Entering Jerusalem (particularly for the first time) is a very memorable experience.  This explanation will be a far cry from the actual experience, but I hope it whets your appetite to go there and experience it for yourself!  If you have not done so already, please stop to read Romans 11, as today’s post will actually be a study of that passage…in order to provide some insight into why entering Jerusalem is so impacting.

Romans 11 is clear (in the very first verse!) that God has NOT rejected His people, the Jews.  Verses 7-10 tell us that Israel has not obtained what it is seeking, thus they have eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear.  In a nutshell, Jesus came as their Messiah, but they missed it.  The Old Testament continually pointed to the arrival of the King of Israel and the Jews were looking for a king who would come in great power to rule and reign.  Instead, Jesus came to serve, and to give His life as a sacrifice.  The Jews did not recognize that sort of king!

Thus, God pressed the “pause” button on His plan for the Jews, and inserted the “time of the Gentiles” (which we are living in today).  In essence, God’s sovereign mercy and grace allowed for a time of salvation for Gentiles!  Review verses 17-24.  The olive tree is a symbol of Israel, yet Gentiles are described as “wild olives” who are grafted in and are now partakers of the “rich root of the olive tree!”  In other words, by faith in Jesus, we get to be a part of the tree!  Part of the purpose is to prompt the Jews to jealousy (verse 11).

Now, harken back to what occurred at Caesarea by the Sea.  Do you recall?  Yes…through God-ordained, supernatural plans, the Gospel first came to us as Gentiles!  So, put the pieces together:

• At Caesarea Philippi, Peter declares Jesus as the Christ and Jesus indicates that He will use Peter in the building of His church.
• Peter denies Christ
• Jesus restores Peter at Tabgha (following Jesus’ resurrection)
• Peter first takes the gospel to the Gentiles at Caesarea by the Sea
• Paul writes Romans 11, solidifying the fact that, as wild olives, we Gentiles are “grafted into the tree”

Wow!  Praise God for not giving up on Peter…and for Peter becoming the mouthpiece that made our salvation possible!  Praise God that came to save His people (which He will do once the time of the Gentiles is over), but that He also had a plan for the whole world!  Praise God that He is a creative God, able to graft in what isn’t born naturally, to be born spiritually!

So…armed with that knowledge and the reflections of what it means to have the doors of salvation flung wide open by the Savior of the World, we enter the Holy City…the place where Jesus made it all possible, and our ultimate home on earth when we reign with Him for a thousand years in the Millennial Kingdom!  This is our home spiritually, and will be our home literally when we return with Him to the New Jerusalem!

On each of our tours, entrance into Jerusalem has been from the east.  Anticipation builds as we read the Psalms that the Hebrew people would have sung as they travelled to Jerusalem for special feasts and festivals.  As with any large city, we hit the suburbs and know that we are getting close.  Then…a tunnel.  At the height of anticipation, we emerge from the tunnel, look to our left, and we get our very first view of Jerusalem…..

 

Welcome HOME!  All the pieces come together and a sensation that has no description takes over!  The awe of Romans 11 hits with full force!

Its a far cry from the actual experience, but I hope it gives you at least a glimpse of the unfathomable truth of being a grafted in believer of Yeshua HaMashiach…Jesus the Messiah!

We’ll spend the next few days touring Jerusalem and the Dead Sea area, so stay tuned!