Keeping the Fall Holy Days in Jordan

Just two weeks after the start of school, we already had to take time off of work for the Fall Holy Days.  We were delighted to have the Ericksons and the Registers for the Day of Atonement, increasing our local congregation from 4 to 10.  Mr. Register gave an inspiring message about personal atonement and coming face to face with God, and we broke our fast at a very nice restaurant in Amman.  Imagine our excitement when the Feast of Tabernacles arrived, and our numbers swelled to 120 people, coming from all over the world to celebrate with us in Jordan.

After a wonderful opening night and Holy Day, we began our Feast tour of Jordan.  After leaving Amman, Jerash was our first stop.  On the way to Jerash, we drove over the River Jabbok (Gen 32:22-33).  Jerash, a city of the ancient Decapolis (Mrk 5:20), is the largest and most well-preserved Roman city in Jordan.  It was very awe inspiring to walk through the remains of a city that is over 2000 years old, yet still so intact – the gates still standing, the streets straight, the forum whole, and the theatre still functioning – not to mention that Jesus and His disciples likely walked the same streets.

After that was the Dead Sea (Num 34:12), a very unique place.  Everyone knows that it's called the Dead Sea because it has so many minerals that nothing can live, and everyone knows that you float without trying. For those who’ve never been, we’ll try to be more specific.  As far as the mineral content goes, it smells and tastes about like ocean water, but twice as strong, and it feels almost as slick on your skin as baby oil or mineral oil.  As for floating, you can float on your back in normal water with little effort, but in the Dead Sea you float so well it takes effort to stay upright instead of flat.  Also, you have to tread to keep your head above normal water, but in the Dead Sea your head and shoulders are both completely out of the water.  It’s really nice to float effortlessly, but it is hard to completely relax while you are floating in the Dead Sea, because you are constantly worried about the water getting into your eyes.  Fortunately, if this happens, they place a lifeguard on the beach with a big bottle of fresh water, who will gladly rinse out your eyes.  If you ever get the chance, you should go and give it a try (minus the water in the eyes, of course).

Next up was Pella, another city of the Decapolis, said to be the city to which many early Christians fled preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  This location was different in that it wasn’t as touristy: the ruins are just fenced off, and if you are willing to make the hike, they just let you wander around.  It was well over 100 degrees that day, so most people sat in the shade and watched the brave few explore the ruins.  

Our fourth stop was the grandest of them all – Petra was simply amazing!  We only had a few hours to explore, but we could have easily spent a week.  It was so amazing that it’s hard to put into words.  It’s almost like a miniature Grand Canyon, but with enormous monuments built right into the stone: beautiful variations of color and constantly shifting geography inlaid with hauntingly empty yet amazingly complex and beautiful architecture.

That night we went to Aqaba, near the Biblical port town of Elath (1 Kgs 9:26), where we stayed at a beautiful hotel.  Some of us were so impressed with the hotel that we skipped the tour of Wadi Rum just to chill at the hotel and take full advantage of its several interconnected swimming pools.  Also, what a view of the very blue Red Sea!  Those who went to Wadi Rum enjoyed a tour by jeep/truck of the spectacular desert landscape, as well as a taste of Bedouin hospitality.  The following day we were still in Aqaba, and we had the chance to go scuba diving.  It was first time for many of us, so some were really nervous at the beginning.  Luckily we had very patient dive instructors, so most were able to complete their dives with enthusiasm.

After we left Aqaba, we went to Mt. Nebo, which is the location where Moses was able to look at the Promised Land even though he was unable to enter (Deu 34:1-4).  Yes, the view was amazing, but the landscape has changed some since the time of Moses.  Aside for the verdant Jordan valley, most of the land is desert or nearly so.  It is strange to picture this place the with the lush forests and vineyards of a land “flowing with milk and honey,” and it certainly proves that God meant what He said: “For the land…is not like the land of Egypt…as a vegetable garden, but the land…is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares…And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.  And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.  Take heed to yourselves, lest you heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land… (Deu 11:10-17).”  Near Mt. Nebo, in the town of Madaba we saw the world’s oldest surviving mosaic, a map of the Holy Land, which is housed in a Greek Orthodox church.  It was nice to see, but all the decorations of the church were distracting from the splendor of the mosaic.

For the Last Great Day, we were back in Amman, and heard an inspiring message about the purpose of the day: the second resurrection, a time when hope will be realized for all mankind.  Throughout the Feast, we saw and heard inspiring things, thought a lot about the history of the area, and had an amazing time.  We still have trouble believing we’re here, in a land so rich with history and so much promise for the future!