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RECOVERING THE WAY: HOW ANCIENT DISCOVERIES HELP US FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS TODAY

Introduction | Jesus’ Footsteps: Finding Jesus’ Way

“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” (Matthew 28:6)

Story: The First Day of the Week

Hurrying through the darkened streets of Jerusalem, Mary of Magdala looked back and could just make out the forms of the other women disciples following her. She sensed the dawning day before she could see it, as a dim light began to emerge as they exited the city walls through the Garden Gate. Mary paused to let the others to catch up, calling, “Hurry, we need to be there when the sun comes up!” As they approached the old quarry, long since converted into a garden cemetery, they saw the hulking outline of the rock of Golgotha, the place where the Romans carried out their most gruesome executions. The women shuddered as they hurried past the bloody rock. Mary blinked back the tears pooling in her eyes.

Even in the gray light of the dawning day, there was no mistaking the nearby tomb in which Jesus’ body had been laid. It was newly cut in the rock wall of the quarry and fitted with an expensive rolling stone. On Friday afternoon the women had watched carefully as Joseph and Nicodemus pried loose a wedge holding the massive stone back, allowing it to roll down in its carved slot and seal Jesus inside with a dull thud.

“Do you still have the spices?” Mary asked Joanna. Joanna held up the expensive package to show Mary that nothing was missing. The men had done their best to anoint Jesus’ body for burial, but they were rushed by the setting of the Sabbath sun. Now the female followers of Jesus were determined to honor their Rabbi by finishing the job, regardless of the risks. Mary’s eyes strained in the early morning gloom, as she looked for the squad of Roman soldiers who had been dispatched to guard the tomb. She had no idea how they would convince these hardened men to break the seal and roll back the stone, but if there was one thing she had learned from Jesus, it was to trust God for what seemed impossible.

“Where are they?” whispered Salome, her voice betraying the fear she felt at the thought of confronting the soldiers. None of the women answered because the Romans were nowhere to be found. But that was far from the biggest surprise. The women were soon dumbfounded to discover the tomb’s stone had already been rolled back.

“Who did this?” gasped Mary the mother of James. Mary Magdalene bent over and looked inside the low doorway. In the growing light of dawn, she could just make out the shelf carved into the wall of the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid. A jolt of shock ran through her body as she realized the shelf was empty, save for a linen burial shroud. Mary let out a cry of horror as she came to the obvious conclusion. “Someone has stolen his body!”

Who was it? Why would they take him? What have they done with his body? These haunting questions swirled as Mary quickly retraced her steps to the home of Mary the mother of John Mark, in order to tell the other disciples what they had seen. The rest of the disciples rubbed sleep from their eyes and tried to comprehend what Mary was saying. “It’s a trap,” said Thomas, “I’m not going out there!” Finally, John and Peter decided to see for themselves. After running to the tomb, they arrived, crouched down, and went inside. They stared at the empty shelf and the strangely arranged grave cloths. Leaving the tomb (while arguing as usual), Peter and John made their way back to the house, confirming the women’s report to the rest of the disciples.

All the women could do now was wait outside the empty tomb and pray. They didn’t even have a body to anoint. Mary’s head pounded as she leaned against the cool limestone wall of the ancient quarry-turned-cemetery. As the early morning sun started spreading its light in this dark place, she began to weep, great sobs welling up from deep within. Lord God, who would do such a terrible thing?

Horrible images flashed through her mind like flickering flames from the watchman’s fire: Judas’ kiss in Gethsemane. Torches and soldiers. Swords and shouts. Caiaphas tearing his robes. The crowd shouting “crucify him!” Pilate washing his hands. It was like a bad dream that wouldn’t end. Mary fought back the sick feeling creeping up from the pit in her stomach. She desperately tried to blot out the excruciating memories of Jesus nailed to that bloody cross, crying out to his Father. It was as if those old familiar demons were trying to claw their way back in.

But something began to stir in Mary. Wiping away her tears, she bent over once again to look inside the rock-cut tomb. And there, on either end of the burial shelf, sat two angelic messengers. Mary fell to her knees in terror, then heard the divine messengers: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” In her shock, these angelic words were simply too much for her to comprehend.

