The Holy Land — is it really worth the trip?
Jerusalem, the Holy City. Its numerous biblical
references come alive, including the Via Dolorosa
(Way of Grief) — the path
traditionally recognized
as the one Jesus took on the way to His crucifixion.
Teaching where Jesus taught. Dr. George O. Wood
frequently leads tour groups through the Holy Land,
visiting
key biblical locations and discussing their
significance.
Dr. George O. Wood recently sat down with The Council Today to share his views on the importance of visiting the Holy Land.
CT — You’ve been to Israel, and other lands of the Bible, more than 30 times now. How have these trips benefitted you as a minister?
Wood — My trips to the Holy Land have given me a great three-dimensional perspective of Scripture. When I study God’s Word, or proclaim God’s Word, I have a deep-seated confidence that I know the place I’m talking about. I know the topography and I’m better able to visualize what happened there. Visiting Israel has made the Bible so much more alive for me.
CT — Those who know you know you are passionate about visiting Israel. Tell us why.
Wood — I’ve stood by the brook where David picked up the stone to slay Goliath, the meandering stream where Gideon selected his band of 300, the lake of Galilee where Jesus called the fishermen, taught and healed the sick. Capernaum, Nazareth, Cana, Jericho, Megiddo, Joppa, Caesarea by the Sea, Caesarea Philippi, Jerusalem, Hebron — I’ve been there. They are no longer dots on a map, but places filled with meaning from the past and present.
I fell in love with Israel on my very first visit. Only when I saw the country firsthand did I realize the importance of firsthand observation. Suddenly, the Bible was three-dimensional. My reading of Scripture and preaching would never be the same afterward.
CT — What is your favorite site in Israel? Why?
Wood — My favorite site is the one I’m visiting at that moment. It’s true! Every one, I just get so energized by being there. If I were to isolate any, it would probably be the Mount of Beatitudes, with the sweeping view of the Sea of Galilee. Or climbing up onto the Arabol Cliff and watching the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee. It’s a great moment.
CT — After so many trips, some may wonder if it gets old. Has it gotten old for you?
Wood — Never! If it ever gets old I’ll quit going. I keep returning because of the way the Holy Spirit uses my time in the land to reenergize my faith. It’s like plugging in your battery and recharging it. Also, hundreds of friends have joined us on tours over the years, and I love to see what happens to them as they experience the Land, many for the first time.
CT — Have these trips had significant impact on your personal devotions? If so, how?
Wood — My personal study of Scripture has become really profound. I find I use perspective gained from times I’ve been in Holy Lands; whether it’s Israel, Turkey, Greece, Jordan or Italy. Over and over again, as you visit the land, you will see connections between topography and spiritual realities. For example, just the comparison between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee is amazing. Both have a source of water, but only one lets go of the waters it receives. The other sea is shrewder, hoarding its resources — letting nothing escape. And, that’s why it is called Dead. Just as there are two seas in Israel, so in the world there are two kinds of people: one gives and lives; the other tries to retain all its resources and dies.
CT — How does a visit to Israel impact your reading of the Bible?
Wood — We often make the mistake of thinking of the Bible much like a fairy book. But the stories of Scripture do not begin with the mythical “once upon a time, in a far away place.” The stories of Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and family, Moses, David, the prophets and Jesus are linked to a definite historical time and geographical place. None of these are fictional sites. The Bible never invented one single place or personality, it simply records God’s history in the land of promise.
And, once you have seen it, you gain a three-dimensional understanding of the sites. For example, just the little prepositions up and down. If you are in Israel, no matter where you are, if you are going to Jerusalem you are going “up.” In America, going ‘up’ is going north and going ‘down’ is going south. Not in Israel. You go ‘up’ to Jerusalem and ‘down’ from Jerusalem. And if you follow in Scripture you’ll see that’s how Scripture uses it. ‘Up’ has to do with altitude.
CT — Is there a certain Scripture that strikes a particular cord as you travel in the Holy Land?
Wood — When you are at Caesarea Philippi, which is where Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, there is this massive rock facing; this huge wall of rock. I think that is one of the places in Scripture where geography helps you understand the text. Jesus is standing there and says, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church.” There’s a play on words there between Petras, which is Peter, and Petra, meaning rock. Petras and Petra, when they are used together, can have the distinction that Petras is the little rock, and Petra is the massive rock. So what Jesus may be saying at Caesarea Philippi is that you are little rock Peter, and on this massive rock, which is my life and my ministry, is where I’ll build my church. The geography may help us determine the text at that point.
