Today was a welcome change to the hustle and bustle of the Old City. Today, we travelled more distance than any day since we’ve arrived here. Today we went out into the Desert. We first visited Masada, King Herod’s impenetrable fortress hewn out of solid rock overlooking the Dead Sea. The have a cable car that can take about 50 people up at a time so up and down was easy compared to the old days. 930 Jewish lives were lost in a massive siege that ended in suicide for all inside the fortress. As the Roman Army worked for two years to gain access to Masada, they finally had it within reach when everyone inside decided they would rather die than be enslaved by the Romans in 70 A.D. The temp shot up to the mid-80’s today and since we visited no churches today, many wore shorts.
After Masada, we made our way to lunch with the Essenes at Qumran, the ancient center of the sect John the Baptist was believed to be a part of. This is also the site back in 1948 where a shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls while looking for a lost sheep. We got to within 50 yards of the actual cave where they were discovered. This is something that I’d read about in the past and was fascinating to walk through the recreated settlement, thanks to the work of Josephus and a bunch of smart archeologists.
Next, we went to the beach where many of us swam in the Dead Sea, which has about 27% salt content, hence nothing can live in it. The mud is very good for the skin so some of us went for a swim and enjoyed the gooey stuff, smearing it all over. I did not partake as the sun was very high and my Irish/German skin would toast for sure. Instead I sat in the sun and marveled at what lay in front of me. First, it was beautiful. Blue sky meeting haze, and finally resting on the mountains of Jordan, just across the sea. More immediately was the beach scene in front of me. From my spot in the shade under the lifeguard’s shack, I watched people speaking ten languages have fun together. Old men hauled their 4’ tall water pipes down to the beach to smoke with friends, watching their grandchildren play. While there were many languages spoken, everyone seems to know soccer. I counted five informal games and maybe ten more balls in play between a few friends. I watched Muslim women dressed in black from head to toe, holding the shower chains for European women in bikinis trying to wash the mud off their bodies. It was a sea of humanity present as I saw people from Germany, Scotland, America, Canada, Jordan, Jerusalem, etc... There were Christians swimming with Muslims, with everyone enjoying rice with saffron and the wonderful smells of meat cooking over fires. Some boys beat out the rhythm of songs they knew on an empty gallon can and an antifreeze bottle, creating a dancing frenzy. While all entered the water in varying skin colors, they emerged black from head to toe, causing you to wonder who they were and where they were from until they got into the out-door showers. The black mud brought everyone together in a way that I know made God smile today. I will never forget that scene as it played out in front of me. It was as if God was saying to me, look, these are all my children; I care of each one of them the same.
On the way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at an old section of an original Roman road that went from Jericho to Jerusalem, the same road on which the Samaritan outcast rescued the man from the scriptures. We stopped, got off the bus, and climbed a massive incline to a small mountaintop outdoor theater where Fr. Charlie offered Mass. The winds were so strong up there at times I could not hear what he was saying and I was standing right next to him and downwind! Fr. Charlie is a big guy, and twice the wind pushed him so hard he lost his footing. We were joined at our impromptu Mass by a camel, a donkey, two boys about 2 and seven, and three men trying to sell us jewelry and offer camel rides. It was something to see!
The only other thing of significance to report is that I absolutely love pita bread. When it is fresh, I’d rather eat it than what I’m used to. It’s delicious with every meal, especially with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Hmmmmml... good!
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