 10:28-29) and would eventually END with the fulfillment of a Kingdom of Jews that knew their Messiah (Acts 2:17-21). The expansion of the New Covenant to include the Gentile was probably the dominant theme in the latter half of the letter.

Finally, there is ample evidence the letter intended to offer a new and expanded explanation of the nature of the God of Abraham. Since the world of the Jews was thoroughly monotheistic, the letter attempted to offer some small explanation to the Messianic view of God. This view was an expansion of the traditional Jewish approach, not an attempt to depart from it. The view of the Hebrew text was simply that God is One. The view of the Messianic believers was that the one and only true God revealed Himself in a variety of personality roles. Each personality role was complete: independent in intellect, emotion and will. In that way, the one God was multiple in personality, but, in contrast to paganism, God was not multiple in Essence – thus an extension of the essential Hebrew monotheism. The difference may appear slight, but to the Apostles it was the marking line between a pagan view, and the view consistent with the Hebrew Scriptures, which they viewed to be the exclusively true Word of God. Examples of this in the letter appear in the personification of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:2,5,8), the Heavenly Father (1:4) and the obedient Son (2:27). Special emphasis in the sermons of the Apostles show a distinction of personality between each of the three (Acts 2:32-33). In that way the Messianic movement believed that their approach offered an expanded view of the God of Abraham.

New e-Magazine for Pastors opening in 2009!

In just a few months we will be opening a new e-Magazine by Pastors for Pastors. The entire site will include resources to help Pastors work more effectively for the Kingdom. We are seeking contributing Pastors to aid us in the work. We need them to submit one or two pieces they already have on their hard drives. If you are a Pastor that can help, please take a look at the instructions on ShepherdTools.org. You will see the vision of what we are doing, and how it will help you in your ministry. If you aren’t a Pastor, but are willing to send the information to yours, I would really appreciate it. Questions? Click on the header (title of this post) and post a comment or question in the box that appears below this article.

Team Hack #10: Four Danger Zones of Team Leaders

Every team has struggles synchronizing to each other and learning to be consistently effective in producing predictable and desired outcomes. It isn’t always smooth sailing, but we need not be hung up on the rocks of the shallows either. The first step to avoiding the danger zones is recognizing them. You cannot fight what you cannot see. Here are a few practical “danger zone” issues you want to pay attention to!

1. Assumptions: Be careful about assuming you know all the facts based on any report. Everyone sees from their perspective, and it may not be the right one. I am reminded of General George S. Patton’s book War as I Knew It . I read the book years ago. What stuck out in my mind was the statement, “Never ask a wounded soldier how the battle is going!” That’s a great reminder, because it helps us identify that the reporter cannot be separated from the report.

2. Boredom: Periodically get a new look at your team. Go to a baseball game together. Force them to play a board game together. DO something that will shake them from their normal roles and allow them to show a different side of themselves. What? Play a game? How will that help us with productivity? It will! Your team is made of people, and your success is derived from their productivity. Understanding them is paramount to success. Shaking up the office and helping them to see each other in a different role can be very helpful. In addition to taking a new look at them, have some sessions with the whole team to take a new look at the task that everyone is working. Ask serious questions about whether the process is going as well as it could. Let them be a part of the shaping of the work.

3. Fear: Pick members that have great potential and remind them often that you see it in them. They need to believe they CAN do great work. Years ago I read of a teacher who got assigned a class list of students with numbers beside their names. After the first grading period, the Principal came to the teacher and remarked: “You have done great things with these students!” The teacher replied with surprise in his voice, “Well, thank you, but after all you gave me such bright students! Look at the I.Q. list!” The Principal smiled and said, “That isn’t their IQ, it is their locker number!” Because the teacher believed they were capable, he taught as though they were capable. He expected more and got more.

4. Blindness: In a seminar recently, the presenter said something that I believe should be attributed to John Maxwell, the leadership guru. The presenter said, “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people past where they want to go to where they ought to go!” To get people motivated, we must know where we are trying to lead them. Hellen Keller was quoted as saying: “What is worse than being blind, you ask? The answer is simple: having sight but having no vision!”

Bethpage (Bethphage) Essential Guide Notes

Bethpage (Bethphage)
Matthew 21:1;Mark 11:1;Luke 19:29

Bethpage (lit. “house of green figs” in Aramaic), is a village atop a spur on the southern section of the Mount of Olives chain. Due south east of the peak of the Ascension church memorials (there are three today), the village remains are near the road from Jericho to Jerusalem.  Because it is on the eastern edge of Jerusalem and is mentioned together with Bethany, the village memory was nearly overtaken by the other cities, were it no for a small Crusader shrine to mark Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday.

The Gospels seem to place it at the “gateway to Jerusalem and next to Bethany” (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29).  Each day of the Passion Week, the Gospel writer’s record that Jesus taught on road between Jerusalem and Bethany. The “Mounting Stone” or stele of Bethpage displays its original Twelfth Century frescos on the chalk. The artwork above shows the people of the Palm Sunday Procession. A more recent piece in the apse mimics the scene (below). The church compound is still the site of the assembly for the Procession of the Palms each year.

Clemens Kopp (The Holy Places of the Gospels, 1963) relates that Jerome accepted the meaning of the name of the place as “house of jawbones”, an identification accepted also by Origen. Kopp further asserts the place was the same as the “Ancona”, a memory location on top of the mount of Olives referred to by Theodosius (530).

There is no proper identification of the village of Bethpage (archaeologically speaking) though a small part of Kafr et Tur is thought to cover some ruins of the site.  This town is also mentioned in the Talmud sometimes as the official boundary of ancient Jerusalem. The discussion in the Jewish writings (Menachot 7B) reveals the “wall of Bethpage” was the most distant point to which the bread of thanksgiving could be carried on Sabbath. Properly understood, this reflected the idea that the “Sabbath day’s journey” was terminated at the wall of the village. The chapel to recall the mounting of the donkey by Jesus has some documented history. The structure marks a memory place that was referred to by a number of Christian travelers.

Some interpret the saying Egeria (384) “there is a place where Jesus met Lazarus’ sisters” as this place, but it is likely the reference is to Ein Shemesh east of Bethany. Epiphanius suggests (750-800) the site of the mounting was about 1000 paces from the place of the Lazarion. It is further attested by Bernard the Monk (870). Though the place was referred to, it does not appear that it was recalled by a chapel until the Crusader period. The Crusader fortress church was apparently destroyed, as the chapel of the present was erected atop its ruins in 1883 (and updated in 1923).

Within the chapel is the “mounting stone”, a senonian base frescoed with scenes of the Jesus’ work in the area. The north side of the stone shows the mounting of Jesus, the south shows the raising of Lazarus, the east shows people with palm branches, and the west shows the faces of saints. Though little of the village is extant, there are some tombs (and a wine press) behind the chapel at Bethpage. Two types have been surveyed: Kochim (2nd Temple Period) and Arcosolia (Byzantine Period). With the tombs and site survey material, it is possible to demonstrate the village as occupied between C2 BCE and C8 CE (according to O’Connor, p. 115).

Palm Sunday:

Because the history of the village is tied so strongly with the Palm tree, the imagery should be briefly explored. Many scholars note the palm appeared to be a symbol of Jewish nationalism and of the inevitable victory of “God’s people”. Evidence for this includes the historical notation that Bar Kochba coins of the revolt reportedly came with year of revolt and palm branch. This same image appears to be carried into the Christian view of Heavenly procession in Rev. 7:9-17 for the Lamb’s ultimate victory. Simon Maccabeus entered with a palm procession in 136 BCE according to 1 Mac.13:51; 2 Mac. 10:7;14:4. Later, the “Judea captive” coin minted under Emperor Vespasian showed a woman with her back against a palm tree (70 BCE). Because the area is more than eight hundred meters above Sea level, only two varieties of palms will readily grow there – fan and date palms. The palm is referred to in the local lore of the region. The Arabic saying recalls the palm has “its head in fire, its feet in water”. The Biblical references to the palm include the powerful words of the Sabbath Psalm (92): “The righteous is like the palm tree.” The rabbis taught the palm was a symbol because it was straight (Song of Songs 7:7-8). Others noted its simplicity, strength and exceptional root structure.