Stumbling out of the tomb, overwhelmed and confused, Mary found the cemetery caretaker standing there and pleaded, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” But in response, Jesus’ voice cut through the jumbled maze in her heart and mind, suddenly making sense of it all. “Mary.” She blinked, hardly able to believe what she heard. Could it really be him? It is him! She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Suddenly unspeakable tidal wave of joy washed over her, filling the bottomless pit of despair in her soul!

Falling at Jesus’ feet she clung to him, as did the other women, weeping still but now for joy. I will never let go of him. I will never let go! Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” And then he was gone! Talking excitedly among themselves, the women hurried back arm in ar into the walled city and through the streets to the upper room. Mary Magdalene burst through the outer door into the courtyard and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”[1]

The Power of Pilgrimage

What drew Mary and the other women back to the tomb where Jesus had been buried? Ostensibly it was to finish the job of anointing his body for burial, but something deeper was happening. It is a powerful experience to return to the places where transforming events have transpired. It can renew or deepen the impact of those transformational moments in our lives. The women went to the tomb that morning because they needed to see the place where Jesus had died and been buried. They needed to touch the stones and anoint his body. They needed to convince themselves it was not just a bad dream. And there they received the angel’s invitation to “Come, see the place where he lay.” They wanted closure, but they got so much more.

I remember the first time I visited Jerusalem in January 1986. As a twenty-one-year-old, I was meeting my best friend Stephen to spend a month doing research in the Holy Land for my history thesis. I arrived at night and somehow managed to find my way through the narrow, winding streets of the walled Old City to the guest house where I was staying. Like the women followers of Jesus, I was awake before dawn, so I decided to take a short hike across the Kidron Valley to the top of the Mount of Olives. From an ancient Jewish cemetery, I watched the first light illuminate Jerusalem’s skyline as it gradually spread out before me. It took my breath away. The City of David! The Temple of Solomon! The place of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection! Jesus’ ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! I had come for historical research but had no idea the personal impact this journey would have on me.

A pilgrimage is a journey to places where people have encountered God in order to share in that encounter once again. When the women went to the tomb, they expected an opportunity to anoint Jesus’ body and mourn, but the angels told them to look at that empty burial shelf and encounter the risen Jesus. That is exactly what happened, and they were forever changed! Ever since the women made that first pilgrimage, the followers of Jesus returned to the places where he lived and carried out his mission in order to encounter him in new ways. For over thirty years now I have been drawn back again and again to visit and study the places of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in order to understand and experience more fully the significance of Jesus and the singular life he lived.

My wife Pam and I and our newborn son lived in the Old City of Jerusalem for an academic year while I studied New Testament archaeology there. Since then I have led over thirty trips to the Holy Land to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We are very clear that our trips are not “tours,” because we are not tourists and are not sightseeing. We are Christian pilgrims practicing the ancient spiritual discipline of pilgrimage by visiting, praying, and worshiping in the historically verifiable places where Jesus carried out his mission. This rare privilege has certainly brought us greater historical and cultural understanding of Jesus, and it has also provided countless opportunities to encounter the living Jesus in fresh and powerful ways. That is why we keep going back and taking people with us. Although we lead five or six of these two-week trips every year, we never tire of it because it is such a privilege to help people experience life-changing encounters in these historical places!

Let me be clear; as enlightening and transforming as a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Jesus can be, it would be heresy and idolatry to suggest you must travel to Israel to encounter God. Jesus told the disciples he would make his home inside of those who trust and follow him. When Jesus died the curtain enclosing the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn in two. God made it clear he is not confined to a building in Jerusalem but will inhabit the lives of his people wherever they live. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead made the way for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on all his followers. Jesus is not confined to one place on planet earth; he is always everywhere through the power of the Spirit. Jesus is just as real and present in your home, family, and neighborhood right now as he is in Jerusalem or Galilee! Jesus told Thomas, who believed because he saw, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Encountering him is not dependent on your ability to travel to the places where he carried out his mission; it is determined by your willingness to open yourself to his presence and respond in faith to his Word and the prompting of his Spirit.

Having said that, I will also say great value is found in pilgrimage that illuminates the Gospel accounts as we thoughtfully and prayerfully visit the significant sites of Jesus’ life. I am writing to share those insights with you. This book is an invitation to come with me on a virtual pilgrimage in the footsteps of Jesus in order to encounter him afresh and learn more fully the Way and the Truth and the Life he embodied here on earth. Whether you have ever been to the Holy Land or ever plan to go, as you open yourself to the Jesus who is real and present to you wherever you are and respond to him in faith, I am confident you will encounter him on the pilgrimage laid out in these pages.

