In search of the footprints of our Savior: In Jericho (cont.)

by Jose Kurian Puliyeril

Jericho is a town in the province of Galilee on the shores of Galilee Sea. The Good Samaritan in the parable mentioned in St. Luke 10:30-37, was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Zachaeus, a tax collector by profession, longed to see Lord Jesus at least from a distance, had climbed a tree in the suburbs of Jericho city, as he was short. The same sycamore tree is not there now. But the new branch, which sprouted from the root of the original tree, has grown big and it is there in the same place. As the present tree is in the place of the original tree and as it is the descendant of the original tree, the present tree also gets the tender touch, love, honor and affection. Now there is fencing around the tree and the place and surroundings are kept very clean and tidy. The eagerness of the responsible people to keep so, is to be appreciated. Satan’s one temptation with our Lord Jesus was held on top of a steep and very high mountain in Jericho called Qarantel. So this mountain is known as the mount of temptations. Climbing to the peak of the mountain is time consuming, tiring and a very difficult mission. Though there is cable car, which reaches the central portion of the mount, the day on which we reached there, the cable cars were out of order. There is a modern Restaurant in the place where the cable car would reach. There is an ancient Monastery of the Greek Orthodox Church, adjacent to it. It is said that the Monastery is as old as the Christian history. And very strict and rigid vows of monastic life are followed in the same Monastery. So the number of inhabitants in the Monastery has been reduced considerably from the past. The details of the Monastery are given on a board fixed on the place where we stood. It is a wonder that how so much materials and water were carried to such a high position to where there is no proper roads or links. We took lunch from a Hotel that bears the name “Temptation mount Hotel” and continued our journey in the Bus. The bus was moving fast towards Nazareth through the roads with hairpin bends and between high reaching mountains. In between we saw certain oasis where we could see settlement of the nomads. We could see the shepherds rearing their cattle and sheep. On the way we could see Mount Tabor from a distance only. As the big bus cannot climb through the narrow roads, we had to discard our desire to go to the peak of the mount, as there was no other substitute. On the peak there is a Basilica of Transfiguration, which is built on top of the ruins of the earlier church of the 4th century. The Basilica available now is famous for its architecture and beauty. It is wide and great. We left the place after bowing before the mount with due respect and honor. After two hours drive, we reached the holy town of Nazareth.

The town of Jericho, which remains 350 meters above the sea level, is very rich in blessed traditions and glorious history. Our Lord and Savior is known widely as Jesus of Nazareth. In St. Matthew 2:23, it is revealed that he stayed in the village of Nazareth, as the prophecies about him that he would be known as Jesus of Nazareth by the well known Prophets to be true and valid. (Kindly refer Judges 13:5, 1 Samuel 1:11 too) In the Gospels we read about the common man’s understanding about our Lord as a Prophet of Nazareth. Nazareth is a city in between Galilee and Haifa in the Province of Galilee (Please read St. Luke 1:26, 2:39, 2:51, 4:16, St. John 1:45, 18:5, Acts 2:23, and 3:6 also). The literal meaning of the term ‘Nazareth’ is flower. It is meant that the city also has the purity, scent, and attraction, like a flower, which could provide peace, happiness and pleasure to the one who might be in touch with. Though there are a number of industries and factories in and around the city, there is perfect calmness and quietness all around always. The inhabitants of the area are so particular to maintain the purity and divinity of the place, which it has gained since centuries.