Tag Archives: jesus

Israel Museum

April 11, 2025 Stephen Jones 1 Comment

On Tuesday, April 11, 2000, IBEX took an afternoon field trip to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This museum includes some priceless treasures including the ossuary of the High Priest Caiaphas and the famous Dead Sea Scrolls.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are housed in a special exhibit called the “Shrine of the Book.” The large water fountain resembles the lid of a jar like those where the scrolls were found. We already had opportunity to visit the caves at Qumran where the scrolls were found. Now, we got to see the scrolls themselves, preserved and on permanent display.

Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls significant? Until 1947, our oldest surviving manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures dated to around 1000 AD. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, we suddenly had manuscripts that pre-dated our oldest scrolls by a thousand years! Compared side-by-side, they confirmed the Masoretic Text (MT) was incredibly accurate and well preserved.

One of the most significant finds was a massive scroll of Isaiah that contains all 66 chapters. Robinson and Harrison explain, “From Cave 1 came a complete copy of the book of Isaiah, known to scholars as &1QIsaa;. Surprisingly well preserved, it comprised fifty-four columns of clearly written Hebrew script inscribed on seventeen sheets of leather that had been stitched end to end. When unrolled it measured about 7.3 m (24 ft) in length, and was approximately 30 cm. (1 ft) in width… Aside from differences in orthography and the use of certain consonants as vowel letters, the text of Isaiah in &1QIsaa; was identical with that in the much later editions of the MT.” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

There are some minor differences in various scrolls, even in the two copies of Isaiah found. This might be because the text of Isaiah was preserved and passed down in different parts of the world, like an ancient game of telephone. “Isaiah A” includes vowel points and may have been for a less fluent Hebrew reader. “Isaiah B” seems to be a more pure form of Hebrew. But they are still very close overall and the differences are negligible in English.

As we explored the museum, I began to better grasp the flow of history and periods of archaeology:

Neolithic Period (Shortly after Noah’s flood) – Early pottery. Oldest known building is a tower in Jericho.
Chalcolithic Period (before 3000 BC) – Chaeleo (copper) + lithic (stone). Surprising sophistication and craftsmanship. Basalt bowls and ivory fertility objects found in Beersheba.
Early Bronze Period (3000-2200 BC) – Copper implements. Large urban settlements. Fortified cities. Writing develops in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Intermediate Bronze (2200-1550 BC) – Fewer cities. Mostly nomadic. Some jars and spear heads found. Beginning of alphabetic script in Phoenicia and Canaan. The time of Abraham and the patriarchs.
Middle/Late Bronze (1550-1200 BC) – Period of the exodus under Moses and conquest under Joshua. Classic Canaanite culture (as far as craftsmanship) was far superior to Israelite culture. Advanced weaponry like ax heads and sickle swords. Anthropoid sarcophagus found in Beit Shan.
Iron Age (1200-586 BC) – Iron technology. A loose tribal confederation gave way to wider rule under Saul, David, and Solomon, then division of Northern and Southern tribes. Many items have been found during this time such as a a bronze bull in Manasseh, proto-aeolic capitals on top of pillars, the Tel Dan inscription, and ivory pomegranates from Solomon’s temple.

One special exhibit are two silver amulets found by Gabi Barkay at the tombs of Ketef Hinnom in 1979. These small amulets contain the priestly blessing from Numbers 24-26 and predate the Dead Sea Scrolls by several hundred years, making them the oldest known surviving biblical text in the world.

Later periods of archaeology include the Persian, Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and so forth, but much of Old Testament biblical archaeology took place during these earlier times.

A final highlight was seeing the actual Seat of Moses from the synagogue of Chorazin. We had seen a replica in the Galilean town, but here they had the original on display.

25 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Israel for a semester through the Master’s College IBEX program. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, I’m sharing highlights from my journal, emails, and photos. Feel free to share your own IBEX memories here as well!

Journal

Hezekiah’s Tunnel

March 12, 2025 Stephen Jones 2 Comments

March 12, 2000. The IBEX “Friends & Family” tour began yesterday. Several IBEX students have family visiting this week from the United States. Oh how I wish my parents and Natalie could be here during this time, but I know God has a different plan. As my dad has long said, someday we will all see Jerusalem, when Jesus the Messiah reigns upon the throne.