Our Pilgrim Guide

A very adventurous friend of mine was traveling in Europe and on a whim decided to take a three-day side trip to Israel. He arrived with no specific knowledge of the country. After three days of exploration, he came away with some wonderful stories to tell, but because he had no guide he missed much of what a more informed pilgrimage could have offered. I don’t recommend this approach.

Starting in the fourth century, when followers of Jesus from other parts of the world began to make pilgrimages to the land of Jesus, pilgrims have recorded their experiences in journals that became guides for those who followed. It helps to have a trustworthy guide! Although we will be drawing on rich historical, cultural, archaeological, and geographical sources as well as my own experience, our primary guide on this pilgrimage will be the four eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection which have been preserved for us in the biblical books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

My elder son Robert works as a producer and director, designing and broadcasting professional gaming tournaments around the world. They record these events and stream them online using numerous cameras shooting from multiple angles in order to capture a more complete picture of the complex scene of teams, screens, and spectators in the arena. Their job is to mix the various shots into a seamless whole that invites the online viewers into the excitement of the tournament as if they were there in person.

It is no accident that the Bible contains four separate accounts of Jesus’ life, each one with its own distinct perspective, to give us a more complete view of Jesus’ remarkable life. There is great value in reading and studying each Gospel on its own and understanding that particular account of Jesus in the historical and cultural context of its author. However, on our pilgrimage the various “camera angles” of the four Gospels will be our guide. We will bring these perspectives together in order to enter more fully into the sweep of Jesus’ life as if we were actually there.

As we read the four Gospels and seek to form an accurate chronology of Jesus’ life, we quickly come face to face with the fact that the authors were not necessarily concerned with putting together a strictly linear account of the events and his teachings. In many ways they read more like the script of a postmodern film with flashbacks and flash forwards that can make the timeline difficult to discern. Initially the teaching and events of Jesus’ life were recounted from memory by those who were with Jesus, as part of the regular gatherings of the earliest generations of his followers. This made perfect sense in a primarily oral culture where writing was a specialized skill and written accounts were very laborious and expensive to copy.

Even today Middle Eastern people love to recount long and complex stories from memory. I remember years ago sitting on a rooftop in Jerusalem one night with a group of young Palestinian Christians and being amazed that they could recite epic poems that were ten or fifteen minutes long from memory! This was the storytelling culture of the earliest followers of Jesus. However, as the years went by, it became apparent that these oral accounts of the eyewitnesses needed to be written down while they were still alive to ensure these records would continue to be transmitted accurately to future generations.

Naturally each Gospel writer presented the events and teachings of Jesus in a way that would be most helpful for their community. Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis in the early second century, explains the writing of Mark’s Gospel this way, “Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the necessities of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a regular narrative of the Lord's sayings.”[2] As we read each Gospel carefully we begin to notice similarly unique approaches of each writer.

The Gospel of Mark, the shortest of the four biblical accounts of Jesus’ life, focuses for the first eight chapters on Jesus’ identity and the second eight chapters on Jesus’ ultimate destiny. John Mark’s writing has an immediacy that reads like a mystery novel building to a climactic revelation.  On the other hand, Matthew groups Jesus’ teachings into five major discourses, like the five books of the Jewish Law, framing Jesus as the Prophet like Moses who was foretold in the book of Deuteronomy. The Gospel of Matthew seems to be aimed at the Jewish community as it highlights the many ways Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy. John’s Gospel begins with a carefully crafted prologue modeled after the creation story in Genesis 1, brilliantly blending this with key phrases from Greek philosophers, reflecting his context as a church leader in Ephesus, one of the leading cities of the Greco-Roman world. Written later than the other Gospels, John’s account is more theologically developed and offers commentary on the meaning of Jesus’ teachings and actions.

Luke, a Gentile physician who was part of Paul’s team on his second and third missional journeys as well as his journey to Rome, is the only Gospel writer who demonstrates a deliberate concern for chronology. He explained his research methodology among the eyewitness in this dedication to his literary patron: Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4) As we combine the different Gospel accounts into our pilgrimage guide, we will look to Luke’s “orderly account” to help us discern a chronological framework of Jesus’ life and mission as it unfolds.

