[Lessons from Israel] Part 4: Three Ingredients To Sustain Life

Every town that was built up in Israel had three important ingredients:  they had a source of water; a source of food; and a main road. The road would have been constructed because of the water and food source.  On the tour of Israel, whenever we visited a “tel,” (ruins of an ancient city) our tour guide reminded us that this particular city was located on that site because that land had a spring or a river.  This water source allowed the cultivation of wheat, out of which would come the bread to sustain their lives.  These two factors, water and bread, propelled the people to create at least one main road.  This road would lead out of their city to the next village where again there would be water, bread and a route to travel on.This historical fact made one of my favorite sayings of Jesus much more meaningful. Notice our Lord’s words in John 14:6:  “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.”I am equating the word “Truth” with Spirit and water, for the sake of this idea.  Often “Spirit” in Scripture is synonymous with “water.”   When the Holy Spirit is in us, out of us flow rivers of living water.  (John 7:38).  Jesus is “water.” I am equating the word “Life” with bread.  Jesus referred to himself as the Bread of Life in John 6.  “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  Whoever eats this bread will live forever.  This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (J. 6:51)  Jesus is bread, life-sustaining food.I am pointing out the fact that “Way” refers to a route or a road. “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.”  (Is. 35:8).  I can just hear Jesus reading the scroll of Isaiah, declaring, “This is what the LORD says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.’” (Is. 48:17)  Jesus is  the Way, “the main route.”Just as the Israelites had to consider whether their living environment would have water (spirit of truth), food (bread of life), and a route (way to live), I hope you take inventory of your “town”.  Is your home established on these three important factors:  Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life?Photograph of Bethany Kuenzli at Tagbha, the fishing port on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus supposedly served Peter a breakfast of fish following the Lord’s resurrection. In Christ,