I have never been to the Holy Land. Through the years I have resisted the urging of friends to accompany them on a tour of walking where Jesus walked. It is a desire to allow my imagined vision of Galilee and Jerusalem to remain intact. Bible stories have been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I have elaborate mental pictures of Jesus in the temple, on the sea, dining with His friend Lazarus, walking amid the street vendors and tax collectors. I don’t want them replaced with Jerusalem’s present day McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food outlets. I don’t want to see the building that is now atop the stable in Bethlehem nor see Fords, VWs or Mercedes traveling the streets where Jesus walked. I am aware that I can be accused of living in a fantasy world that denies reality but I like my fantasy and do not desire to have it polluted with modernity.
Imagination is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. We are made in His image and His entire creation is the fruit of His imagination. Before there was anything there was Idea culminating in “Let us make man in our image.” Birds, fish, and mammals with their great displays of variety must have given Him great joy to bring His fantasies into reality. Alas, His dream quickly turned into a nightmare but He was not caught unaware. Even this He had imagined and He quickly made provision for His new human family to come back.
Crucifixions were common in the Roman Empire. How many times did Jesus walk past men nailed to crosses? Surely His imagination chilled His spine and elicited the prayer, “Father, help me.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on March 8, 2013
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org