For the majority of my years as a pastor, I have used the ESV Bible for study, preaching and teaching.  I believe it is a great translation of the original Greek and Hebrew, but (let’s be honest) as an English speaker, we have a wealth of great translations available to us.  God uses the work of the translators to help us better understand His Word.

I wanted to write you today to commend another “translation” that you may want to access … the 3-D Bible.  The 3-D Bible is not available in print, but it is accessible via a trip March 13-23, 2026 to Israel.  On this trip, we will explore in real life the land where many of the key events in the Bible took place, including the earthly life and ministry of Jesus.  

Together we will explore the Dead Sea, the Negev desert, and Masada.  We will see the oasis of Engedi where David hid from King Saul.  We will see the Essene community where John the Baptist lived, and view the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  We will walk the streets of a major city of the Decapolis and connect the dots as to why there was a “herd of swine” in Israel when Jesus healed the demoniac.  We will climb the hillsides of the Sea of Galilee and think about Jesus watching His disciples strain against the wind before He went to meet them on the water.  We will look down at the major roadways of the ancient world, and realize why the Great Commission was given in Galilee, not just in Jerusalem.  We will take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, view a first century fishing boat, and see baptisms in the Jordan River.  We will walk the hillsides where the Sermon on the Mount was preached, see the headwaters of the Jordan River, reflect on forming of the golden calves, and see the “gates of hell” where Jesus instructed the disciples about His journey to the cross.  We will spend time in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, and visit His home base for ministry in Capernaum. We will see Megiddo (where the final battle will take place), take in the view from atop Mount Carmel where Elijah faced down the prophets of Baal, and walk the Roman streets of the man-made port city of Caesarea, where Paul was imprisoned for two years before his journey to Rome.  We will see the shepherd’s field and likely site of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem.  We will walk the “Palm Sunday” road down the Mount of Olives and up into the city of Jerusalem.  We will explore Hezekiah’s tunnel and imagine David’s mighty men claiming the capital city.  We will see the retaining wall around the Temple Mount area, and the many sites around Jerusalem where significant events have occurred.  We will look at the stones cast down from the Temple from its destruction in 70AD, just as Jesus prophesied.  We will see the likely place of crucifixion, and peer into the empty tomb.

The Bible, in 3D.

We have 30 spots left on this trip, and would love to have you join us.  I will be leading the trip with my good friend, and Israeli tour guide Arie Harel.  Together, Arie and I will help provide the historical and biblical context for what we are seeing, and connect the significance of these moments to our spiritual lives.  The trip is “all inclusive” covering airfare, food, hotel, ground transportation, park entry, professional guide, bottle water, and even tips.  It is an amazing experience and I’d love to have you join us.

Reach out to me and let me know if you are interested and I’ll get you more information ( markrobinson@wildwoodchurch.org ).  The trip involves walking 2-3 miles a day on cobblestone type surfaces, up and down hills, but the hotels and food are great, and we are traveling at a time of year before it gets too hot.  A deposit secures your spot, and the rest of the funds are not due until 90 days before travel.  Hope you are able to join us!

Dear Friends,

Have you ever wanted to walk where the majority of the events in the Old and New Testament took place?  Ever wanted to see the city of Jerusalem, take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, float in the Dead Sea, or be baptized in the River Jordan?

From March 13-23, 2026, I am leading a tour of Israel with my good friend and Israeli guide Arie Harel.  We will be touring a number of important sites, and I will be teaching on the biblical significance of the things we are seeing as we go.  Great food, great friends, and an experience you will never forget.

I realize that next March 13, 2026 is over a year away … but now really is the time to sign up.  If you sign up before next Thursday, you can save $100 off your trip cost.  A $500 deposit to our tour provider secures your spot.  Want more details (and registration materials?)  Contact me at markrobinson@wildwoodchurch.org. Space is limited and spots are first come, first served, so if you are interested … sign up today!

Dear Friends,

Have you ever wanted to walk where Jesus walked and to see the land where the majority of the events in the Old and New Testament occurred?  Then make plans to join me in Israel on Spring Break 2026!  My good friend and Israeli guide Arie Harel and I will be leading a tour visiting many of the most prominent biblical sites in Israel.  We will learn so much together experiencing the Bible in 3-D!  The trip is from March 13-23, 2026, and now is the time to register.  A deposit will secure your spot.  Email me at markrobinson@wildwoodchurch.org and I will get you more details.  Hope you can join us in 2026!