Learning to Follow the Way of Jesus

Everyone seems to be interested in Jesus; Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics, and atheists. This is not only because Jesus is considered by so many the greatest spiritual and ethical teacher of all time, but also because his way of life embodied that amazing teaching so completely. The integrity of Jesus’ life is such that, whether they believe the claims Jesus made or the claims made about him in the Gospels, people of integrity are compelled to respect and admire the life he lived.

Mahatma Gandhi, the great Hindu leader of India, described him this way, “Jesus Christ … was certainly the highest example of one who wished to give everything, asking nothing in return, and not caring what creed might happen to be professed by the recipient. I am sure that if he were living here now among men, he would bless the lives of many who perhaps have never even heard his name, if only their lives embodied the virtues of which he was a living example on earth; the virtues of loving one’s neighbour as oneself and of doing good and charitable works among one’s fellowmen. What, then, does Jesus mean to me? To me, he was one of the greatest teachers humanity has ever had. To his believers, he was God’s only begotten Son. Could the fact that I do or do not accept this belief make Jesus have any more or less influence in my life? Is all the grandeur of his teaching and of his doctrine to be forbidden to me? I cannot believe so.”[3]

In keeping with this perspective, many assume Christianity is a religion that calls its adherents to strive to live up to the moral teachings of Jesus and so gain God’s acceptance, much as Muslims strive to live up to the teachings of Muhammad to enter paradise or Buddhists strive to live up to the teachings of Buddha to attain nirvana. While in various times and places throughout history the movement of Jesus has devolved into this kind of moralistic religion, this is a fundamental misunderstanding of what he came to establish.

The reason the accounts of Jesus’ life are called “Gospels” is that Jesus’ teaching and example convey the Good News that we are loved and accepted by God first, before we have done anything to earn or deserve his favor. This gracious acceptance by God is what Jesus referred to as the “New Covenant,” which he ultimately established through his own death and resurrection. As we accept this gift of grace by faith and begin to live in a Covenantal relationship with God through Jesus, then comes the call to participate in what Jesus called the “Kingdom of God.” In his model prayer, Jesus defined the Kingdom as God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. The Kingdom of God is nothing less than heaven breaking into earth! This Kingdom life is not something we accomplish through our own moral effort but is the supernatural outcome of living in Covenant with God—something the Holy Spirit accomplishes through us, much like good fruit is the natural outcome of a branch that is deeply connected to a grapevine.

Once we see both the Covenantal and the Kingdom aspects of Jesus’ teaching and life, we begin to understand what Jesus’ call to discipleship entails.[4] Jesus invites us to live by grace in a Covenantal relationship with him through faith that will produce in us more of the Kingdom life he lived here on earth. Jesus told his followers that he came that they might “have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Jesus defined that abundant life when he said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) Many of us have focused almost exclusively on the Truth of Jesus, but simply studying the teaching of Jesus and understanding the person of Jesus is not discipleship. We are also called to actually do the things Jesus did in his Life here on earth. However, when we try to go from the Truth of Jesus directly to the Life of Jesus we tend to fall into one of these fatal mistakes:

The Truth of Jesus + Trying to Live the Life of Jesus = Legalism

When we study the Truth of Jesus and then apply self-discipline to try and live the Life of Jesus by our own moral effort, we fall into the age-old trap of legalism. Saul of Tarsus, Martin Luther, and countless others have pursued this path only to discover it is a crushing dead end. This is the way of the Pharisees who received Jesus’ most stinging rebuke. Another approach is:

The Truth of Jesus + Falling Short of the Life of Jesus = Condemnation

When we study the Truth of Jesus, but then through trial and error find that the Life of Jesus seems impossibly out of our reach, we can slip into self-condemnation. Those who are painfully aware how far short they fall in living up to Jesus’ example often end up living in constant guilt or get caught in a cycle of confession and forgiveness that does not move them forward. This was the experience of those branded “sinners” by the Pharisees. Perhaps the most common approach is:

The Truth of Jesus + Giving Up on the Life of Jesus = Apathy

Some of us comfort ourselves with theological interpretations that eliminate the challenge of measuring our life by Jesus’ Life. We attribute the things Jesus did that seem out of our reach to his divinity and conclude we were never meant to do those things. The result is the apathy of accepting that being nice and fulfilling reasonable religious expectations is enough. This was the self-justification of the Sadducees.