The Palm Sunday entry of Jesus to Jerusalem appeared to be an open identification by the Gospel writer to the promise of Zechariah 9:9 and the approach of Messiah. By sending two disciples into the village, this appears an overt symbolic gesture as Jesus rode from the village of Bethpage, the start of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1).

Fig Trees:

Though Scripture indicates that Jesus went to Bethany in the evenings when in Jerusalem, He likely passed through Bethpage on his way to and from Jerusalem making Bethpage (place of unripe figs) the vicinity of the cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-20; Mark 11:12-14, 20,21). Because of this, and the fact that the name of the village is “house of green figs”, it is worth also noting a few details about the fig while examining the memory of this village. Two distinct Hebrew words are used for the fig. One word refers to the unripened or “green” fig (pag-e). This early fig comes out simultaneous to the opening of the buds with leaves. The “pag” comes out as early as Pesach.  (If there is an early spring Pesach, there will be no or small pags. These green figs were collected in the ancient world and stored for the midwives. When a child was born that did not desire to nurse, the white milky fluid of the pag was used to create a thirst “draw” (glandular reaction) in the child, causing the child to nurse. As this was accomplished by squeezing the pag, it is likely this is what the Proverbs 22:6 “train up” was referring to. The second word for the fig is the common term “ta’anah” (ripe fresh fig). This is sold at full size in the market for eating with honey on the table, or is allowed to dry.

The dried variety has been allowed to remain on the tree, with a “pricking” that has opened the shell of the thick skin. An insect finds its way in the break in the skin, and lays eggs inside the fruit. The larva eat throughout fruit, but what they leave behind is what gives the aged T’anah a delicious sweet taste. The cursing of the fig tree in the passion walk of Jesus to Jerusalem was likely a preparation teaching for the disciples of all that they would experience in the Temple. Jesus curse a tree with leaves but no fruit. Later the same day, according to the Gospel account, he did the same to Temple leaders that had “leaves of religion” but few “fruits of faith”. (cp. Mt. 21:18-22 (1 day)//Mk. 11:13-14; 20-26 (2 days) Another important passage from the Gospels on the fig was the reference Jesus made that you cannot “gather a fig from thistles”. The point of the saying was simply that (Mt. 7:16) everyone is truly known by the type of fruit they produce. Often misread, Jesus is not referring to the amount of fruit, but rather the nature of the fruit.

Another reference to this plant was Jesus’ cryptic statement, “I saw you under the fig tree” in the initial adult encounter of (Jn. 1:47-50) Nathaniel and Jesus. Some scholars have rightly posed the idea this may be a reference to an early meeting in their lives. Since the rabbis taught the best place to study Torah was under the fig tree (probably because of the shade and nice smell), many synagogues had figs planted beside as late as the Talmudic period. The reference may be to the idea, “I saw you while we were children at school”. There are numerous other stories of the fig tree in the Bible, including the saying of the prophets Jeremiah (Jer. 24:7 good fig; bad fig). In addition, in the teachings of Jesus the fig tree destroyed is a symbol of God’s judgment in some stories. (cp. Lk. 13:6-9)

Bethany (El-Azariyeh) Guide Notes

Matthew 21:17; 26:6; Mark 11:1,11,12; 14:3; Luke 10:38-42; 19:29;24:50; John 11:1,18; 12:1

Bethany (probably from “house of the poor or afflicted”) was a village was on the Mount of Olives about two miles southeast of Jerusalem on the way to Jericho.  The village was re-settled by those of the tribe of Benjamin after the exile (Neh. 11:32). Bethany was located due east of Bethphage (also Bethpage) where church historians believe Jesus began His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Bethany also was noted as the hometown of the friends of Jesus – Mary, Martha and Lazarus (whom he had raised from the dead  – John 11:1).  Because Jesus stayed in Bethany when He was in Judea, the gospel writers sometimes refer to the village as His base when going in and out of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:17; Mark 11:11,12,19).

Four specific events are recalled in the Gospels, set in the village of Bethany.  First, It was the setting for the “priority teaching” of Jesus, as Mary chose to sit as His feet and listen to Jesus, rather than busy herself with the preparations for guests. Jesus used this as an opportunity to set priorities on the most important things in the life of Martha her sister (Lk. 10). Second, it was also the home of Simon the Leper where a dinner in honor of Jesus was hosted. At that dinner a woman anointed Jesus with expensive perfume (Mt. 26). Third, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and offered His saying: “I Am the Resurrection and the Life!” (Jn. 10) Fourth, Jesus spent time with his dear friends before the Passion Week (Jn. 12).

This town still exists today, settled by Arabs and called el-Azariyeh in honor of Lazarus (called “Lazarion” – the place of Lazarus – by Eusebius in 330 and again by the Nun Aetheria in 385 CE). The original area of the ancient village was on the hill above the site of “Lazarus’ tomb”. Site surveys reveal the area was likely occupied between the C7 BCE and the C14 CE, but has not been systematically excavated, and is partially covered with modern buildings. The now well-visited “Tomb of Lazarus” is located at the southeast edge of the ancient village ruins.

The text of John 11:38 recalls that the stone lay upon the grave. This term was uncommon, for many tombs of the period were closed with a rolling stone, not a flat stone placed on top. The tomb visited today was clearly designed to be sealed with a top stone. Ruins of a Byzantine church structure have been partially uncovered and some remains are exposed in the area of the Franciscan church east of the tomb. Eusebius’ Onomasticon appears to refer to a shrine in the place as early as 390 (Onom. 59). Jerome also validates the existence of the church. Numerous church citations are outlined in the Excavations at Bethany volume of S.J. Saller (director of the Franciscan excavations at the church property in 1957ff).

The fourth century church was eastern oriented and situated the tomb beneath the entry area of the structure, probably in the atrium vestibule. An earthquake apparently destroyed the structure in the fifth century, but it was swiftly re-erected. Due to some difficulty, the replacement church was moved to the east, and the overall site was enlarged. In the C12 CE, the site was again expanded, with a Benedictine convent (founded by Queen Melisande) erected to the south of the tomb and above the burial area. Some ancient references include the term “duplex ekklesia” (double church). Both churches were destroyed by the C14 CE, when the site was occupied by a mosque. Because the original entrance of the tomb was blocked by the mosque, the long staircase was cut (22 steps) by Franciscans in the mid C16 CE. At the bottom of the stairs, the original entrance was to the east and is walled shut today.

The inner chamber is seven by eight feet, and has some original features of the tomb, though it has been badly damaged over the centuries. The modern Franciscan church (1954) to the east of the site is a marvelous example of the late architect Barluzzi, an Italian that gave many years of his life to enhancing the pilgrimage sites. It is a unique structure, as the architect wanted to utilize the construction to aid in the understanding of the story of Jesus and Lazarus. The theme is carefully displayed, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life!” The inner church looks and feels like a crypt, virtually windowless and cold. The warmth of the colorful art contrasts with the sheer stone walls.

Asking Leaders About Leadership

If you want to know how to do something, ask the guy who does it everyday. I can try to learn how everything in my computer works, but it often pays to simply get the repair guy to look at it. He can do in minutes what I do in hours. As the commercial says, “Life comes at you fast!” It just isn’t worth the time and investment of the learning curve.

In leadership, I suspect the same rule applies. Leaders, like cream, rise to the top. Since we can identify some leaders who have come (and some have also gone), we might want to ask them about leadership. We may want to listen to a few of their words to refine our own views on leading.