Just outside the walls of Jerusalem’s old city, nestled between mosques, coffee shops, parking lots, and a cemetery sits the most historically important location in the history of the world.  It is here (at a location now called “The Garden Tomb”) that Jesus most likely was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

Of course, we cannot know for certain that this is the actual location of these events, but it is very probable.  The Romans typically crucified their prisoners outside the city walls along major highways.  This was meant to both humiliate those being executed and serve as a deterrent to all who passed by.  The traditional site of the crucifixion (the Church of the Holy Sepulcher) is actually inside the city, making it unlikely that Jesus was killed there.

Furthermore, three of the four Gospel writers describe Jesus death as occurring at the “place of the skull” or “Golgotha.”  Inside the “Garden Tomb” complex is a hillside with three distinct caves located on it side facing Jerusalem . . . that look like the openings of two eyes and a nose on a human skull.

Also, this skull-like hill set alongside a prominent highway in the first century . . . the Road to Damascus.  Again, this makes this site consistent with the kinds of places where Romans crucified prisoners. 

Finally, in close proximity to Golgotha was a Garden where Joseph of Arimathea would have buried Jesus quickly after His death.  Archaeological evidence has confirmed various olive presses in this “garden” as well as a cave like tomb.

All this makes it probable that the Garden Tomb (or someplace like it close by) is the location of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection.  Or course, I say “probable” because we cannot really know for sure.  The reason why we can’t know for sure is because JESUS IS NOT THERE!  HE IS RISEN!!!!!

In the summer of 1995 I was a part of a 6 week mission trip to Russia.  On our way out of the country, we stopped in Moscow and visited Red Square.  While there, I walked inside Lenin’s Tomb and saw the father of Soviet communism literally floating in formaldehyde.  His tomb was occupied.  This made my visit to Red Square historical, but but holy.

Visiting the Garden Tomb however, was totally different.  The tomb was empty, therefore my eternity can be full.  Jesus was indeed the Son of God, punctuated by His triumph over the grave.  The resurrection is an overwhelmingly powerful piece of historical evidence pointing to the fact that Jesus Christ is indeed the promised Savior of the world.

As we visited the tomb, one by one, we entered the tomb, then emerged (most of the time with tears in our eyes.)  I sat there watching all 40 of my travel mates walk into and out of the tomb.  It was a reminder to me of Romans 6:3-4.  These verses say:

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

When we trust in Christ, it is as if we were buried with Christ.  We walk with Him into the tomb and leave behind all our sin.  Then we get to walk out of the tomb identified with Christ and able to live in a newness of eternal life.  It was a tomb baptism of sorts.

How about you?  Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins?  Have you identified with His death, burial and resurrection?  If not, you need not enter the Garden Tomb literally.  By faith, you can spiritually identify with Him and be saved. 

He is not there.  He is risen just as they said!

On Good Friday morning, Jesus was stripped, beaten, scourged, and mocked — all while Roman and Jewish leaders debated about how to handle their famous prisoner.  Of course, Jesus fate was already determined as we saw back in the Garden of Gethsemane.  God’s will was that Jesus lay down His life as a ransom for all our sins.

Eventually, the decision was made by Pontius Pilate to send Jesus to Golgotha for crucifixion.  Before doing so, however, Pilate gives one last declaration to the crowd . . . a statement that was intended to embarrass the Jewish leaders even more than Jesus Himself.  Pilate walked Jesus in front of the crowd outside his fortress.  The crown of thorns on Jesus head and purple robe draped about His shoulders could not hide the grotesque injuries He had received underneath.  Under his cross examination, Pilate had found that Jesus had done nothing wrong – and he told the Jewish mob as much.  Then these events transpired:

“So Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.  Pilate said to them, ‘Behold the man!’  When the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.’ (John 19:5-6)”

Eventually Pilate gives in and sentences Jesus to be crucified. 

While visiting the city of Jerusalem, one of the stops we had was at the Ecce Homo Convent, a location managed by the Ladies of Zion.  This convent is located on the site where the Antonia Fortress stood during Jesus’s day.  The Antonia Fortress was built by King Herod to house Roman troops in the city of Jerusalem.  Pilate probably had his office there.  The convent’s name (Ecce Homo) is Latin for “Behold the Man.”  It is believed that this location is where Jesus was presented by Pilate to the masses in John 19.

