This ancient city built by Herod the Great, named after the emperor Caesar Augustus, became the provincial capital of Roman Judea and would later be a vital early center for Christianity in the Byzantine era. We stopped at an impressive expanse of Roman ruins composed of an amphitheater, a historic port, and a large pool cutting into the sea. Down to the right, we could see an extensive archaeological park containing pillars and sculptures, a hippodrome with stone seating, and frescoes. The infamous Pontius Pilate made this city his residence. Our time here was quite short as we had arrive with less than an hour before the park closed but the excavations of the remnants of this city were quite fascinating to observe!
The finality of this trip suddenly seemed within reach. A bittersweet feeling crept into my heart as we finally came full circle with that pivotal story that began in Joppa. The Gentile inclusive church was birthed when Peter obeyed the call, surrendering his will and beliefs to the vision God gave him. His deference to God’s way and not his own, empowered an entire cultural shift as he baptized a faithful Centurion and his family into faith. In spite of seemingly committing religious suicide, we see the strengthened faith of Peter in Acts 11, “So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
His faith makes me think, how often do I miss out because I disobeyed when what God was asking me to do, does not make sense to me? Their lives would never be the same, because in a predominantly Gentile city, the Spirit of God fell down and altered history forever. Caesarea would become home for Phillip, a stop along the way for Paul’s missionary journeys, and a time of imprisonment for Paul for 2 years before being sent off to Rome for trial. In church history, we find out that the same tax-collecting Zacchaeus who repents and pays back what he has stolen, most likely assumes the role of the first Bishop of Caesarea! One act of faith would be rippled throughout the region to welcome in and metamorphose our world as we know it today.
We moved on to a beach not far away behind grand Roman aqueducts. There is something enchanting about the Sea near sunset. Sand under your toes, the crashing of waves as the water kisses the shore, and everything takes a pauses as the sky melts into orange, pink, and purple with the sun plummeting from the sky into the enrapture of night. It was something else on the Mediterranean, something nostalgic and serene. A mere 8 hours up the coast, my mind recalled resting my feet in the same waters 13 years before and my mind is transported home. This would be my last time on this Sea for who knows how long, so I wanted to take it all in.
With one day left in the land, I felt a yearning for more, for this trip to go on forever. There was yet more to be uncovered! I had not felt this at home for a long time, yet everything made sense in this place. In fact, many friends on this trip told me they could see me thriving here. Israel unlike any other place I had ever been, was like a colliding of my world with the future. It was the East and West coming together in unity, growing, changing, and becoming something different. I had come to see healing and revival walking hand in hand here. My hunger and desire to partake in history, culture, art, archaeology, hospitality, and so much more had been stirred unlike ever before. “I did not want to leave,” was the thought rolling in my mind as we returned to Jerusalem.