With Jesus at Sukkot Schedule

Hosted by Dr. George Koch | October 13– 25, 2016

A unique tour that allows us as disciples and pilgrims to experience the richness of the Biblical fall feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) and anticipate the second coming of Jesus of Nazareth.  We will spend the majority of our time based at historic Christ Church Guest House in the Old City of Jerusalem. In addition to worship, lectures and tours, our two weeks will have a good amount of free time for you to explore the Holy City on your own and soak up the atmosphere of the holiday.  During Sukkot Jerusalem is an exciting place, filled with Jewish people as well as Christians from every corner of the world.  Join us as we rejoice in the hope of the kingdom of God.

Day 1: Thursday, October 13

Arrival in the Land of Promise

We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, where we will be met by our guide and bus driver for the trip. From the airport we will travel to our hotel on the Mediterranean Coast. After dinner we will have a brief meeting for introductions, some orientation, and prayer.

Overnight: Seasons Hotel, Netanya 

Day 2: Friday, October 14

Messianic Worship & Around the Sea of Galilee – Daily Life and Religion in the Time of Jesus

After breakfast we travel north up the coast and then eastwards inland to the Galilee. We begin our day at ancient Sepphoris, where we can examine Jesus’ relationship to Elijah, as well as His first miracle. Time permitting, we will drive through  ancient Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home and place of His early ministry. We will spend the rest of our day visiting various sites around the Sea of Galilee as we try to picture daily life and religion in the First Century, and seek to better understand the miracles and teachings of Jesus in His original Jewish context. We will begin at Chorazin, the well-preserved ruins of a typical Galilean village, where we study village life, Jewish religion, and the Pharisees. Our next stop will be Capernaum, the town where Jesus lived during the majority of His ministry. Later in the afternoon we will visit Kibbutz Ginosar to see the “Jesus Boat”, a Galilean fishing boat from the First Century. From here we will set sail for a boat ride on the Lake to enjoy the views and some worship, prayer and reflective time. Overnight: Maagan Holiday Village, Sea of Galilee 

Day 3: Saturday, October 15

Jesus of Nazareth - Who do men say that I am? 

Today we explore Northern Israel, one of the most beautiful regions of the country. We will seek to understand what the Jewish people of 2,000 years ago expected of the Messiah, and how that was fulfilled in Jesus. We begin by climbing up to the magnificent Golan Heights. We will visit a reconstructed Talmudic village at Katzrin, where we will take another close look at life in New Testament times and the use of everyday imagery in Scripture. Next we will travel along the lower slopes of Mount Hermon – Israel’s highest mountain, and the most likely site of the Transfiguration. Our next stop is Caesarea Philippi, in the region where Peter made his famous confession that Jesus is the Messiah. Along the way we will pass Druze Villages before coming to Mt. Bental, a lookout spot near the border with Syria and the area of the road to Damascus where the Apostle Paul met the Lord. Our final stop is the Dan Nature Reserve, where we see the incredible archaeological remains of the OT city of Dan, including the city gate from the time of Abraham, and consider ancient Israel’s apostasy. We will also enjoy a pleasant walk by a stream and discuss the meaning of “living water” in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jesus’ teaching.

Overnight: Maagan Holiday Village, Sea of Galilee

Day 4: Sunday, October 16

Erev Sukkot: Introduction to Jerusalem & Building the Sukkah

After an early breakfast we will leave the Galilee and journey south down the spectacular Syrian African Rift Valley to the arid Judean Wilderness, passing by the region of Jericho – the oldest and lowest city on earth, from where we ascend to Jerusalem – the City of the Great King.  We begin our studies at the Citadel (“Tower of David”) Museum where we will enjoy breathtaking views overlooking Jerusalem and have an introduction to the fascinating historical geography of the Old City. After lunch we will build and decorate a sukkah, the traditional temporary hut constructed to celebrate the holiday. Our sukkah will be built in the Christ Church courtyard, and be a key focus for welcoming visitors during the holiday. In the evening we will join a Sukkot Service and communion at Christ Church. Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem

Day 5: Monday, October 17

First Day of Sukkot: Free Morning & the Restoration of Hope

This morning is free as we take in the beginning of the Sukkot holiday. Tour participants can rest, reflect, shop, or for the energetic, perhaps a walk on the walls of the Old City. Shoresh will provide a list of interesting options for those who want to explore on their own. After lunch we will enjoy a tour of the historic Christ Church compound and Heritage Center, where we will learn about CMJ’s amazing 150 year history of bringing the gospel to the Jewish people. After dinner, the Director of Shoresh will lead us on a short stroll to a rooftop panorama of the Old City, and then share some encouraging testimonies.

Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem

Day 6: Tuesday, October 18

Second Day of Sukkot: Jerusalem in the time of Jesus– The Temple at the Center

Today will be devoted to learning about Jerusalem in Jesus’ day, when the Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life. We will study how worship was performed in the temple, the Sadducees and Jesus’ attitude towards them, and generally enrich our insight into many important events in the gospels and book of Acts. An early start will take us up to the Temple Mount (conditions permitting), where we’ll consider some of Jesus’ activities there, as well as the claims of Islam. After a visit to the Western Wall place of prayer, Judaism’s most holy site, we will take a trip to the subterranean Western Wall Tunnels to walk at what was street level in the time of Jesus. We then make our way through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to see the Herodian Villas, the palatial mansions that were the home to the Sadducees, the ruling priesthood at the time of Jesus. We complete our day at the excavations near the base of the Temple Mount and discuss Pentecost on the Southern Steps where Jesus walked. In the evening we will have a lecture entitled “The Place of Jerusalem”. 

Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem

Day 7: Wednesday, October 19

Third Day of Sukkot: Samaria - Ancient Israel and the City of David

This morning we will be joining a public prayer that is called Birkat HaCohenim translated as Priestly Blessing. We will then journey into the northern homeland of the Patriarchs, of the Israelites under Joshua, and later the breakaway Kingdom of Israel. We will focus on our roots in the Old Testament, which are vital to our understanding of the New Testament. We first will visit Mt. Gerazim (the “Mount of Blessing” from Joshua’s time) and after this Tel Shiloh, the long-time location of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem.

Day 8: Thursday, October 20

Fourth Day of Sukkot: Rachel Weeping for her Children, Ancient Texts, & Modern Jerusalem

In the morning we visit to Yad VaShem, the Israel Memorial Museum to the Holocaust. Here weexamine the spiritual and theological roots of the most notorious genocide in history and the connection between the Church, Jesus and the Jewish people prior to and during this period of time. There we will also visit the Children’s memorial and discuss the impact of the Holocaust on Jewish Christian relations today. Next we visit the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book (home of the Dead Sea Scrolls), and the large-scale Model of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus.  For lunch we jump into the holiday season at the colorful Mahane Yehuda open-air market, where Jerusalemites will be doing holiday shopping for some of the best and freshest foods in Israel.  Next we walk through neighborhood of Mea Shearim, for a fascinating glimpse into the life of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish people. (Jerusalem March?) In the evening will be a lecture on “Pilgrimage in the Second Temple Period”.  Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem

Day 9: Friday, October 21

Fifth Day of Sukkot: City of David

In the morning we will visit the place where it all began, the City of David.  Here we will learn about King David’s conquest of the Jebusite city, and walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel to the Pool of Siloam, and study the importance of “living water”. The rest of the day will be free. 

Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem

Day 10: Saturday, October 22

Sixth Day of Sukkot: Worship at Christ Church & Free Afternoon

We are invited to join in the morning Hebrew worship service at Christ Church. The afternoon is free for rest, reflection, shopping, or for the energetic, perhaps a walk on the walls of the Old City. Shoresh will provide a list of interesting options for those who want to explore on their own. Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem

Day 11: Sunday, October 23

Seventh Day of Sukkot: Seeking Refuge in the Wilderness

Our theme today is the wilderness and what it signified to the ancient Israelites. We begin our day at Masada, Herod the Great’s magnificent fortress palace in the desert, and the last stand of the Zealots, a Jewish revolutionary group at the time of Jesus. From Masada we drive north to the beautiful subtropical oasis of Ein Gedi, where David hid from Saul. Depending on conditions, we can walk into the nature reserve and possibly to the waterfalls. We may see some wildlife, including the furry rock badger and the graceful ibex. We will also discuss the temptation of Jesus in the Wilderness. Our next visit will be Qumran, likely the home of the Essenes, a First Century Jewish sect which may have influenced early Christianity, and the site of the most exciting archaeological discovery ever made in Israel – the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will finish our afternoon by enjoying a float in the therapeutic mineral rich waters of the Dead Sea.

Overnight: Christ Church Guesthouse, Old City, Jerusalem.

Day 12: Monday, October 24

Simchat Torah: In the Steps of Jesus – Crucifixion, Death, Burial and Resurrection

Today we focus on sites related to the Biblical passages concerning Jesus’ last week in Jerusalem. Our goal is to understand why He was crucified, how He was buried, and what it meant to the Jewish people of the First Century that He was raised from the dead. We begin our day with a panoramic overlook of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, the site of Jesus’ ascension to heaven and His future second coming. After viewing a tomb from the time of Jesus, we will walk down the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane. Next we cross the Kidron Valley and enter the Old City through Stephen’s Gate, stopping to examine the remains of the Pool of Bethesda. From here we walk tothe Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most likely site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. We end our tour with a reflective time at a site that wonderfully illustrates Jesus’ burial and resurrection, the peaceful Garden Tomb. This evening will be a special farewell dinner to share our experience and close our time in Israel with thanksgiving and prayer.  Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Jerusalem

(For those with a late night flight, rooms will be held until departure for the airport.)

Day 13: Tuesday, October 25

To the Ends of the Earth

We say farewell to Jerusalem and descend through the mountains of Judea to the airport on the coastal plain to catch the flight home.