Believe me, Israel is a beautiful place right now, and a wonderful learning ground, but it pales in comparison to the glory it will someday possess! Most of the children of Israel are still far from God.

Though none of my own family or friends could come visit, I have enjoyed getting to know others. Today I tagged along with the Friends & Family Group through Jerusalem, getting my second whirlwind tour of the city, this time led by Dr. Greg Behle. While all the information was new and undoubtedly overwhelming for the parents, most of it was review at this point for me.

I was especially grateful for the chance to go through Hezekiah’s Tunnel! Most of the IBEX students walked through the tunnel back in January during our chilly visit to Jerusalem, but I was under the weather that day, so had to wait until now.

Hezekiah’s Tunnel is mentioned a couple times in the Bible. As the Israelites braced for the Assyrian siege on Jerusalem, King Hezekiah undertook an engineering project to protect the water supply. “When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and intended to fight against Jerusalem, he planned with his officers and his mighty men to stop the water of the springs that were outside the city; and they helped him…he closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works” (2 Chronicles 32:2-4, 30; cf. 2 Kings 20:20).

The tunnel is 1750 feet long and tall enough that you can walk through. It has about 2 feet of water flowing north to south, which spills into the Pool of Siloam — the same pool where Jesus instructed the blind man to wash after he’d been healed (John 9:7).

Todd Bolen says Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and the 6th century B.C. tunnel of Euphalios in Greece, are considered the greatest works of water engineering technology in the pre-classical period. The tunnel was dug out of limestone by two teams starting on each side and meeting in the middle. When they finally connected the tunnels, they carved an inscription called the Siloam Inscription which was discovered in the late 19th century.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains, “Many years ago (1880) a youth, while wading up the conduit by which the water enters the pool, accidentally discovered an inscription cut in the rock, on the eastern side, about 19 feet from the pool. This is the oldest extant Hebrew record of the kind. It has with great care been deciphered by scholars, and has been found to be an account of the manner in which the tunnel was constructed. Its whole length is said to be “twelve hundred cubits;” and the inscription further notes that the workmen, like the excavators of the Mont Cenis Tunnel, excavated from both ends, meeting in the middle.”

The inscription itself reads: “[…when] (the tunnel) was driven through. And this was the way in which it was cut through: While […] (were) still […] axe(s), each man toward his fellow, and while there were still three cubits to be cut through, [there was heard] the voice of a man calling to his fellows, for there was an overlap in the rock on the right [and on the left]. And when the tunnel was driven through, the quarrymen hewed (the rock), each man toward his fellow, axe against axe; and the water flowed from the spring toward the reservoir for 1200 cubits, and the height of the rock above the head(s) of the quarrymen was 100 cubits.”

Once again, archaeological evidence supports the Bible text perfectly!

Sermons

Go for the Gold

January 28, 2025 Stephen Jones Leave a comment

Last summer, our family enjoyed watching the Paris Olympics. Apart from the utterly bizarre drag queen Lord’s Supper reenactment, there was another moment I found noteworthy. During his opening address, the President of the Olympic Committee said to all the athletes, “This is the pinnacle of your Olympic journey. You’ve come to Paris as athletes. Now you are Olympians. Stepping into the Olympic Village, you realize, like generations of Olympians before, ‘Now, I am part of something bigger than myself. Now we’re part of an event that unites the world in peace.’ ”

Wow. What a privilege to graduate from “athlete” to “Olympian.” The Olympics have a way of bringing the entire world together, foreshadowing the ultimate peace we will experience when Jesus returns and sets up his earthly, millennial kingdom. But that’s a post for another day.

There’s so much we can learn from the world of athletics. Jesus was the master teacher, and much of his teaching was done through word pictures. He talked about farming and fishing and markets and wars and weddings. But I can’t think of a single time he spoke about sports. Maybe he did. Certainly there were many things not recorded in the Gospels that he taught (John 20:30-31).

While Jesus didn’t focus much on sports, Paul loved the analogy. There are a number of times in the New Testament that he draws a parallel between the spiritual world and athletic competition.