Another highlight that jumps out is standing at Mount Carmel, and envisioning the prophet Elijah and Baal and seeing the fullness of the landscape. At the top of Mount Carmel you can look to the west and see the sea, and look to the east and see Nazareth and the Valley of Armageddon. It’s just an incredible vista. So when fire fell on top of Mount Carmel, anybody standing anywhere within 50 miles on a clear day could have seen that God is the God that answers by fire. There are just all kinds of places that you have the opportunity see where significant things like that happened.
CT — Recall one thing you learned in those early trips that you hadn’t known before?
Wood — When I first went, I didn’t realize how deeply the trip would impact me. As a seminary graduate and avid Bible student, I had felt no need to ever tour Israel. I thought everything I needed to know about the Holy Land could be learned from a Bible dictionary and atlas. How wrong I was! Only when I saw the country firsthand did I realize the importance of firsthand observation. I had been speaking in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, and thought I would add a stop in Tel Aviv and then just see Jerusalem on my own. My wife, Jewel, and I arrived in Jerusalem by taxi from Tel Aviv with $100 and a no-frills tour book.
That was my first trip and I just didn’t know anything. In fact, I don’t recommend that people go to Israel on their own. I recommend that they go with a tour group because they will get a lot more out of it. They need to go with someone who knows what they are doing.
CT — Why do you encourage all believers go to Israel at least once?
Wood — It’s personal, spiritual growth. But in addition to that growth, you will be much more able to interpret current political events because you will have been there and understand what the situation is. Being in the land of Israel gives opportunity for pilgrims to not only experience the places of the Bible, but things as they are now; to not just remember the church of the book of Acts, but to link up with the church now in the land — and to pray that there will be an unprecedented outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh in that small area of the globe. I think you would be much more informed with the knowledge to pray for the people in Israel — be they Arab or Jew. Take it upon your heart to pray for the peace of Jerusalem — not just a political peace, but a peace brought by a living relationship with Jesus who brings true brotherhood to the family of man.
CT — What would you say to those who wonder if it is safe to travel to Israel?
Wood — My answer to them is that it’s more dangerous to drive down Glenstone Avenue in Springfield, Missouri, than it is to go to Israel. There are several million people a year that are tourists to Israel. We were there recently while the Gaza Strip conflict was going on and we wouldn’t have known it unless we were in the Gaza Strip, which we don’t go anywhere near. The traffic was normal, and the mall in Jerusalem was open as normal. It’s hard to explain to people because they get so afraid of going over to the Middle East. In all the years I’ve been, and I’ve even been there in times of conflict, there has never been a sense of danger.
CT — What advice would you give to those looking for a good tour choice?
Wood — The quality of a tour is determined by several things; first of all by the tour company. Are they reputable and knowledgeable of evangelical and Pentecostal Christians? That’s critical. The second thing you need to watch for is an advertised price versus real cost. There are tours that are lower cost, but by the time you pay for the hidden charges, and stay in hotels that are not up to par, and are given inferior tour guides and buses, it may not be worth going with them. What you want to do is go with a pastor, like an AG pastor who has been there before. One who knows the country and has worked with reputable tour agencies. There is a host of pastors that have experience in Holy Land travel and I would recommend that you link up with them or go on one of my tours.
If you have a good tour company you will have good accommodations, good buses and a great guide who knows the Scripture. And you also need a tour host. The guide will give the historical and geographical information, but it’s up to the tour host to give the devotional and application of what people are seeing. That is a tour that just doesn’t give you information, but gives you inspiration and motivates you.
CT — Are you planning another trip?
Wood — Yes, I’ll be leading a Holy Land trip in May of 2010. People may stop by the On Eagle’s Wings exhibit booth here at Council to pick up a brochure and learn more. There will be an optional extension on that tour that will retrace the journeys of Paul. It’s a fabulous four-day tour after the 10-day trip.
CT — Can you tell us what steps are being taken to instill this passion for the Holy Land in the next generation?
Wood — Yes, we have a very exciting new opportunity available for our students. Southeastern University has just opened a beautiful, brand new study center right in the middle of Jerusalem. I received word recently that their board unanimously decided to name it the George and Jewel Wood Study Center, because they know of our passion for people going to Israel. The building is a newly constructed, 23-room facility that will house up to 46 people. It will be available especially for student groups. We’ll be doing a lot of programs for ministerial students and college students, and we ultimately want to expand that to high school students as well.