The convent sits along the Via Dolorosa, the traditional path Jesus walked to the cross.  There are many stunning sculptures and paintings on the Via Dolorosa to stop by and reflect upon what Jesus has done for us.  Remember, however, the modern city of Jerusalem (even its old parts) are built on top of ruins that date back years and years.  The roads you walk at street level are not the same roads Jesus traversed.  To see the original roads, you need to go underground.

Beneath the Ecce Homo Convent in a dimly lit portion of the basement is a section of stones that are indeed original to the first century.  They are the very road Jesus would have walked on the way to the cross. 

It is hard to describe the emotion in the room as our tour group stood on that road.  Above us (at street level) thousands of people were bustling about, but underground all was quiet.  The weight of the historical moment fell like a beam across our shoulders.  Jesus had really died.  He had really carried the cross that was meant for you and me.  It really happened . . . in history . . . in this place. 

Our God is righteous and just.  He will bring to account all sin and unrighteousness.  Someday, all people will be brought before Him and it will be said of us, “Behold the man (or woman),” and our lives will be on display for Him to see.  Though I have met some pretty amazing people in this world, I have never met a perfect one.  This will pose an enormous problem for humanity as we stand before God on judgement day, He beholds us, and issues a judgement.  On our own, we simply have no hope before a Holy and Just God.

However, there is another possibility.  Our God is also gracious.  In His grace and mercy, God has made a way for us to be judged, NOT on the basis of our works, but on the basis of Jesus’s works.  If we trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, on judgement day, when we stand before God, we will be able to say – “Behold the Man” . . . and point to Christ.  His righteousness will cover the wounds of our sin like a royal robe.  The death that He died on the cross that He carried will be sufficient to satisfy all of God’s wrath concerning our sins.

How about you?  In faith, can you say – “Behold the Man?”

Religion is common to all mankind.  Since people are created in the image of God, they have eternity placed in their hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This causes people everywhere to (at the very least) have a divine curiosity.  Sin, however, causes our interest in God to be expressed in bizarre ways.  False religions, odd practices, and just plain old selfishness are common in virtually all expressions of religious worship in the world.

Even among Christians, weird religious practices can develop over time.  One such example of this is found at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.  This church was created by the Roman Emperor Constantine’s mother (Helena) during the fourth century AD.  It was built to commemorate the site where Jesus was crucified and buried.  There are good reasons to believe that this was NOT in fact the location of the crucifixion, but the site has endured for 1,700 years nonetheless.  Because of the traditional ties to its location, many different Christian religious traditions want to have a presence at the site.  The Roman Catholics, Coptic Orthodox, Armenians Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and Syrian Orthodox all manage sections of this church.  For good measure, the Lutherans have a place just across the street.  Given its diverse blend of traditions, you might think that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a picture of Christian unity around the cross.  There is evidence, however, that not all things are ecumenical.

Right above the church’s main entrance there is a ladder that sits on the balcony resting against a window sill.  This ladder (made of cedar wood) is a simple maintenance ladder.  It is not original to the church’s design and currently serves no purpose.  However, no one wants to move the ladder.  It has been standing at its current location for around 300 years.  It shows up in artwork done of the church dating back at least that far.  Given the ornate splendor of the inside of the church, you think someone would just remove the ladder to clean up the church’s appearance . . . but the various ecclesiastical leaders who oversee the church cannot agree on what to do with it.  No one is definite on who put the ladder there or for what purpose, but the different denominational leaders cannot agree on who should take it down.  Church politics and a general lack of unity and trust have kept that meager ladder front and center for nearly half a millennia.

Seeing that ladder made me laugh.  Not just because it looked so out of place in Jerusalem, but because I know a few “ladders” like that in churches found all over the world.  Sometimes we Christians don’t get along the way Jesus intends.  We fail to communicate about programs that no longer serve their purpose or styles that no longer relate.  Rather than talk about it and make the necessary changes, we simply leave the ladder leaning against the wall. 

Isn’t it interesting how easy it is to see those things in someone else’s house?

6 million.  It is hard to wrap your mind around a number that large.  Yet in Israel, this number means a lot.  6 million is the number of Jews currently living in the nation of Israel (of the estimated 12 million people who live between the Mediterranean Sea on the West and the Jordan River on the East.)  6 million Jews live in the Promised Land.  6 million is also the number of Jews who died in the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis during World War II.