In Philippians 3, Paul says, “one thing I do, I forget what lies behind, and I strain forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God.” You can almost smell the sweat as Paul pushes forward to follow Christ and not look back.

In Ephesians 6:12, a passage usually associated with spiritual warfare, Paul references a wrestling match. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, over this present darkness.” Our real battle is against Satan, fallen angels, and false prophets.

In 2 Timothy 2:5, Paul says “an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

Many such lessons were inspired by ancient games such as the Olympics in Greece and the Isthmian Games in Corinth.

Last summer at Calvary Church, we looked at another passage that refers to sports in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. It’s now posted on my podcast…

In this passage, we learn…

The prize that awaits those who finish the race of life
Paul’s love for athletic images in Scripture
Why we should invest in heaven
The danger of being disqualified from ministry
Practical ways to grow in self-control

Thanks for listening! For a complete list of sermons and Bible studies, please visit the Sermon Page on my blog.

Other links:
Calvary Church Youtube channel
Calvary Church sermon podcast
Calvary Church website
Feed My Sheep podcast

Politics

President Trump’s First Week

January 25, 2025 Stephen Jones 2 Comments

It’s been an eventful first week for President Trump. A lot of people have strong opinions how he’s doing at the start of his second term. I for one was overjoyed when he said in his inaugural speech that the federal government will only recognize two genders – male and female. I was also amused that a president had to make such a declaration. It would be like saying, “moving forward, the government shall recognize gravity to exist.” Alas, that’s where we are as a culture.

This common sense principle reflects the created order and honors God’s biblical design as outlined in Genesis 1&2. Whenever God’s plan is rejected, people inevitably get hurt. The Morning Wire interviewed Alliance Defending Freedom CEO Kristen Waggoner this morning. It’s ten minutes well worth a listen. She rightly states that “When the law doesn’t recognize biological differences between men and women, families get hurt, and most importantly, women and girls suffer. Not only from equal opportunities, but they will lose their rights.”

So what do we say to those who identify as something other than male or female, and view gender identity as something different than biological sex? These people still need our love and our patience, but one thing we cannot give is our affirmation or approval. Romans 1 warns against rejecting God’s law by doing or celebrating what is unnatural. “They not only do them but give approval to those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).

This is not a time to be mean-spirited and triumphalist, but gracious, patient, and sympathetic toward a whole generation that has been taught to question everything. It’s no wonder so many are confused. May they see in Christians an unapologetic stance on the truth, but at the same time, the sort of tenderness that Jesus showed prostitutes and tax collectors as they learned how Jesus offered a new and better way when they surrendered to his lordship over every aspect of their lives.

Prayer

Grit and Gratitude

November 1, 2024 Stephen Jones Leave a comment

In his book Revival, Baptist historian Michael Haykin traces some of the contours of the Great Awakening in the early 18th century and the British and Irish revival of the late 18th century.

One London pastor gave this exciting report in 1754, “more of our meeting houses have been [expanded] within the last five years, and built within the last fifteen, than had been built and enlarged for thirty years before.”

Another pastor described the divine phenomena this way: “Meeting-houses which had been deserted were crowded. Meeting houses which had been more than large enough for their congregations for two or three generations had to be made larger. New meeting-houses in great numbers were erected. Cottages were rented in villages; farm-house kitchens were lent; old barns were turned into chapels; and young men who had been hard at work all through the week at the smithy, at the carpenter’s bench, or behind the counter in drapers’ shops, went out in companies from the towns on Sunday mornings to conduct the services” (p. 143).

Imagine that! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see God do this again? Revival is a work of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to predict or manufacture — just like the wind — and yet we can see its powerful effects (John 3:8).

You cannot predict when revival will break out. But certain conditions have characterized every revival throughout history. There has been an increased hunger for the Word, and there has been a renewed commitment to prayer. Anytime you see a revival in history, you see a return to these two things – the Word of God and prayer. If there is any hope of seeing a revival in our day, we must return to these things as well.

In Colossians 1, Paul models for us what it looks like to be a people of prayer. He prays that we will have both steadfastness and gratitude. I preached on this message a few months ago, and you can now listen online: