The Road to Jericho (Good Samaritan)

On our first trip south, the day we went to Masada, we took a detour off the main highway onto a gravel road in the Judean Desert.  As we followed this road, we were swallowed up in rolling hills and rocky, barren, desert landscape.  This was the area, the road to Jericho, in which the story of the Good Samaritan was set.  

We stopped and walked along the road and reflected on how sterile this area was and just how deep the valleys and high the rolling hills.  It added perspective to the desperate conditions of the person who had fallen among thieves, left in need of help along the roadside.  We also discussed the implications of the first two who passed him by – the great measures required to go out of their way so that they could avoid getting involved.

The contrast and diversity between different parts of Israel is interesting.  In the north it is green and fertile.  In the south it is mostly dry, rocky, and barren.  Also, descending from the heights of Jerusalem – the fortress on a hill – to the Dead Sea located well below sea level, was an enlightening experience.

On another day we took a different side-trip off the highway in this same general area and interacted with some Bedouin merchants.  Here, without intending to do so (I couldn’t help myself), I bought a turquoise necklace for $5.