First, we may want to remember that leadership is a privilege. I have the honor to lead a team of competent and imaginative men. It is one of the greatest privileges of my life. I love the reminder that Lewis Grizzard made when he said: “Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” Oh what a privilege is mine, to be able to envision, dream and build.

Next, it helps if we recall that leadership is motivation and inspiring influence. We lead because we cannot do all ourselves. The late President Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Ike knew a few things about motivating men to do hard things.

Third, it must become clear to any who would lead – real leadership requires courage to move in a different way than everyone else. James Crook said it better: “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” We cannot simply watch the crowd and see which way they are going. To lead implies being ahead of the crowd, and charting a course that others have passed by.

Fourth, there is a vast difference between leading and managing. The focus of the leader is not to simply solve today’s issues and problems, but to envision tomorrow’s possibilities. If we lead by influence, we must have a confident gaze forward. We cannot be involved in personally performing every aspect of operating the machinery, or we will fail to see the whole picture. President Theodore Roosevelt said in another way: “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”

Finally, leaders are cultivated, but the raw material was already there. It was simply nurture, it was in their nature. Henry Ford said: “You ask, ‘Who ought to be boss?’, That is like asking, ‘Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?’ Obviously, the man who can sing tenor!”

Jerusalem: Gates of the Old City

Here is another post of my “quick notes” on the site. As a guide, this is the essential information that I share…

Herod’s Gate:

Built in 1538-40 by Sulieman the Magnificent’s architects. Became a direct entry during the British Mandate, losing its “L” shape interior for traffic purposes. Called in Arabic “Bab ez-Zahra” or Flowers Gate, and is called Herod’s Gate because pilgrims of the C16 and C17 thought that a house built in the Mameluke Period (1250-1517 C.E.) was the former palace of Herod Antipas from the Passion story. They were wrong, but the name stuck. At noon on 15 July, 1099, the Crusaders breached the wall at this gate to take the city of Jerusalem and proclaim the Latin Kingdom.

The wall line between Herod’s and Damascus Gate has irregular channels that show parts of the walls are built upon the walls of Aelia Capitolina (135 C.E.).


Damascus Gate
:

Best example of Ottoman artwork in the city. The lower gate was built by Herod Agrippa I (41 C.E.), then rebuilt by Hadrian in his building of Aelia Capitolina. The Hadrianic gate, now uncovered below the present gate, had a large center gate with two pedestrian gates on either side. The gates Arabic name, “Bab el Amud” or gate of the column, reflects the column from the Byzantine Period that once stood near the gate as a landmark. You can see the column on the Medaba map mosaic (C6 CE). Outside the gate there were two roads, one leading to Damascus (north) and on veering west to the coast.

 

New Gate:

This gate was not from Sulieman’s work, and was opened later (1887) by Sultan Abdul Hamid to link the properties near the wall in the northwest of the city with the Old City. The tower nearby (around the corner in the park) is called Tancred’s Tower (after the Latin Kingdom ruler who may have commissioned it) and is built of stones originally cut for Herod’s palace inside the Jaffa Gate area. The stones were removed and built into this tower some distance away in the Crusader Period. The Arabs refer to the tower as “Qasr Jalud” or Goliath’s Castle, after a myth that David killed Goliath near there.

 

Jaffa Gate:

Called “Bab el Khalil” or Gate of the friend, a reference to the connecting road to Hebron (cp. Isa. 41:8). The wall next to the gate was torn down and a moat filled in 1898 by Sultan Abdul Hamid, so that Kaiser Wilhelm II could ride into the city. It retains the L shape interior, an ancient defensive method of slowing the advance of armies thru the gate and forcing a turn that exposes their unshielded side. A legend says that Sulieman was angry about the architects not including Mt. Zion in the walls of the city, so they are buried in the two graves inside the gate. The road that lead to Jaffa also originated here. Between Jaffa and Zion Gates are a number of walls from the time of Herod the Great and before exposed on the surface. A gate base of the first century is also exposed. The area of the southwest corner is where the Romans breached the wall in 70 C.E.

 

Zion Gate:

Called in Arabic “Bab en Nabi Daoud”, gate of the prophet David, because of the traditional tomb of David nearby. The bullet marks are largely from 1948, in the battle for the Jewish Quarter that was unsuccessful in holding the area under the Palmach forces. The entry retains the original L shape, and is now used as a car exit from the Armenian and Jewish Quarters.

 

Dung Gate:

Also called “Bab el Magharbeh” or Moors Gate was so anmed because of the North African immigrant quarter inside the area that was located here in the C16 C.E. The Jordanians widened it when Jaffa Gate was sealed because of the 1949-67 frontier. Leads now to the western wall plaza and the southwest excavations near the ancient Temple mount.

 

St. Stephen’s Gate:

“Bab el Ghor” or Jordan Gate, was so named by the Turks because it lead to Jordan. In the C6 CE, “St. Stephen’s Gate” was on the north wall, now the Damascus Gate. The name moved with a change in Pilgrim traditions to the eastern Gate. The Lion’s Gate gets its name from the decorative lions which were the emblems of the  Mameluke Sultan Baybars (Egyptian rulers that toppled the dynasty of Salahadin and took over his “empire”). The L shape inside the gate was removed by the British to make it possible to reach the Austrian Hospital in the Mandate Period.

Jerusalem: The Via Dolorosa

This post includes the opportunity to view a booklet I wrote a few years ago that is still for sale in the Old City of Jerusalem. I post it here for all who may want to visit the Old City of Jerusalem. It will act as  guide for the historic path.

 

The route of the Via Dolorosa, marked by fourteen stations, was created to be a “journey of reflection” that recalls the suffering of Jesus. The end of the journey is within the Holy Sepulchre, the central place of pilgrimage to believers of the resurrection of Jesus since at least the fourth century. The sites along the route are significant for those reasons alone, but both also add unique historical treasures to the dynamic of the city of Jerusalem. They were chosen sites, based on the desire of Christians to follow some points of reflection along the trail of sufferings of Jesus and were not intended (in some cases) to mark “the actual spot” where events occurred.

UNDERSTANDING THE VIA DOLOROSA

Introduction

For several years our students have asked us to make the note of various lectures available in written form. This booklet is a part of a series created to respond to that request. The notes are from the teaching materials used in conjunction with the courses of study at The Institute for Biblical Studies in Jerusalem, a teaching program sponsored by Christian Travel Study Programs, Ltd. This particular study is intended to give the reader a close-up view of the Via Dolorosa, also known to many as “The Way of Sorrows,” and the journey to the Holy Sepulchre.  For believers of every background, we have found that carefully recalling the suffering of Jesus in the Passion has been a moving experience that has helped the student of the New Testament to grow in their faith, and their love for their Savior.