6 million alive today.  6 million killed then.  Knowing those two numbers puts our entire Israel trip into context.  We saw but a fraction of the people of Israel during our trip . . . but it still felt like we saw a lot.  Just imagining the number of people we saw during our 9 days in country dying at the hands of a madman is hard to fathom . . . much less all 6 million of them.  How could this possibly be?

As a theologian, I understand the nature of man.  I understand that we are sinful and separated from God.  I understand that humans are capable of selfishness that rises to extraordinary levels.  However, it is still hard for me to imagine Hitler and the Nazis doing what they did.

While touring the Israel National Holocaust Museum (Yad Vashem) in Jerusalem, we encountered hundreds of Israeli Air Force soldiers.  They were visiting the museum as a necessary part of their training.  The Holocaust occurred a lifetime ago, and today’s Jewish soldiers have not had to live through its trials.  Previous generations of soldiers knew why they were fighting.  Today’s soldiers have to be taught through the harrowing tales shared on the walls of the museum. 

The preservation of the Jewish people through the Holocaust and the modern nation of Israel today is a testimony/reminder of God’s provision for these people.  The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel prophesied about the return of the nation of Israel, and today that prophecy has become a reality.  Walking the nation of Israel, I had 6 million reminders that God makes good on His promises.

There are some very beautiful places in the world on every continent.  The nation of Israel is no different.  There are striking locations in Israel to be sure . . . the waterfalls of Ein Gedi in the East, the rugged beauty of the Judean wilderness in the South, the tranquil beauty of the Sea of Galilee in the North, and the Mediterranean coastlands in the West.  However, the most beautiful part of creation I saw in Israel was the people . . . one person in particular.

Our tour group had an Israeli tour guide. I learned about the land and its people through his experience and heard their story through his voice.  Our guide was the most beautiful part of our trip.  I mean that.  He was generous, gracious, intelligent, and kind.  He did not just show us the sites, he showed us his heart.  His parents both lost their first spouse in the Holocaust.  After World War II, his parents settled in Israel and he was born and raised there.  Like most in Israel, he spent a section of his youth serving in the Israeli Army, leading a group of tanks in the 1973 war in Sinai.  Given his family’s history, it is not hard to see how he always knew why he was fighting and the significance of the land he now feels privileged to give tours of.

When our guide was growing up, the Jews had no access to Jerusalem.  Though they possessed part of the land, they could not ascend to Jerusalem for worship.  It was not until 1967 that the Jews were able to once again return to worship in Jerusalem.  It is hard for me to fully grasp the significance of the Jews regaining Jerusalem.  Israel’s Temple was destroyed in 70 AD and the Jews did not regain control of the city for nearly two millennia!  After the 1967 war, the Jews once again were able to worship in the city of Zion. 

Our guide relayed the story of his first trip to Jerusalem in 1967 . . . walking up the Southern Steps of the city singing one of the Psalms of Ascent walking hand in hand with his father – a Holocaust survivor.  He described it as one of the highlights of his life.  I can easily see why.  In fact, it was a highlight of my trip to Israel as well.  Hearing the story initially brought tears to my eyes.  Writing it down here causes me to cry yet again.  It is just such a beautiful moment.

Our guide was so generous to share that experience with us; he even invited us to join him in walking up the Southern Steps  – hand in hand – just like he had done with his father nearly 50 years earlier.  He sang the Psalm in Hebrew for us – praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

The architecture of the Southern Steps is interesting.  The steps are at varying heights and depths.  This was not a flaw in the design, but a songbook of sorts.  The different sizes indicating different parts of the Psalms of Ascent to be sung from each step.  It was a joy to worship together.

Most people go to Israel to see God, and they look beneath the rocks and the ruins.  I think it is probably better to find God in the face of those who were created to bear His image.  Thankfully this is a journey we can take every day.  God’s image bearers are everywhere on this planet, reminding us of the gracious God who created us.

Thanks Arie, for being the most beautiful part of our journey.

See a video of our guide talking to us from the Southern Steps: 

I am somewhat scared of the dark.  I have been for most of my life.  When I was a little kid, I remember leaving a lamp on in my room and my Dad would tip toe into my room after I went to sleep to turn it off.  That was how I found comfort in the darkness.