To avoid these timeless traps, it is critical for us to recognize that proclamation of the Truth Jesus taught also came with an invitation to learn a Way of life with him. This is what Jesus meant when he gave the invitation, “Follow me.” Learning to follow the Way of Jesus, combined with understanding and trusting the Truth of Jesus, is what ultimately empowered his followers to live the Life he modeled for them. The existential theologian Soren Kierkegaard expressed this connection between Jesus’ Way and Truth when he wrote, “Christ is the truth inasmuch as he is the way. He who does not follow in the way also abandons the truth. We possess Christ’s truth only by imitating him, not by speculating about him.” [5]  There was a distinct pattern and rhythm to the Life Jesus lived. This is the Way of Jesus we are called to imitate. When we trust the Truth of God’s grace and accept Jesus’ invitation to imitate his Way, the Life of Jesus supernaturally begins to grow in us and spread to others. We can express this as a simple spiritual equation:

The Way of Jesus + The Truth of Jesus = The Life of Jesus

This simple insight has literally transformed my life as a Christian. Being a disciple of Jesus is coming to trust the Truth of Jesus and learning to follow the Way of Jesus, so the Life of Jesus grows in us and flows through us to others. We can’t do this by trying harder or working at it more diligently in our own strength. Trusting the Truth of Jesus’ grace sets us free from condemnation and fuels a genuine desire to learn his Way and live his Life. The Life of Jesus only grows in us as we surrender to him and exercise the faith he gives us one step at a time. A year after I wrote this, I discovered that my hero Eugene Peterson had the very same thought over a decade earlier! He wrote, “We can't suppress the Jesus way in order to sell the Jesus truth. The Jesus way and the Jesus truth must be congruent. Only when the Jesus way is organically joined with the Jesus truth do we get the Jesus life.”[6]

However, the problem that often confronts us in connecting Jesus’ Way to his Truth is the fact that we are separated from that Way by twenty centuries of history and live in vastly different cultural contexts. Our vision of the Truth and the Way of Jesus is often clouded by our own cultural presuppositions that keep us from living and passing on that Life. This book seeks to peel off those presuppositions and gain a more accurate, first-century view of the Jesus we meet in the Gospels. We will follow Jesus’ life from birth to resurrection as presented to us in the four Gospels. Each chapter contains a section on    

The Way that digs into biblical sites, ancient texts, archaeological finds, cultural analysis, and historical perspectives that illuminate the way Jesus actually lived. This will be followed by a section on        

The Truth that explores several Gospel texts in the light of these insights to bring us greater clarity on the meaning of Jesus’ life. Each chapter ends with a section on    

The Life that reflects on what all this might mean for our way of life today. 

I invite you to join me on a spiritual pilgrimage as we go with Mary Magdalene, the other disciples of Jesus, and all the witnesses of the resurrection to answer the angel’s invitation to “come and see.” As we learn a more accurate understanding of the Way of Jesus which illuminates the Truth of Jesus, we will be empowered to live out more of the extraordinary Life of Jesus. Let’s begin this adventure!

[1] The Introduction and Epilogue of this book open with a dramatized account of a biblical passage, with details added to fill out the story and illustrate the historical and cultural context. While some of these details are speculative, most are taken directly from archaeological data, historical sources, and cultural insights.

[2] Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1., ed. A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, (Buffalo, NY, Christian Literature Publishing, 1885), Fragments of Papias, Chapter VI, Digital.

[3] Mahatma Gandhi, “What Jesus Means to Me,” The Modern Review, Ramananda Chatterjee, ed. (Calcutta, India, Prabasi Press Limited, 1941), 406, Digital.

[4] See Mike Breen, Covenant and Kingdom (Pawleys Island, SC, 3DM Publishing, 2010).

[5] Soren Kierkegaard, Training in Christianity, trans. Walter Lowrie, ed. J. Thornton and S. Varenne (Princeton, NJ, Princeton Univ. Press, 1944).

[6] Eugene H. Peterson, The Jesus Way: A Conversation on the Ways That Jesus Is the Way (Grand Rapids, MI, Eerdmans Publishing, 2017). Digital, Kindle Locations 103-104.