The Via Dolorosa History

The route of the Via Dolorosa, marked by fourteen stations, was created to be a “journey of reflection” that recalls the suffering of Jesus. The end of the journey is within the Holy Sepulchre, the central place of pilgrimage to believers of the resurrection of Jesus since at least the fourth century. The sites along the route are significant for those reasons alone, but both also add unique historical treasures to the dynamic of the city of Jerusalem. They were chosen sites, based on the desire of Christians to follow some points of reflection along the trail of sufferings of Jesus and were not intended (in some cases) to mark “the actual spot” where events occurred. One Catholic scholar has said “the Via Dolorosa is defined by faith, not by history”.  The general route marks out events from the condemnation of Jesus by Pontius Pilate to the place of Jesus’ execution, and body being placed in the tomb. The Latin terms “Via Dolorosa” refer to the route between the ancient location of the Antonia Fortress of the Herodian period (a possible place of residence of the Roman governor) to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (a probable site for the hill of Golgotha). The actual place where Pontius Pilate stayed during the events detailed in the Gospel of John 19 is not known. Significant scholarly debate has left the identification of the Praetorium, or “place of judgment,” a mystery. The New Testament reflects that Pilate was visiting the city during the last week of Jesus’ ministry, but only offers hints as to His exact location. Pontius Pilate resided mainly in Caesarea but came up to Jerusalem during the Passover feast. Because the time of Passover was a time when Messianic expectations were characteristically at their highest, this was the time when Pontius Pilate would need to be in Jerusalem watching over the city. O’Connor, Fr. Jerome, The Holy Land (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986), p. 33. Philo’s writings, specifically the “Delegation to Gaias” (no. 38), suggests that Pilate normally went to the palace of Herod, which is now located inside the Jaffa Gate at the Citadel, to adjudicate or to watch over the city. Josephus mentions that one of Pilate’s successors, the Governor Florus, stayed at that same palace and that he had a platformed place in front of the building where he would sit as people presented themselves before the tribunal. This sounds suspiciously like Gabatha, the raised platform mentioned in the trial of Jesus (John 19:13). Despite these evidences, the current route was chosen. This choice began with the presupposition that Pontius Pilate was likely at the Antonia, a Roman fortress located north of the ancient Temple Mount. The choice of the Antonia Fortress site as the location of Pilate’s ad-hoc court was made for several reasons. This fortress also appears to have been built on a large platform pavement (like the other western hill palace complex). Recent excavations have demonstrated the pavement under the “Chapel of the Condemnation” and the “Ecce Homo Convent” to be from the Roman period. It seems clear the pavement was placed in its current position after the time of Jesus by the reconstruction of Emperor Hadrian, but there are indications that it was cut originally for use earlier. Hence, the Antonia appears to have had a large paved courtyard that was a somewhat larger area than the other palace (inside Jaffa Gate). In addition to its size, the proximity to the ancient Temple area made it a particularly helpful vantage-point for the Roman governor concerned about insurrection during this festival. The palace at Jaffa gate was well fortified, but offered little view of the happenings at the time of the Passover. The Antonia is clearly the fortress referred to in the Book of Acts in the scene of the arrest of the Apostle Paul. The tradition of observing reflection along a path in “stations” of suffering (now referred to as the “Stations of the Cross”) began in the Byzantine period. Sometime in the 6th century, on Holy Thursday (the Thursday of the week that annually recalls the Passion of Jesus), Byzantine pilgrims went from Gethsemane to Calvary in a reflective journey. In the 7th and 8th centuries, a number of stops along the way began to be observed with various reflective readings from the Gospels. The route for those pilgrims who came in the 8th century probably started from Gethsemane, went around the city south to Mount Zion to remember events from the house of Caiphas, and eventually to the Holy Sepulchre via a route from the south of the city. Under Islam, the Christian pilgrim experience was halted for a time, and not well documented when it did occur. During the Crusader period (1099-1187 CE) essentially two different walks were observed. Western and Eastern Christians observed two different routes based on which hill they had holy shrines, the western hill or the eastern. Those (primarily Western Christians) who possessed holy places on the eastern hill believed that the Praetorium was north of the Temple Mount. That route ran somewhere relative to what the Via Dolorosa is today. Other Eastern or Orthodox Christians had possession of shrines on the western hill called by that time “Mount Zion” along with shrines on the upper ridge inside the Armenian and Christian quarters. They felt the route was from the house of Caiphas (on Mt. Zion) north through the Armenian and Christian quarters to the Holy Sepulchre.

In the 14th century, the Franciscans began to organize a procession in the steps of Jesus through the Passion Week for Christian pilgrims. Pilgrim records seem to indicate the starting point, however, was the Holy Sepulchre – a route that remained throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.  Acts 21:37, where the Greek word “parembolaen” was used as barracks, fortress or military encampment. The location clearly denotes the Antonia as Paul was being taken up a stairway adjacent to the Temple compound. Within the next one hundred years, some European pilgrims began to make pictured representations of various stations or reflective places in their home churches in Europe. The “Stations of the Cross” make appearances in the art of the pre-Renaissance period, and the motifs are well established by the period of the Italian renaissance artists. At the same time, Eastern Christians in Jerusalem tended to recall eight (or so) stations. The European Christians added several traditions to make up the 14 stations and eventually the Western European tradition prevailed. The actual route of the Stations of the Cross was fixed by the 18th century, but the number of stations only became “fixed” in the 19th century. The current route of the Via Dolorosa, beginning at the Chapel of the Flagellation and the El Omariyeh School and ending at Golgotha, is about a 1,700-meter long walk. The first nine Stations of the Cross are located along the route itself and the last five are located within the Holy Sepulchre and follow the Western European traditions and route. Because of this, many of the sites along the Via Dolorosa belong to, or are overseen by the Latin Catholic Order of St. Francis (Franciscans). Franciscan monks have been in Jerusalem since the 13th century. Their  Order was founded in 1212 and primarily focused on the poor, the sick and needy. It is the largest of the Catholic Orders and became the custodian of most of the holy sites in the land. Each Friday at 3pm the Franciscans retrace the Via Dolorosa and lead prayers in each of the 14 stations.

The Stations

Station I: Jesus was condemned to death (Mk. 15:16; Jn. 19:13)

The first station is located inside the El Omariyeh Boys School on the north side of the compound of the “Haram esh-Sharif” at the site of the meeting between the ancient Temple courtyard and the approximate location of the Antonia Fortress. Excavations of the fortress area
have yielded only slight remains, and the exact size and shape of the fortress is not certain, but part of the escarpment is exposed on the south (facing the Dome of the Rock). Josephus speaks of an incredible fortification built by Herod the Great in about 35 BCE, on the site of a previous smaller Hasmonean barracks.  A rock cut pool called the “Struthion Pool” was apparently adjacent to the fort and can be viewed below the Convent of the Sisters of Zion at Ecce Homo, between Station II and III. Some understand the comments of Josephus to infer that a Roman assault ramp was built above the pool to enter and sack the fortress after Zealots had taken control of it in the First Revolt. It may be from this location the Romans entered onto the Temple complex, destroying brigades of Jewish defenders. The pool was eventually covered by Hadrian in the establishment of “Aelia Capitolina”. As mentioned in the introduction above, some scholars believe that the Praetorium, mentioned in John’s Gospel may have been the Antonia Fortress. The text describes “a place that is called the pavement” (John 19:13). Various excavations have revealed parts of the Roman structures of the area and a large pavement was partially uncovered in the vicinity. Recent excavations indicate its position (above the Struthion pool) indicates a proper date as the second century CE, but others insist it was in secondary use from an earlier pavement of the Antonia Fortress. Secondary use of such large fitted paving stones by the Romans was not rare.  See War 5:238-47. The previous “Baris” fortress was apparently entirely redesigned and expanded, but scholars suspect Josephus of exaggeration in the description of the Herodian fort.

The first station at the school is located in a structure that was originally built by King Issa Hanafia in the year 1217, on the north edge of the ancient Temple Mount. An earlier Crusader period “Chapel of Repose” was apparently dismantled on the site, and the “madrasa” (Islamic school) was built. Expanded in the fourteenth century, the aged building was completely redesigned by the Turks in 1838. Stone from a monastery that was once attached to St. Anne’s was used to build a barracks for the Turkish army. The school was supplanted by the Turkish army for part of the ninteenth century, but was eventually restored to its educational function in 1923, and is now a boy’s school with a lovely open courtyard. In the excavation of the El Omariyeh school area an inscribed stone plaque from the period of the Second Temple was uncovered. This was a stone marker that prohibited strangers and non-Jews from entering the inner court of the Temple. It is one of two such inscriptions found showing that the “wall of partition” was a physical wall in the Temple area. 4 The inscription was transported to the Istanbul Museum for display.

