I just returned from a week-long tour of Israel. I’m incredibly jetlagged–when I wake up, it takes a few seconds to remember what side of the Atlantic I’m on–and the whole trip still seems somewhat surreal, like I spent seven days walking around in a dream.
But it was a good dream, with highlights too numerous to count. I floated in the Dead Sea, waded in the Jordan River, climbed Masada (well, I took the cable car up), and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where many believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
However, for me, the most meaningful time was spent in Galilee. There we visited Nazareth, Capernaum, and the surrounding towns in the lush, hilly region where Jesus carried out much of his ministry. I always imagined Jesus traversing great distances between cities (probably projecting from my American context), but in Israel everything is smaller and closer together–including the cities. I was shocked when our tour guide informed us that the bulk of Jesus’ ministry took place in an area that spanned no more than 10 square miles. And 2000 years ago, the “cities” of Galilee were actually villages. Scholars estimate that Nazareth likely contained fewer than 200 people during Jesus’ time.
Theologians talk about “The Scandal of Particularity,” the difficult truth that the Savior of all humankind was born into a particular culture at a particular time in history. Being in Galilee only intensified this scandal for me. Not only did Jesus come to one place; it was a very small place. And it was hardly the center of the world. Galilee was located in the backwaters of the Roman Empire. It was a place even other Jews regarded as insignificant. And yet, this is where God chose to have his Son spend the majority of his short ministry.
That got me thinking, not just about Jesus’ ministry, but our ministries as well. How many times do we complain–either aloud or silently–that the ministry we’ve been given is unimportant? How often do we eye “more successful” leaders and wonder why we haven’t been given more influence?
In Israel I was reminded that such questions aren’t all that important to God. He cares much more about the depth of our faithfulness than the level of our popularity. He knows that the present scope of your ministry does not dictate its eternal impact. After all, though he sent his Son to the tiny villages of Galilee, he knew that in due time, the message would touch the entire world.
