We
continue - and conclude - a 7 part series about Jerusalem and the Christian
pilgrim.
Part
01:
We learned that Christians have been visiting the holy city of Jerusalem since
the beginning of the church. Christians of all stripes constitute 60% or more
of incoming visitors to Israel.
Part
02: The
effect of worldwide tourism on overall pilgrim numbers.
Part
03: After
the 1967 Six Day War, number of visitors to Jerusalem increased due to the ‘tradition
of pilgrimage’ and the innovation of modern tourism.
Part
04: When
is a Christian visitor a ‘tourist’ and when is he/she a ‘pilgrim.’
Part
05: A
continuation of identifying the Christian visitor as ‘tourist’ or ‘pilgrim.’
Part
06: The
nature of today’s Christian visits to Jerusalem.
Now,
in this 7th and final part, we will finalise the identity and nature of
Christian visits.
First,
when you contrast modern tourism with traditional pilgrimage, a Christian
visitor, coming on a tourist visa, can still be a fully bona fide pilgrim. Just
because there is a strong tourist element, similar to many secular tours, does
not mean the journey lacks faith or inspiration. As we learned, being a pilgrim
is less about activities and more about faith in the heart.
Like
in the early years of the church, there are parallels with visits today. There
is less an emphasis on visiting shrines or conducting liturgy, especially since
Protestants, evangelicals, and Pentecostals constitute a high-number of
visitors to Jerusalem. This is ironic, since these categories of Christians do
not have a strong tradition of pilgrimage. In Europe, where Catholic shrines
number in the 100s, Protestant pilgrim sites are only 10 continent-wide.
Today’s
Christians visit sites that are non-classical, non-traditional, educational,
etc. For example, many tours which spend a limited amount of time in Nazareth
may elect to visit Nazareth Village, an educational site that recreates the
Nazareth of Jesus’ day, rather than visit the Church of the Annunciation (the
largest church building int he Middle East) and nearby Mary’s Well.
Conferences, study breaks, religious marches, visits to non-Christian or
non-Biblical sites, are some of the other ‘non-traditional activities’ they may
partake.
A couple of major differences between ancient pilgrimage and today:
modern pilgrims usually spend less time - significantly less - in the City of
the Bible than the ancients. This is understandable: ancient people endured a
long journey to get to Jerusalem and felt a long sojourn of several weeks,
months, or years, was in order. Today’s visitor may spend no more than 10-14
days on tour nation-wide, not just in Jerusalem.
Second, the pace was very different - the ancients tarried and spent
time in devotion. Modern visitors are eager to see as much as they can - as
quickly as they can - and it can make for a superficial coverage of the given
site.
A third and major difference - even a painful one - is that ancient
pilgrims had significant and meaningful interaction with local Christians,
often times worshipping and/or boarding with them. This is much less the case
with modern pilgrims. Many are often unaware that there are local Christians
with whom to fellowship. Even if they are aware, they may be uninterested in
connecting due to denominational or even political differences. Besides, the
touring schedule is ‘tight’ and many barely have time to breathe, let alone
slow down enough to meet with local Christians. The danger of this approach is
treating the holy land like Disneyland, altogether forgetting that Jerusalem is
not an amusement park, but a vibrant city where 850,000 people call home.
Another possibility that can cause pain and division is politics. Modern
Israel is highly politicised on all sides. One has to be very deft on avoiding
any political entanglement. The June 2018 visit of HRH Prince William was a
case in point, the first official of the royal family in 70 years. British
royals have to be scrupulous to convey political neutrality wherever and with
whomever they may be. Visiting Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and the West Bank put
Williams’ regal upbringing to the test. t By all accounts, he successfully
walked the tight-rope, stayed above the fray, and managed to pleased most
everyone.
Summary
First, the pattern and nature of Christian visits to Jerusalem have
changed since the June 1967 (Six Day) War. Instead of drawing from mainly local
Middle East Christians, the post-1967 visitors are worldwide, including from
countries that have not diplomatic relations with Israel. Overall numbers of
Christian visitors have steadily risen in most recent decades.
Second, it has been argued that a Christian, with faith in his or her
heart, is a ‘pilgrim,’ not just a ‘tourist.’ A pilgrim is a person of faith on
a long journey to a sacred destination. The journey itself is a ‘pilgrimage’ and
the person making the journey is a ‘pilgrim.’ It doesn’t matter what they do -
visit Christian or Biblical sites, or conduct liturgies and services or not -
as much as who they are. The Bible teaches that our entire earthly life is a
pilgrimage, travelling on a journey to a sacred city, whose builder and maker
is God (Hebrews 11:10). So since our earthly life in faith is a pilgrimage,
then visiting the City of the Bible, mentioned 811 times in Scripture, has to
be a pilgrimage, too. In recognition of the ‘faith-based’ nature of Christian
visits, combined with a strong element of mass tourism, perhaps we can offer a
unique title for all believers who come to Jerusalem:
Biblical
Tourists
Rev. Dr. Kameel Majdali is Director
of Teach All Nations (tan.org.au). ‘Jerusalem Christian
Pilgrimage’ was the subject of his PhD thesis at Melbourne University. He
teaches and preaches God’s Word worldwide.
Dr. Kameel has led 38 Bible land
tours. For further information on the 2019 tours, log onto: tan.org.au
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