Jesus Trail

Jesus trail 2019

Jesus trail 2019

There are many ways to experience the biblical Heartland. One of them is to hike the Jesus Trail. Unlike the turnpike of millions, the Jesus Trail is the road less traveled. Here the groups are small, the pace is slow, and the priorities are different. Read more about out 2019 hike.

Slippers and a clothesline

Slippers and a clothesline

“What does that do?” I ask, as I come up the trail behind a middle-aged woman. I eye a widget dangling from a ‘biner on her backpack.

“Wham-O’s new particle levitator.”

Fwooooooooot, I whistle. “It looks so different! I didn’t think they could compact it any more.”

Jesus trail report, 2017

Jesus trail report, 2017

Thirteen explorers from five U.S. states met at the opening of 2017 to walk the Jesus Trail. The Trail is a blazed course that passes through urban and rural regions of northern Israel-Palestine. Many sites of significance were encountered by the group; these give testimony to the deep and diverse history of the area known as Galilee.

Mysteries and moses' mentor

Mysteries and moses' mentor

We stand alone in the room of stone. Husam gestures, “This is the grave of Jethro, the teacher of Moses.”

I knew it was coming and yet his words still catch me by surprise. Husam’s face is sober. His words are deliberate. Moses had a mentor. And, according to the biblical text, a father-in-law. 

Jesus Trail, Jan 3-10, 2017

Thousands of sightseers view the land of the bible through the window of a tour bus. A few seek a deeper experience. If you are among the latter group (or know someone who is), I invite you to try Galilee on foot. There is no better way to slow down and appreciate the natural beauty of the Heartland. For those who are veterans of a standard study- or pilgrimage-tour, this may be the perfect way to build upon that previous experience.

Debouchery

The Wadi Hamam begins gently in eastern Galilee near the village of Eilabun.

I follow a winding stream through the canyon known as Wadi Hamam. The water offers focus; it splashes across gravel, slowing only occasionally to waller in mudholes. Dense vegetation crowds the water’s edge. It is a narrow passage of brush and boulder, soft willow and thorny jujube, one that Dorsey calls “virtually impassable today” (1991:96). I can see why.

An Edgy Guy

We sat uncomfortably in the classroom, rocking from side to side, trying to absorb the Hebrew text of Pirke Avoth. This portion of theMishnah claims that Moses carried not only a hard copy of Torah down from the mountain, but an interpretive oral tradition as well. The latter was chewed, memorized, and repeated from mouth to ear for more than a thousand years. When it was finally committed to writing in the early centuries of our own era, the achievement for Rabbinic Judaism was enormous. The sayings of the fathers was frozen for all time. Future students would have much to ponder.