Station II: Jesus received the cross (John 19:1-3)

The second station is also located within the confines of the former Antonia Fortress. Directly across from the El Omariyeh school is the Franciscan Monastery of the Flagellation. Within the compound are two important shrines: The Chapel of the Flagellation and The Chapel of the Condemnation. Between the two chapels a sunlit courtyard offers a place for pilgrims to rest on a bench away from the busy street. The domed eastern chapel recalls the “crown of thorns” that Jesus received at the Praetorium (Mark 15:17, John 18:28). Pilate had Jesus scourged and handed Him over to be crucified from the site of the Praetorium (John 19:1 and 19:16). Today the chapel is called the Chapel of the Condemnation. It was erected shortly after the Franciscans purchased the property in 1903. During the construction the remains of a mosque were discovered. Below the mosque had been built over two earlier structures – a Byzantine church, and part of the large second century Hadrianic pavement. The large pavement stones, some of which show groves and games cut into them just as on many Roman pavements, make up the floor of the Chapel. The modern buildings, which are part of the compound, contain a library and a large archeology museum. Directly across from the Chapel of the Condemnation, within the same compound, is the Chapel of the Flagellation. The original structure was a medieval church that was later destroyed. Rebuilt in 1839, the site recalls the flogging of Jesus on a pavement (lithostrotos) thought to be near there (Mark 15:15 and John 19:1). The 1839 chapel was later torn down and was rebuilt in 1927-9 by Antonio Barlutzi who was inspired by 12th century architecture. Beautiful stained glass windows, which are the work of L. Picchiarini and D. Cambelotti depict the flogging of Jesus, the washing of the hands, and the triumph of Barabbas. Pilgrim stories from the Crusader period
mention the area was a collapsed stable and tell of a Moslem woman that brought Christian pilgrims in to “hear the cries of those who persecuted Jesus” for a small sum. No remains of these buildings have survived except what Barluzzi reused in the current chapel.  The Apostle Paul was accused of taking a non-Jew into the inner court of the Temple, and was arrested for this infraction (though not guilty). Acts 21 records that Paul had been seen in town with non-Jews, and when he showed up at the Temple, there was an inference that he brought his companions along. Paul also referred to the “wall of partition” as symbolically destroyed in the death of Jesus, cp. Eph. 2:14.
Above the street and further along in the walk, between stations II and III, you will pass underneath the ancient arch of the Sisters of Zion Convent, the “Ecce Homo Arch.” This was once thought to be the place where Pontius Pilate presented Jesus to the crowds: “Ecce Homo,” or “Behold the Man” (John 19:5). The arch has been more recently dated, however. Some scholars argue for a date close to the time of Jesus 5 but most accept a second century (Hadrianic period) date.

Station III: Jesus falls the first time

At the end of the street, the Via Dolorosa curves south joining Tariq El-Wad Street (also called HaGai Street) for a short time. This main thoroughfare follows the bottom of the Tyropoean Valley that cuts through the middle of the Old City from the Damascus Gate in the north, to the Dung Gate in the south. Across from the Austrian Hospice, along this short piece of the Via Dolorosa that is shared in common with el-Wad, a small chapel the marks the third station. The Gospels do not make mention of Jesus falling under the weight of the cross. However, the station was added to emphasize the humanity of Christ – suffering and exhausted. The front of the chapel was built into a structure that was originally a 15th century entrance to the Hamam Es Sultan Turkish baths. The three fanciful pointed arches are blocked now, but were a porch or vestibule to the original bathhouse. In 1856 the Armenian Catholics purchased the property that led to the baths, which by this time were no longer in use, and built a chapel. A 1947-8 renovation of the chapel was financed by a collection taken up by the Polish army during and after the Second World War. Their gift was the adorning of the chapel doorway with a sculptured pediment by A. Minghetti. The entry area, now closed off with an iron railing contains a simple column marker, a part of the column that tradition holds was next to the place Jesus fell. The pediment relief above the entrance, “Jesus Falls Under the Cross”, is based on another work of art by Thaddeus Zielinsky.

Station IV: Jesus is met by His afflicted mother

Past the blocked doorway and column marker is an opening to a courtyard of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate. The adjacent chapel, accessed also from this doorway, leads to the “Church of Our Lady of the Spasm”. The chapel borders the fourth station, located just about 10 meters further south on el-Wad Street. The Chapel of Our Lady of the Spasm, which recalls the sorrow of the Virgin Mary, is still a place of pilgrimage to women who have lost a child. When the construction on the chapel began in 1881, foundation holes yielded a number of evidences that an earlier Byzantine chapel was beneath. Mosaic tiles were discovered, and eventually a floor was exposed. The mosaic depicts a set of footprints, which were interpreted by some to represent the sandals of Mary. Felix Fabri, a Dominican priest and pilgrim of the fifteenth century saw a ruin there that he termed “The Church of St. Mary of the Swoon”. The adorned entry at Station IV is also a sculpted pediment. The door below actually accesses the side of the chapel, the front is open to the courtyard inside. Though a small part of the chapel was also built over the southern portion of the Hamam Es Sultan Turkish baths, a story was related as early as Crusader times that the area was holy and  could not be built upon. The tradition passed to Fr. Fabri was that anyone attempting to build on the site saw their project destroyed before they could complete it. He also reported that no one was permitted to remove stones from the rubble of the former chapel. Though not mentioned in the Gospels as present at the questionings of Jesus, the Virgin Mary was present at the Crucifixion according to the account in the Gospel of John (see Jn. 19:26-27). There is little doubt that the appearance of Jesus on the way to the cross was shocking and gruesome to behold. The tradition developed that Mary followed Jesus through the alleys on the way to the cross agonizing and crying aloud, a state of loud mourning not uncommon in burials of the Near East even today. At the first site of her afflicted and beaten Son, one tradition states that she was overcome with grief and fainted. The value of including such a tradition is that even the modern pilgrim can understand the human setting of the redemption of man. The blood of Jesus was shed for sin, but this is theoretical and theological. On this street in Jerusalem, a mother’s heart was broken. This simple human story tugs the heart of any mother who has watched their child suffer, an unspeakable anguish of the soul is remembered here.

Station V: Simon takes up the Cross

The fifth station is located about twenty meters further south on Tariq el-Wad Street, at the southwest corner of the intersection. The Franciscans purchased the site in about 1850, and later built a small oratory in 1895. The exterior door is prominently marked with a Roman numeral “V”. The oratory was created for a reflection place to recall the day when Simon the Cyrene was compelled to carry the cross (Mark 15:21 and Luke 23:26). A bystander to the events of Jesus’ punishing walk to the city gate, Simon was thrust into the street and given the cross beam of the cross to carry for Jesus. He may have been visiting the city for the Passover from his home country (probably modern Libya). We have little information about Simon today, probably because his family was known to the first century Christians, and
the writers felt no need to elaborate. The writer of the Gospel if Mark did tell us of his sons, Rufus and Alexander (Mk. 15:21), probably leaders or prominent followers in the early church. The story was specifically cited in this memorial walk to help pilgrims reflect on the terrible injustice in the whole scene. Jesus was summarily condemned, and that without just cause. In addition, an unrelated and uncharged man is thrust into the unjust punishment to participate against his will. The inhumanity of man and his hard-hearted injustice are no more clearly seen than in this description. It is a worthy remembrance on the way to Calvary’s redemption scene.

Station VI: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

The sixth station is located halfway up the hill between the fifth and seventh stations. The Greek Catholic (Melkite) “Chapel of the Holy Face” recalls the tradition of the compassionate act of a woman wiping the face of Jesus. The door is marked with the station number at the traditional house of Veronica. The tradition of Veronica is that of a woman wiping the face of Jesus with her veil so that the veil took on itself the image of the face of Jesus. The image on the veil was reportedly responsible for a number of miracles and has been kept at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome since the year 707* (This date is uncertain, but is widely accepted). The chapel was built in 1882 and belongs to the Order of Little Sisters of Jesus. During construction of the chapel, remains of what were apparently the edges of two monasteries were discovered. The larger section was the Monastery of St. Cosmas, which is known to have existed in Jerusalem between the years 546 and 563. Part of the chapel also falls over the edge of what appears to be remains from the Monastery of St. Damian. The original 1882 chapel was completely restored in 1953 by Antonio Barlutzi. He completely refashioned the altar in the renovation. It is worth noting that “vera” is the Latin term for “face,” and “icona” the term for “image.” Vera-icona likely evolved in the tradition to Veronica – the name of the woman. It originates from “the face image,” referring to the image on the veil.

