"Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jericho," sang Val on our bus as we made our way through the Judean desert to this ancient place, the oldest, continually inhabited city in the world. Since 8,000 BC people have made their home in Jericho. A spring has created an oasis in the desert, allowing for habitation.
It was in these sands as a man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, as we are, that the story of the Good Samaritan unfolded.
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to rest him and said, "Teacher, what much I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. " He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by the opposite side. Likewise, a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."Luke 10:25-37
In Jericho, we had Mass at the courtyard of the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Fr. Michael, Betsy, Val, Kathleen, Molly, and Geralyn present a dramatization of Luke's gospel story of Zacchaeus, who lived in Jericho. Zacchaeus was a hated tax collector, who likely extorted more from the people than was owed and was rich.
Peacocks, an early Christian symbol of the Resurrection, strutted around the courtyard.
Children at recess.
After Mass, we drove by a sycamore tradition says Zacchaeus' Tree. It was likely not alive in the time of Jesus. In the story of Zacchaeus, Jesus was passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem for the last time.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.Luke 19:1-10
He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.
When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.
All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”
Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
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