I was thinking about that experience as I walked my way through a series of tunnels (in the dark) beneath the “City of David” section of Jerusalem, just outside the Old City’s walls.  Before there was a Temple Mount or the Pools of Bethesda or the Beautiful Gate, there was a mighty Jebusite fortress found clinging to the side of Mount Moriah protecting a small village.  This fortress had proven to be nearly impossible to take.  While the Israelites had advanced over much of the territory in their conquest of the land, the Jebusite city still stood in the hands of the Canaanites.

As a boy, David tended sheep in the fields surrounding the little town of Bethlehem.  As he tended those sheep, no doubt he looked up at the mighty Jebusite fortress standing in mockery of the Jewish conquest.  The Jebusite town was strategic, both for its location (virtually in the center of the Promised Land) and its natural resources (protection by the surrounding hills and access to a fresh water source.)  Because of this, I am sure David dreamed of Israel one day possessing this stronghold.

Once David became King, he led his army in an attack on the Jebusites in order to take the mighty fortress.  Because of its strong fortifications, the Jebusites were not worried about David’s attack.  As a matter of fact, as David approached, the Jebusites taunted him saying, “You will not come in here but the blind and the lame will ward you off! (2 Samuel 5:6)”  The Jebusites looked at the size of their fortress and felt there is no way the Israelites would ever make it inside.  David, however, had other plans.

In David’s time walking around the Jebusite city, he noticed the water tunnels built to take the fresh water inside the fortress walls.  Rather than attacking the Jebusites head on, David and his men entered the water tunnels in pure darkness and infiltrated the city through their “pipes.”  This story is told to us in the balance of 2 Samuel 5.  On our visit to Jerusalem, we got to walk in those very water tunnels, and look up the shaft that David’s men would have had to ascend in order to take the city.  The shaft was narrow, long, and tall.  There was not room for men to walk side by side, but the soldiers would have had to walk one in front of the other into enemy territory.  As we visited this point, I could not help but think that these men must have had their hearts nearly beating out of their chests as they made their ascent into the city!

It must have been in that moment of their fear that their Heavenly Father turned on a “lamp” for them to quiet their souls.  David and his men indeed won the victory that day, and the Jewish capital would be established in Jerusalem (where the Jebusites had once resided) for the next 1,000 years.

What are you facing right now that is causing you to fear?  What must you face (seemingly) alone with no one else by your side?  Cancer? Divorce? Death of a loved one?  Being put on academic probation?  What is it?  There are real things in this life that are really scary . . . that really inspire fear in our hearts.  Our hope is not in avoiding fearful things.  Our hope is in having courage when we have reason to fear.  This is only possible when we realize that our Heavenly Father can turn on a light and remind us that we are never alone.  The Body of Christ is around us, the Spirit is inside of us, and our Abba is watching over us.  Fear not!  God can conquer the darkness you are facing as well and give you possession of the city.

My son loves watching the Disney cartoon “Phineas and Ferb.”  Each episode of this television series follows the same arc . . . Phineas and his brother Ferb design amazing creations allowing them to do a variety of wonderful things, all under the watchful eye of their sister Candice, who is on a perpetual quest to “bust” her brothers by showing their dangerous creations to their parents.  Every single episode ends with the brother’s creation somehow disappearing before Mom or Dad find out.

I was thinking about that story line while reflecting on the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.  This large public pool with five covered colonnades near Jerusalem’s Sheep Gate is the location of a prominent miracle of Jesus in John 5:1-17.  For nearly 2,000 years, archaeologists searched for, but could not find, this pool.  This lack of discovery caused scholars to wonder aloud if the Pool was an invention of the author of the Gospel of John . . . an assertion that would submarine the historical integrity of the fourth Gospel.  It was as if the Pool of Bethesda had simply disappeared at the end of the episode before moderns Moms and Dads could find it.

Then in the 19th century, archaeologists discovered a pool near St. Anne’s Church in Jerusalem’s Muslim quarter that some believed may be the Pool of Bethesda.  Further expansion of the dig in 1964 revealed a vast area that resembles both the location and description of the Pool!  Though it took nearly 2,000 years, modern skeptics were busted by archaeological evidence once again. 

One of the striking things about touring the Holy Land was seeing the archaeological evidence that consistently backs up the biblical record.  It is a reminder to us that we do not have a religion based on fairy tales or cartoons.  We follow a God who revealed Himself in history . . . including at the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the crippled man in John 5.  Seeing this proof reminds me that we can trust Jesus to heal our souls as well.