Station VII: Jesus falls the second time

Rising to a high point on the street at the intersection with Khan ez-Zeit Street (Olive Oil Market Street), pilgrims see a small marker outside of a Franciscan chapel which recalls Jesus falling a second time. This bustling center is built along the axis of the main street of Byzantine Jerusalem (“cardo”). Originally there were two chapels built in 1875 behind the door that marks the seventh station. One chapel was built above the other and connected by stairs. The lower chapel contained a capital of the Cardo of Byzantine Jerusalem. The area became known as the Gate of Judgment, because of the tradition of death notices being hung on the edge of a city wall as prisoners were marched out to the area of crucifixion outside of the city. This was a common practice during the middle ages in a number of European cities and some felt that perhaps it had happened in the case of Jesus as well. Though the column is of a later street, the seventh station may well roughly mark the edge of the wall and the area of the so-called “Gate of Judgment”. The second fall, also not a part of the New Testament record, reminds the pilgrim of the frail body of the tortured Jesus. The physical reality of His suffering is illustrated in the weakness of his body.

Station VIII: Jesus speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem

Standing in front of the Seventh Station, pilgrims observe an alley like street left of the door to the chapel, heading south from Khan ez-Zeit Street. Just sixteen steps up the alley the street leads to a round marker embedded on the left wall at the eighth station: “Jesus speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem”. The small Latin cross on the marker is etched into the bottom of a column inserted in the wall of the Greek Orthodox Convent of St. Caralambos. Along the top of the cross are the letters representing the name of Jesus Christ (ICXC), and the letters NIKA appear beside the cross. These letters (NIKA) form the word for “victory”, and should be coupled to read “Jesus Christ is victorious!” The speaking to the daughters is recorded in Luke 23:27-28.

Station IX: Jesus falls the third time

The ninth station is the last station outside of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The column marker is up 28 steps at the Coptic Church on the corner before you turn into the Holy Sepulchre itself. A door leads into the crypt of the Holy Sepulchre and the backside of the church of St. Helena, the Chapel of the True Cross. The cannons of the Holy Sepulchre used to have their living quarters in that area during the Crusader period and in the courtyard that is inhabited by the Abyssinian monks today.

Station X: Jesus is stripped of his garments

Near to the stairway at the main entrance of the Holy Sepulchre is place where the stripping of Jesus’ garments is remembered. There is a small entry to a chapel at the top of the stairs located outside the main door, although it is now closed to the general public. The event of the stripping of Jesus is part of the New Testament record as the casting of lots for the vesture of Jesus is mentioned (John 19:23-4). The typical garments worn in this period would have certainly included: a headdress, thought by most scholars to resemble the turban wrapping associated with India and Pakistan today; sandals for the feet; a tunic that covered the body to the feet; and an overcoat with a belt. Some ancient sources disclose that a wrap undergarment was also worn, but this would have been discarded by the executioners. The Gospel writer gives the detail that that there were four parts distributed to four soldiers, but the top coat, made without seam in the case of Jesus, was given to the soldier upon whom the fortunes of the lots fell (John 19:23-4).

Station XI: Jesus is nailed to the cross

Inside the front door of the church, which now faces to the south (the original church entry was to the east), there is a set of steep stone stairs that must be ascended to arrive at the eleventh station. The chapel is Roman Catholic and has a detailed mosaic affixed to the eastern wall which reminds pilgrims of the nailing of Jesus onto the cross. The style of the cross depicted in the mosaic was determined by a European artist and probably has little, if any, resemblance to the actual event. Nevertheless, the purpose of such artwork, like church icons, is to help set an atmosphere for prayer and remembrance. The only clear archeological evidence of crucifixion of the Roman period in ancient Judea is that of “the case of the crucified man” at Giv’at HaMivtar. The discovery was in a tomb, unexpectedly uncovered by road and construction work in the 1960s. The tomb yielded a number of ossuaries, boxes containing the bones of the dead, which were examined by archeologists. One of the ossuaries contained a curiosity that is still the subject of much discussion (See Israel Exploration Journal, vol.35, no.1, 1985, pp. 22-7). The excavator, Vasilios Tzaferis, took the skeletal remains of a male who appeared to have been crucified at about the age of 28. Evidence for the man’s death as a crucifixion included a bent nail, still positioned in the foot bones. The nail was 11.5 cm (4.5 inches) in length. Tests were run on the remains and the nail by Nico Haas of Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School and subsequently corrected by Joseph Zias, an anthropologist with the Israel Exploration Society and Eliezer Sekeles, a colleague of Haas at the University Medical School. It was determined that the crucifixion in this particular case did not include the use of the crucibellum (a sledgehammer) that was sometimes used to break the legs of the crucified victim. Further, the victim did not appear to have evidence of hand injury, implying that his arms were roped and not nailed, and may have been nailed to an olive tree. The evidence of olive wood’s use below the nail head, as a plaque to stop the nail from pulling through the foot, and the suggestion by Tzaferis that the crucifixion was on an olive tree would indicate that the man was positioned on a low cross. If the same type of crucifixion were applied to the Gospel narrative, Jesus may well have been nailed to a crossbeam (patibulum) and then boosted onto a small olive tree.

Station XII: Jesus dies on the cross

Before reaching the twelfth station, notice on the eastern wall, to the left of the mosaic of the eleventh station, the statue of the Virgin Mary with a dagger placed to wound her heart. * The painful expression of her face was first sculpted in wood in the 16th century and then coated to give the smooth look to her facial skin and hands. The icon was brought as a gift from Lisbon in 1778, and is part of a small altar of reflection for the pilgrim to recall the painful journey from the perspective of Mary – a theme begun in station IV. * (Refer to Luke 2:34-5 “A sword will pierce your heart.”) The death of Jesus on the cross is graphically depicted behind the Greek altar which was placed above a piece of the bedrock of Calvary (also Golgotha, John 19:17). Below the altar, pilgrims frequently bow down and reach into a small dark hole to touch the surface of the now well-worn bedrock of Calvary. The significance of the touch for many is that the place marks in Christian memory, if not in fact, the place where the blood of Jesus spilled onto the earth.

Station XIII: Jesus is taken down from the cross

Below the terrace of stations XI and XII, in the open area near the entrance is station to recall the body of Jesus being taken down from the cross (Luke 23:53). A large and colorful mosaic has recently been added to the wall of the area to depict the scene of the removal from the cross and the preparation of the body on a slab of stone. Beneath the mosaic is a slab of stone that recalls the placement of the body as shown on the mosaic. Pilgrims from all parts of the world can be seen daily, washing the stone and then gently kissing it, reflecting on the body of Jesus that was broken for them.

Station XIV: Jesus is placed in the tomb

Inside the Chapel of the Angel, a small door leads into the place marking the original tomb. Though the stone of the original cliff has long since been quarried away, the room recalls the geographical location, and has been the central site of the Christian pilgrimage experience for generations. The Gospel writer tells us that the tomb was that of Joseph of Arimithea, and that it was a new tomb in that it had not been used before (Matthew 27:59). We also read that the tomb was in a garden setting and had a rolling stone as its seal (Mark 15:43-6, Luke 23:50, John 19:41). The station at the tomb is recalled at the entrance to the first of two antechambers, at the door of the Chapel of the Angel, reminding the pilgrim of the great words of hope from the angel, “He is not here, He is risen as He said!” (Mark 16:6).

