Reflections from the Newark Airport

In some ways, two weeks in Israel flies by, and in other ways, it is a long time to travel, learn, grow and experience the places where Jesus and the other Biblical figures walked. While we walked in the past quite a bit as we sifted through various archaeological and historical sites, there is also modern Israel, a nation with a unique identity and role in the world today. This being my fifth trip to this tiny nation, I was impressed by many things in the modern culture.

While both the United States and Israel are modern democracies, there are significant cultural differences between the two. We are not the same, and some people while traveling abroad seem to forget that fact. We expect those in whose country we are to react and respond the same way we would. What is funny to us is not always funny to another culture. What is acceptable one place is not another. What is appropriate one place is considered offensive in others. I saw that played out more than once on this trip, and I observed the “ugly American” coming out in various ways (not from any of our travelers, thankfully!). When we wonder why others in the world think we’re insensitive, rude or arrogant, perhaps we should stop and consider how ethnocentric our worldview is.

Language is a difficult barometer to judge a people by. When I listen to native Israelis speak, their language sounds harsh to my ears. Perhaps mine sounds harsh to their ears. Both Arabic and Hebrew are much more “guttural” languages—spoken from the gut and very different from English. Every time I hear their language, to my ears it sounds like they are arguing, even when there is laughter along with the spoken word. We can’t make assumptions about a people or an individual based on how they speak; we need to get to know them.

There are more young people traveling to Israel for a Holy Land pilgrimage than I have ever seen. Many, many people from various countries were teenagers or young adults. Some were there on study trips and others seemed to be on pilgrimages. This is a good thing. I started going when I was 27 years old. My daughter first came with me when she was 12, and my son has now visited Israel at age 21. I always remember how, on my first trip, my dear friend Charles (well into retirement) said, “I wish I had come so much earlier in my life.” He even pushed our Bishop at the time to establish a fund to help young clergy, newly ordained, to come to Israel. The younger we are when we begin to understand this “fifth Gospel,” the better.

The thing I talked to my group about several times is that we were there on a pilgrimage. We went to the Holy Land to encounter the presence and spirit of Jesus. We went to learn, to be sure, but not just to learn. We went to grow in our faith, to better understand the Scriptures and the Word made flesh. On this trip, like no other, I noticed people who, for lack of a better term, I would call “Tourist Christians.” They were there to simply get the pictures and move on. This was evident not just in the ridiculous amount of selfie sticks, but in those who pushed and rammed their way to the front. We were at the Garden Tomb, and our local guide was finishing his talk, lapsing into preaching about the resurrection of Jesus. We were seated in front of the tomb, and just as the guide invited us to enter the tomb and celebrate the risen Christ, another (much larger) group came bustling (loudly) down the steps, and each one took their turn standing in front of the tomb, smiling, to have their individual pictures taken. We had a difficult time getting in because of all the posing. I’m not sure how many of them even entered the tomb; they just wanted the picture. I had a similar experience at Gethsemane, as I was sitting on the steps of the Church of All Nations, enjoying a rare moment of quiet and prayer when, into my prayer, came a large group of bandana-wearing tourists, pushing me aside so they could get a group photo. Then they moved on to the next site, seemingly without even reflecting on where they were. I shook my head. I want to be a pilgrim, not a tourist. Faith is not something I just go see, take a picture and move on. Faith is a journey, a pilgrimage. I’m thankful for a group that did not come to be tourists, and because of that, we were able to experience Jesus in this Holy Land.