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September 8, 2005, Jerusalem, Israel:
The first week of the fall semester at Jerusalem University
College has wrapped up in fine style. Our enrollment continues to
build in response to an increase in the overall stability of the
situation in Israel. We have 32 students living on campus and
altogether 45 in some aspect of their studies (course work, exams or
thesis-writing). Graduates account for 23 of the total, with 22
undergraduates rounding out the number. Associated schools
represented in our student body this fall include Columbia
International University (with 7), Bethel College (IN), Cedarville
University, Colorado Christian University, Eastern University,
Houghton College, Indiana Wesleyan University, Trinity International
University and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. These are
joined by students from a number of other schools across the United
States. Our first week ended with vespers around a campfire in the
JUC gardens. |
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A trip to
Jerusalem is a highlight for visitors to the land of the Bible.
Nestled high in the hill country of Judea and well off the great
trunk route that since antiquity has tied Israel to the world
beyond, the city has always been a meeting place of east and west,
past and present, God and man. There is simply no other place in the
world quite like it.
For many, the
name Jerusalem evokes images both of the earthly and the eternal.
Who is not captivated by its ancient lure? Who does not pause to
ponder its future? Throughout the ages, poets, theologians, artists
and writers have sought to portray the essence of this intriguing
city. For instance, the Babylonian Talmud, an expansive codification
of Jewish oral law dating to the early centuries AD, comments,
"Whoever has not seen Jerusalem in its splendor has never seen a
lovely city (Succah 51b), and "Of the ten measures of beauty
that came down to the world, Jerusalem took nine" (Kidushin
49b).
Biblical writers
as well held a special fondness for Jerusalem, speaking of it as
they would a member of their own family. Indeed, their relationship
with Jerusalem was both personal and intense, and infused all
aspects of the biblical story, from Genesis to Revelation. The Songs
of Ascent (Psalms 120-134), for instance, attest to the sense of
loss which the psalmist felt when living away from Jerusalem, and to
his unbound joy upon entering its gates:
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
Our feet are standing within your gates,
Jerusalem--Jerusalem, built as a city
solidly joined together;where the tribes,
the tribes of the LORD, go up . . . (Ps 122:1-4a).
Today, the solid
walls of gray-to-golden limestone that encircle the old city of
Jerusalem cradle a fascinating microcosm of life in the Middle East.
Everywhere you look, you see things that at first glance seem
unfamiliar, exotic, and remarkably interesting. Stepped streets,
arched windows, domed roofs, persons in all manner of colorful or
dignified dress--these sights and many others add to the aura that
Jerusalem is intensely different from "back home," wherever that may
be.
Visitors from
North America are often first struck by the tightness of everything
within Jerusalem's walls--building upon building, narrow streets and
a noticeable lack of open space. Its as if everyone in sight wants
to lay claim to the same plot of real estate--and, in fact, for the
most part, they do. For centuries, people lived within the walls of
Jerusalem for protection against wild animals, bands of roving
bandits or marching armies. Today, most crowd into the city because
they want to be associated with its historic and spiritual roots. It
is not a place for the claustrophobic--or those claustrophobic of
spirit.
The psalmist
described the layout of Jerusalem well when he noted that it was
"built as a city that is compact together" (Ps 122:3). Like today’s
city, his was a place where life was at the same time both secure
and challenging—indeed, both conditions were guaranteed by the
city’s “compactness.” It is perhaps apt, then, that for the biblical
writers, Jerusalem was a window that revealed what it meant for
God’s people to live in a community with Him, a microcosm not just
of the Middle East, but of the human soul. Even though biblical
Jerusalem may look different than our own home towns, it sheltered
real people facing the same kind of day-to-day struggles that
continue to challenge all of God’s people. By learning the lessons
of Jerusalem’s past, we can better face our own today. |
