Visiting Israel

is this how Jesus could walk on water....or maybe his bones were actually so light he can stand up like a seabird or even fly without wings.

Speaking of Jesus did you go the upper room and what is called the 'via dolorosa'. I suppose many people were flogging relics. Did you wear you faith on your sleeve while you were there or could people just tell you were a Christian?

Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee...not the Dead Sea. I tried doing the same but the rocks on the bottom hurt my feet adding injury to insult IMHO.

The Via de la Rosa is the "way of the cross" it's a path through the Old City Jerusalem to get outside the gates to the crossroads.
I did walk it.

And the place where Simon the Cyrene is conscripted to carry Jesus' crosspiece is right in the spice market section. (Any guesses as to what he was selling?)

The path is narrow... everyone is right in your face looking at you. (It's full of people)

The amount of humiliation is extreme. That was a major role in crucifixion.
The other thing that scriptures say that often gets glossed over in the movies is that Jesus was hung naked....at the intersection of the crossroads...the busiest area outside the city. (More humiliation)

The naked part is that specified in scripture where it says they parted his garments and cast lots for them? What was Jesus wearing anyhow.

It says they mocked him in a purple robe and crown of thorns then took those off and out his own clothes on him then crucified him and then took those clothes. I wonder what they were...says four parts, and one was a coat that had no seam so they drew lots on who would have it.

Im guessng the spice market was selling spices. frankincense, myrrh, aloes

Today well at least in my country there is no longer any public executions but they did used to hang people in the town square or put them in stocks near the jail so passers by could throw eggs at them.
The guillotine was invented in France which was supoosed to be more humane but NZ never went for beheading.

In schools boys used to get the cane and girls the strap or rap upon the knuckles, or write lines for detention. The cane would be on the bare buttocks.

whats done now is humilation on TV news, front page of the newspaper, or social media hate messages.
Shoplifters often get their CCTV shots posted on the shop walls shaming them

Does Israel do executions? Public or private...do they have the death penalty? Many countries no longer have it though its still done in the US, China, Vietnam and Iran.

Nope...it mentions Simon of Cyrene...

Cyrene is specifically mentioned.
(No wasted words in scripture)

Cyrene is specifically mentioned because they were the World's suppliers of abortifacient. (Kinda like morning after pills but not just for the morning after)

But basically he was selling the abortifacient in the marketplace...in the premium location that costs the most. Because he was wealthy and "successful". The rest of the spice market is a dead end. Just saying.

They do private executions but public house destruction.
If you are caught/identified being a terrorist and blowing people up...they will come and destroy your family's home.

what? I didnt even know Cyrene was a thing, I thought it was a place name! Like Mary of Magdalene. Or Mary of Bethany.

eek
I suppose eye for an eye and all that...wonder what method of execution tho
what about cutting off peoples hands if they steal?

Stoning?
Do they have jails? Isnt the palestine situation like one huge POW camp? I mean with the walls and all that. Are there CCTV cameras everywhere?

It is a place name...
But the place was famous for supplying abortifacient.

Look up Cyrene on Wikipedia...the history and economy of old is mentioned there...psyllium? Trying to remember the name of the herb...they harvested it to extinction. But the did put an image of the herb on their money.

silphium

apparently now extinct. So dont know how they still selling it...

They aren't...they have more effective abortifacients today.
But look at it this way...
When someone says that abortion is not mentioned in scripture you can say "yes it is" because the optics of this definitely points for it not being good whatsoever.

?

didnt they ask adulterous women to drink something to rot their uterus in OT times?

That was a thing they did at the Tabernacle and it wasn't to make their uteruses rot but instead swelling of their bellies while making their thighs whither away... Meaning it was making them weak. It wasn't about miscarriage necessarily.

mmm are you sure?
If you wanted to make a woman weak there are probably other ways you could do it.

ANE culture... different time and values.

I dont know if I could have handled seeing all the lambs being slaughtered at the tabernacle back in the day when they were sacrificing them

I would be like. dont kill the lambs! I wont sin...my family will be good...just spare the poor lambs! They did nothing wrong. And the doves. and the goats and whatever else was being sacrificed.

Usually a sacrificial animal was the one you treated like a family pet... you gave it the most food and care of any of the flocks you had. Brushing and watering and hand feeding it so that it stayed safe from any and all cuts or scars. (Blemish free)

That was the animal fit for sacrifice. Not just a random animal from your flocks that looked good...this one had to have special care from infancy.

well thats like food or produce being grown for export...I suppose they get the best that gets the best price and you just eat all the leftovers and scraps.

though in this case the temple probably didnt actually pay or give money for those lambs...you were just meant to give up your best. But lambs instead of your firstborn son. If you didnt have a son or any lambs what did you do give the temple money?

Sounds like tithing. But then tithing also sounds just like taxing.

I wonder if taxes (not taxis) in Israel are expensive and whether peoole are happy to pay them or feel they get value from what the tax money is spent on. I imagine so, otherwise I dont really know how their country or govt is funded.

I know many countries just get a loan from the World Bank or IMF and are like billions even trillions in debt. which they can never pay off for thousands of years. So in many poor countries people are like slaves to the world bank.

Modern Israel is self sufficient. Of course they get money from the US like most nations do for various reasons. Currently they export to us some of the best defensive and offensive military technology.

Iron Dome is a program for defense that destroys rockets incoming. Even the UAE is a customer that made headlines just yesterday... although they didn't say that it was technology purchased from Israel...they do have a peace/trade deal with Israel in defiance of the radical Islamists.

But Abu Dhabi defended itself from several rockets yesterday or the day before with Israeli technology.

Israel also exports groceries to it's neighbors...it is the grocery store in that region. They farm everything possible from poultry to eggs to grapes and dairy products. Wheat and soybeans as well.

Currently there is no sacrificial system in Israel.

During Jesus time it was a scheming scam that the priests had going on with everyone from the money changers to the sheep sellers.

In Micah (old testament) it was discussed how the farm seconds were unacceptable to God so the priests tightened up on what could be sacrificed...the animal had to be perfect. So people treated them like pets until sacrifice time.

Then fast forward to Jesus' day and by that point no animals were accepted. But you could sell yours and buy one that was acceptable. (The altar is more important than the offering)

So someone would buy yours and pasture it for a few days and then sell it. But they paid you in Roman money...but when you went to buy one the seller would be offended and want Temple money...so you had to buy Temple money....and a profit was made every step of the way with each vendor....the Priests getting a cut too for the premium locations in the court of Gentiles...Where the Samaritans and believing Gentiles could pray. Jews got closer to the Holy of Holies where God could hear them better. (Supposedly)

That was why Jesus was furious and used a whip of cords to drive the merchant's out. God prefers the gift of your hands...the stuff you labor over with high craftsmanship and care...not something as impersonal as money. God has always wanted YOU and your personal best. Just saying.

But since there is no Temple there is nothing sacrificed currently in accordance with the Law.