History of the Holy Sepulchre

This central shrine of Christianity through the ages has been described as dark, cramped and cold by many; and yet it offers a view of what most archeological scholars would say is an authentic site for the crucifixion and resurrection. Fr. O’Conner describes it best when he writes, “The frailty of man is nowhere more apparent than here, it epitomizes the human condition. The empty who come to be filled will leave desolate” (The Holy Land: An Archeological guide from 1700 to Present, pp. 43). The words sting, but thankfully were written more than ten years ago, before the new renovations to the church which are lightening the color and adding new life to the formerly dreary look. The names of the structures that form the church compound have evolved over the centuries, with various sources using any or all of the following terms: the Martyrion, the Holy Sepulchre, the Anastasis, and the edicule. The Martyrion refers to the first church (4th century) which was built on the site, and means “the place of witness.” The more commonly used term, the Holy Sepulchre, refers to the medieval church now at the site of the Martyrion, and incorporates many earlier elements of the site. The sepulchre, or tomb, is that of the Resurrection and is commonly referred to as the Anastasis. The building over the place of the former tomb is also referred to as the edicule.

The Biblical terminology for the site includes the terms Golgotha, the Aramaic word for “skull,” and Calvary, from the Latin term calvaria also meaning “skull” (Matthew 27:33, Luke 23:33, John 19:17). The actual history of the site began in about the 9th or 8th century BCE, when the area was used as a quarry because of its high quality meleke cenomanian limestone. Some scholars have speculated that the origins of the quarry may be later, at the time of the building of the new defenses for the city of Jerusalem under King Hezekiah in preparation for the coming Assyrian invasion. The quarry was cut in the east to a deeper level and stretched north and east, but left an outcrop of rock in the southwest side, possibly because of the lateral cracks in the stone. The rock outcropping was left standing in the quarry and is now the platform that recalls the place of the crucifixion. By the end the 1st century BCE, tombs were cut into the cliff sides of the former quarry. One small tomb exists today and is clearly a kokhim style tomb (niches) which was characteristic of tombs in Jerusalem between 50 BCE and 70CE. The tombs and alleged execution site become important by about 30CE, when Jesus was crucified and buried nearby. The New Testament places the Resurrection in a garden setting, at a tomb near to the place of the cross (John 19). Between 41 and 44CE, Herod Agrippa I laid the foundation of a wall commonly referred to as the Third Wall. The new wall, which was not completed until 66CE, expanded the city on the north side and thereby included the site of the quarry and old tombs within the city limits. By 135 CE, after the second Jewish revolt had ended, Hadrian replaced the remains of the fallen city of Jerusalem with a Roman colony and renamed it Aelia Capitolina. A temple to Jupiter (Zeus) was placed at the site of the former Jewish temple and another temple platform was erected over the site of the rock quarry. Its temple was dedicated to Venus (Aphrodite), the goddess of love. The site of the tomb and crucifixion was built over and covered only about 100 years after the Resurrection.

With the rise in status of the Christian faith came an official recognition of religio licita, making it a legitimate legal religion in the Empire. By 326CE, Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine, journeyed to Jerusalem and sought out the place of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Local memory was strong enough to convince Helena that the original site was under the temple platform to the goddess Venus, despite the fact that the site was now located within the city walls (and had been for nearly 300 years) and had been covered by the Venus shrine for nearly 200 years. A far less expensive site to build the church would have been slightly north, nearer to a suspected Forum site, where the construction could have been erected unhindered. Instead, a massive excavation was undertaken by Emperor Constantine, exposing the cemetery and hill of Golgotha. The latter was left open to the air in an area consequently named “the Holy Garden,” while the former was isolated as a free-standing edicule by cutting around it into the cliff side. In 335 CE, a dedication of the first pilgrim church in the Holy Land, the Martyrion, was conducted at the building over the ancient quarry. The Martyrion stood on the site until 614 CE, when the Persians burned many churches and shrines in the land. They partially destroyed the edifice, which was later rebuilt, but not to its original size or beauty. Though less in splendor, the function of the site as a place of Christian celebration and worship continued until 1009 CE, when Hakim (often referred to as “mad”) the caliph of Cairo, waged a campaign to destroy Christian and Jewish holy sites. The Martyrion was  left in ruins and the bedrock tomb remembering Jesus’ conquering of death was chipped down to its foundations. Constantine IX Monomachus, between 1042 and 1048 CE, after becoming the Byzantine emperor, supported a program to rebuild and renovate the church. This fresh work on the edifice increased its size to roughly that of the church today. Nevertheless it was only about half of the splendor of its predecessor.With the arrival of the Crusaders in 1099 CE and their efforts to “reclaim” the church, the structure was given its current arrangement of chapels, changing the formerly eastern main entrance to a southern main entrance and covering the rock of Golgotha with a building.

Evidences indicating the legitimacy of the site- location: Topographical considerations, those being the line of the Transversal Valley running east from Jaffa Gate to the Temple Mount, and the eastern side of the quarry, as well as archeological considerations, the major one being the remains of a wall under the neighboring Redeemer Church, indicate that the site was outside of the Second Wall, which would have been the northern city limit in Jesus’ day (the execution takes place outside the city, Matthew 27:32 and John 19:17). Golgotha would then be in full view of the city ramparts, highlighting the primary reason for Roman use of crucifixion as a punishment – deterrence. Pilgrim Memory: Found in the present lower Armenian Chapel of St. Krikor, there is a charcoal drawing of a boat with an inscription underneath it: “DOMINE IVIMUS” (“Lord, we shall go,” reference to Ps. 122:1). It is the earliest known Christian pilgrim graffiti in the Holy Land. The use of Latin indicates that the artist probably came from North Africa or Europe. Its value is in its pre-Constantine date, which points to a longer, and therefore more reliable, tradition on which to base authenticity. Further, no other site was considered as the possible location until 1883. Existing Kokhim tomb remains: Though little other than some bedrock remains on the revered tomb site, there are other Herodian period tombs still existing within the church. This is a likely indication of burial at this site in the age of Jesus (Matthew 27:60, Luke 23:53, and John 19:41).

The Value of the Remembrance

For Christian pilgrims and travelers who visit the Holy Land, but are not from a liturgical background, it is often difficult to understand the motivation behind and the benefit of remembrances like the stations of the Via Dolorosa and the chapels of the Holy Sepulchre. Some Protestant groups who come to the land express that have little or no desire to recall “tradition” such as the one that the Via Dolorosa embraces. There is a definite value, however, to be found in the gift given to the Christian pilgrim by the Franciscans in the establishment and maintenance of the reflective walk that takes place each Friday. Even stations that were not a part of the Biblical account have carefully considered reasons as to why they are now included in the walk. The first two stations come directly from the pages of the New Testament. Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate and given a cross (probably only the crossbeam, called the patibulum) to carry as a condemned prisoner (John 19:16). Recalling the sufferings of Jesus as the Bible offers them is always of value. The third station, “Jesus falls,” like that of the seventh and ninth, helps us to focus on the humanity of Jesus and His frailty as an exhausted man. In a climate that has so theologized the Savior, it is certainly valuable to remind ourselves that God “became flesh, and dwelt among us,” and the Gospel writer encourages. By the fourth station, we find ourselves remembering the terror of viewing the beaten and tortured Christ as Mary would have seen Him. Today we can find women standing nearby the memory place, some with tear filled eyes, that have come to seek a compassionate warmth from God because they too have suffered the loss of a loved one. The station reminds us that the Savior endured pain for us, but those closest to him suffered as well. The presence of Mary and John at the cross are New Testament memories of this as well.

