Steps of Jesus Tour – August-September 2023

When you arrive at the Amman International Airport (AMM) a representative of Advent Tours will meet and transfer our group to the Amman Airport Hotel for a relaxing night’s sleep.

Our trip begins as we reflect on the lives of the greatest of all the prophets: John the Baptist and Moses, both who testified to the coming of Jesus. The first site we visit is Machaerus, one of Herod the Great’s palace-fortresses. Machaerus was where John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed after Herodias’ daughter danced and demanded John’s head be given to her on a platter (Mark 6). We stop next at Madaba. Once a Moabite border city (Num 21:30; Josh 13:9), Madaba is well known for the remains of a famous mosaic map called the Madaba Map. The map dates to the 6th-century and contains the earliest surviving representation of Jerusalem after Hadrian rebuilt it around 135. 

After lunch, we visit Mount Nebo, a 3,300 foot high mountain located just north of Madaba and opposite the northern end of the Dead Sea. Mount Nebo is the location from which Moses saw the Promised Land before he died (Deut 34). We will then take the Desert Highway south to Petra, where we will spend the night at the Petra Guest House.

Following an early breakfast, we depart for a morning tour of Petra, the red-rose ancient city built among the rocks. Petra, which means “rock” in Greek, is a fitting name for this city surrounded on all sides by beautiful cliffs with magnificent tombs, sanctuaries, and dwelling places carved out of solid rock. Located in the Seir Mountains, the area is mentioned in the Bible (Judg 5:4; Deut 33:2) and was the dwelling place of the Edomites. According to tradition, it is here that Moses struck the rock from which water flowed, and where Aaron, the brother of Moses, was buried on one of the mountains peaks. At the time of Jesus, Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans. The apostle Paul also proclaimed the gospel in this region following his conversion (Gal 1:17).

We will walk through the Siq, the main entrance to Petra, and will visit “The Treasury” and the other Royal Tombs. You will have free time to either hike up to the “Monastery” or the High Place, ride a camel, or just explore the area. After a late lunch, we will drive to the northern end of the Dead Sea, where after checking into our hotel, you will have the opportunity to “float” in the Dead Sea before dinner.

We begin the day with a trip to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the place where John the Baptist preached and baptized people from across the entire region, including Jesus (John 1:28). You will have the opportunity to experience what it was like to respond to the call of John by being baptized in the Jordan. After crossing the border into Israel, we will stop at Jericho, the hometown of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who after hearing John the Baptist later decided to become a follower of Jesus (Luke 19). While in Jericho, we will also see the remains of the ancient fortifications that supported the walls that “came tumbling down” (Josh 6).

Our last stop will be at Qumran, the site of a monastic-like community of  Jews from the time of Jesus known as the Essenes. The  Essenes are the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain the oldest copies of the Hebrew Scriptures  dating back to around the year 300 B.C. and testify to the accuracy with which they were copied through the centuries. From here we drive to the Ein Gedi Resort, where we will spend the night.

Our day begins with an early visit to Masada, one of the massive palace-fortresses built by Herod the Great. During the Roman administration of Palestine, Masada was the home of a garrison of Roman soldiers. At the start of the Jewish-Roman War in A.D. 66, Jewish extremists surprised and  overcame the Roman garrison on Masada. Due to its nearly impregnable location, the Jewish zealots held off the Romans for several years. After building a massive rampart and siege tower, the Romans finally breached the wall. Rather than being taken captive, the Jews committed suicide. We will take a cable car to the top of the mountain and visit the sites fortifications, waterworks, synagogue, and palaces.

After lunch, we will visit Spring of Ein Gedi, where David ofted stayed when fleeing from King Saul. You will even be able to swim in several of the pools. Next we will drive through the hills of Samaria on our way to ancient Shiloh, the religious and military capital of Israel during the times of the Judges. It was in Shiloh that the tabernacle became a permanent strcuture for 369 years. From here we drive to Galilee, where we will stay at the Ron Beach Hotel, beautifully located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Today we will retrace the steps of Jesus in Galilee. We will walk through the countryside where Jesus often taught, see the remains of an ancient boat that dates to the time of Jesus, and sail on the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. In Capernaum, we will stand in the ruins of a 4th century synagogue built on the site of the syngagogue in which Jesus taught. We will also see the remains of what is thought to have been Peter’s house and the place where Jesus healed a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12). After lunch, we will visit two other towns Jesus frequented: Chorazin and Magdala.

Today we will visit several important sites in the Golan Heights. We will travel to Gamla, a Jewish community located ten miles northwest of Capernaum. Gamla is where Jewish zealots first emerged in protest against Roman taxation (Acts 5:37). Here we will see the remains of one of the oldest synagogues from the time of Jesus. After lunch, we will visit a reconstructed Talmudic Village in Katzrin, and see what homes in Capernaum would have looked like in Jesus’ day. We will also visit Caesarea Philippi, the place where Peter first confessed that Jesus was the Messiah (Matt 16:13-20).

Today we will visit the Temple Mount, the original site of the Jewish Temple and current home of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. It is here that Jesus directly challenged the authority of the religious leaders by driving out the money-changers and merchants from the Temple (Mark 11). 

After lunch, we will visit the Herodian Quarter, where we will see the homes of the wealthy priestly families who lived in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. Some say one of these homes may even be the residence of the High Priest Annas, who was involved in the trial of Jesus (John 18:12). Our day concludes with a visit to the Sifting Project, where we will get to become archaeologists as we sift through dirt from the Old City looking for valuable remains from the past. After dinner, we will conclude our time together with a spectacular sound and light show at the Citadel of David.

In the morning, we will explore the City of David, the part of Jerusalem that dates to the time of King David. In addition to seeing the area that was once the palace of David and subsequent kings of Judea, you will also have the opportunity to walk through Hezekiah’s tunnel, a 1,500 foot long tunnel created in 701 BC to protect Jerusalem’s water source from the invading Assyrians (2 Chr 32:2-4). After lunch we will visit the Herodium, the palace-fortress Herod built just outside of Jerusalem, and then travel to Bethlehem to see the place where Jesus was born. After returning to  our hotel for supper, we will return to the Western Wall just before sunset to join hundreds of Jews in welcome in the Sabbath.

Today we will experience the fateful events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. We begin at the Mount of Olives, where Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem the Sunday of Passover Week. As we reflect on His betrayal, trial, and execution, we will make several stops on route to the Garden of Gethsemane. After lunch, we will walk on the Via Dolorosa as we make our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the place were Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. Then we will visit the Kidron Valley to reflect on the resurrection.

Depart for home from the Ben Gurion Airport in Israel with a transformed faith and memories to last a lifetime!