Geography 101 - Up to Jerusalem

Almost the first fact our tour guide Aron mentioned on our first was, "Forget Canada when thinking of size".. Israel is SMALL!  Average driving time from north to south is 6 hours and 1 1/2 to 2 hours east to west in central Israel (Tel Aviv - Jerusalem - Jericho)
Israel stretches 424 km (263 mi) from north to south, and its width ranges from 114 km (71 mi) to, at its narrowest point, 15 km (9.3 mi).

From a Canadian perspective Israel is .7 of Vancouver island! Or the graphic shows the size of Israel in relation to Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley.  Population is 8.8 million which is roughly the combined population of Toronto and Montreal.  21% of the population is Arab (1.7 million).  

Interesting, but the vertical span more relevant.  The Dead Sea is 378 metres below sea level which for those gathering trivia knowledge tidbits this is 128 metres lower than the maximum depth that submarines operate at.  So as you join others by the Dead Sea you are together with the lowest humans in the world. Jerusalem is 754 metres above sea which makes for a difference of 1132 metres or 3714 feet!
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Now Jericho is 250 metres below sea level which means that when Jesus went up to Jerusalem (assuming he took the Jericho route), he would have climbed approximately 1000 metres (3280 feet).  That, together with all the other travelling we did, has given me a new appreciation for all the walking that Jesus did. Some suggest that Jesus walked 3,125 miles (5,029 km) during his ministry and a total of 21,525 Miles (34,640 km) in his life. That is almost the distance around the world at the equator.  I take these figures with a grain of salt but they do underscore the fact that Jesus walked a lot.  When the bus when up to Jerusalem from Jericho - climbing, climbing, climbing - the simple phrase "up to Jerusalem" took on new meaning.  The phrase occurs a number of times in relation to Christ and approximately 25 times in the Scripture.

During my time as conductor of the Ambassador Choir, one of our programs was based on the Psalms of Assent (Ps 120-134). Many believe these psalms were sung as the Israel people went up to Jerusalem for the feasts three times a year.. Quite the journey and the road must have gotten crowded the closer you got to Jerusalem.  You might say it was the first century version of the hundreds to tour buses that are seen in Jerusalem during the tourist season.  We read these psalms, sung portions of them, recited them but now they have new meaning to me - especially the following verses  In my mind I can see and hear the pilgrims encouraging one another on the steep climb.  In my imagination I see Jesus among them, as a young boy, then as a man on his final ascent to face death for us.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2 (ESV)

Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together,
to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord. Psalms 122:3-4

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,  so the Lord surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.  Psalms 125:1-2 (ESV)

For the Lord has chosen Zion; 
he has desired it for his dwelling place: Psalms 132:13 (ESV)