The inclusion of Simon of Cyrene at the fifth station, in addition to the fact the Biblical writer includes the story in the detail of the journey, is helpful because it pulls into the story a marginal person, a bystander (Luke 23:26). Even those not trying to be a part of the story are drawn into the sufferings of Jesus. One man, far from his home and people, would forever be changed by this encounter. The sixth station draws into the story a woman who steps out into the path to wipe the face of Jesus. Why include this in the journey? It is helpful to remember that not everyone in the story is callused and uncaring. In the Veronica tradition, we see the gentleness and care that otherwise
seems lacking in the memory of the account. Some people cared. They may not have been the powerful, but they cared, and risked to show it. In the eighth station, Jesus speaks about the coming terrible days of the city of Jerusalem and presents another aspect of His own character (Luke 23:28). In the midst of His own pain, His concern was for the coming suffering of others. The servant’s heart described in the second and third chapters of Phillipians is well depicted in such a scene. The final stations recall Biblical scenes that are essential to the memory of the story. Having been awake much of the previous night, incarcerated, wrongly accused and mocked, Jesus arrived at the site of the execution exhausted. Beaten beyond belief, with His beard partially torn from His face, He lay down on the ground and had nails driven into His flesh. The physical pain and sufferings of the Savior are an essential memory if the excitement and power of the Resurrection is to fill and stir the followers of Jesus even today.

The church of the Holy Sepulchre, while not infallibly so, is the best archeological candidate for the authentic site of the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Its long, continuous tradition attests to the validity of its memory. The site is distinguished not only as the site of these events, however, but as a site of pilgrimage throughout the ages. The memory of pilgrims for generations, the symbols found in their gifts and offerings, and things as small as the writings of graffiti tell the real story of the site. The One that died on a tree so long ago was the One to whom each looked for help and care, for eternal salvation. Visitors to the site, though benefiting from the memory engendered by the geographical location, have always been encouraged to look among the living for evidences of the Risen Lord.

Team Hack #9: Cardinal rules of motivation!

Despite the many books that tell us otherwise, many team leaders and managers simply don’t believe the one simple truth about motivating people. People work hardest when they believe in the task they are doing, and believe the person they are doing it for believes in them. In other words, there are two cardinal rules for motivating a team member.

1. They must see that what they are doing matters. Now admittedly, not everyone is handing the brain surgeon the critical tools to keep the patient alive, but in most organizations every task has a true and necessary purpose. If that is not the case, the place will be going bankrupt sometime soon. There are essentially two ways a manager or leader can show people the importance of their work. First, they can connect the worker to the process. That means they show how each copy of that report flows through the system to keep the whole process working. Second, they can show the worker how their part of the work directly affects the success of the overall project. A dirty floor seems unimportant until the worker understands how that dirt directly affected the quality of the final product.

2. People want to work for someone who notices the efforts they put in. When we “talk down” to people, we crush their creativity and drive to succeed in our team. The author Tony Campolo (a Christian sociologist) shared how he was once at a sophisticated academic gathering at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote: “I didn’t want to be there, and I felt uncomfortable with the kinds of conversations that were going on. A woman colleague who taught sociology struck up a conversation with my wife and me. At one point she turned to my wife and asked, in a condescending fashion, “And what is it that you do, my dear?” My wife, who is one of the most articulate people I know, shot back, “I am socializing two homosapiens in the the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that they might be the instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia that God willed from the beginning of creation!” Then my wife asked politely and sweetly, “And what is it that you do?” The woman answered humbly, “I…I… teach sociology (Campolo, Let Me Tell…, 144-145).”

Talking down to people only makes them defensive. Christian author Gary Smalley asked five divorced women, individually, “If your husband began treating you in a consistently loving manner, would you take him back?” Each one replied, “Of course, I would!” Even after all the pain, they would still reconsider. If we understand the deep longing every member of the team has to be loved, accepted and praised, we will understand some keys to motivating them. It is not only because we will get better work from, it is because we will help them become better people.

Five Observations on the Changing Wind.

Featured Photo called “Northern Exposure” by Mark Henspeter, under Creative Commons license

As a leader who mentors youth in their twenties, I have been feeling incredibly optimistic in recent years. For many young people in today’s church, the experience is changing from a decade ago. I have seen a number of waves of change over my years of ministry. I saw the rise and fall of bus ministry, the frenzy of building Christian schools, and the driving wind of the church growth movement. All of them had one thing in common – they started with the same premise: How can we get people into the church. Today, I am beginning to feel a cool breeze of freshness in ministry to people. I am hearing the right question more often:  How can we meet the needs of our community? The emphasis is shifting. The problem isn’t getting them in, its getting us out. A couple of observations about the this new wind that I am excited about. They aren’t new and maybe aren’t profound, but they are important, so they bear repeating:

Observation #1: People go where there needs are met. If we minister to them to get them to join us, they can smell self interest. If we honestly give ourselves to real ministry – offering (along with truth from God’s Word) helpful tools and caring services that make a significant and sustainable change in our community, we will effect our town, our nation our world. Growth of our work will care for itself. Jesus said He’d build the church. Our focus is to be on reaching out and carefully sharing the Good News.

Observation #2: Not everything we have been doing is working. It is funny to me what we defend. I have heard people stand up for all kinds of things that when stripped away are nothing more than personal comfort issues of preference made to sound spiritual. We must not be afraid to change our programs, our approaches or anything else that will not compromise our message. There is a sustained onslaught against many of our Biblical values. Family life is disintegrating to the point that legislation is now being crafted to make all the abnormalities acceptable and normal. We live in a society that colors outside the lines and then moves the lines. Yet, we have a great future. We need to be open to change, since it is unavoidable anyway. We need to face the fact that our youth works have not yielded high retention, and try some other approaches. Believers must be attuned to the old saying: “If you want to change what you are reaping, change what you are sowing!” We must cling to the message – that is timeless and Word-bound. Yet the methods cannot be enshrined. If we keep acting like what we are doing is going to save families, we are in for a terrible surprise, coming soon to a community near you!

Observation #3: To reach people nobody else is reaching, we have to do things nobody else is doing. As a leader in my Christian community, I must take the responsibility to examine what my real contribution is to the life blood of my town. Am I building bridges to those who feel alone and torn apart by life? Is the message I bear coming to them in deeds or only in words? People will respond if I love and care about them because they are there, with no string to whether they will side with me on any issue whatsoever. To reach them, I don’t need a program as much as I need a heart transplant.  If we are willing to love, we will be used to transform a community – because we are willing to do what many are not willing to do.

Observation #4: Many people die of boredom in church. I am not talking about the sermon, (though that may be true as well). The truth is, the church is the most under utilized army in the world. People want to make a difference. They really do want to serve, but they want it to matter. The old “serve us” world has left many people feeling empty. What is replacing it is a “service mindset”. Just last night, at a conference attended by teens they raised $92,600 for orphanages in Asia. The organizers were asking for $15,000. They saw first hand that when teens believe they can make a difference, they will give everything they can. That was today’s teen – the much maligned as a “self-absorbed” generation. I don’t believe it. I believe people are waiting for their leadership to help them figure out how to make a mark in this world before they exit for the next. It is our job to be ahead of them on how they can do it. What ministry opportunities are there in
our church?

Observation #5: Though there are truly some that have been pushing us in this culture, most people didn’t drop out of interest with God. In fact, the problem may not be them as much as it is us! Many of us have hidden our candle under a bushel basket to
keep the wind from affecting the flame. In the process, they lost the guiding of the light. What do I mean? Churches and believers that want to be effective must reverse the idea that “if we build the programs they should come”. We are here to reach lovingly into the needs of a community. When a church decides to turn its ministries into community benefiting projects, it places itself in the world in an unmistakable way. We need Bible education, so I am not burning down the Sunday School. Yet, if it is true that most people in our churches when surveyed say their interaction with the “ministry” is in a Sunday service listening, we lose our mission. We are ever equipping them for a job we never put in their path. We can change! We can take on the blood drive, have an adult Bible fellowship create a circle of hospital volunteers, we can create life skills classes and staff them with our own people. We can take our values, our service, and our love out to the
community. We can “serve Jesus by serving them!”

More observations later…feel free to post a comment below!