Day 14 – Monday, September 16: Machareus, Mt. Nebo, Madaba, Amman
Today was our last full day in Jordan. After a great breakfast at our hotel in Wadi Musa (Petra), we loaded the bus and drove north. Partly sunny skies greeted us, with high temps around 85 today. We read from Numbers 22-24 as we left at 7:30.
Machaerus
Our first site was Machaerus. It took about 3.5 hours to get there, with one stop on the way. When we arrived at Machaerus, we read from Matthew 14 (also recorded in Mark 6) about how John the Baptizer was beheaded here (Josephus tells us the location). Most in the group climbed to the top of this palace-fortress built by Herod the Great. We saw the suggested throne area of the palace (where Herod Antipas received the head of the Baptizer) as well as a few ritual baths and columns. The view across the Dead Sea was really good, allowing us to see the high-rises of Jerusalem! Later, Machaerus fell to the Romans in 71 AD.
Mt. Nebo
From here we continued to Mt. Nebo, part of the Pisgah Range. We read from Deuteronomy 31-34 and Joshua 1 about the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. The visibility looking westward to the Dead Sea and Jericho was fairly good. This was Moses’ view before he died at 120 years of age. A Bronze Snake monument is erected here (Numbers 21, John 3). We also saw the newly renovated church here built upon the Byzantine Church from the 4-5th centuries AD. The mosaics were amazing to see!
“Today was our last full day before our flight home early tomorrow morning. We saw two more sites in Jordan (Machaerus and Mt. Nebo). We made wonderful new friendships throughout the trip. Thanks be to God for His watch-care for us throughout the trip!”
Madaba
After saying goodbye to Rick and Yany (who had to re-cross back into Israel to get their flight from Tel Aviv), we made two brief stops. The first was at a mosaic store. The handicapped (part of a Jordanian program) make the mosaics here. Next, we drove into Madaba to see the 6th century AD mosaic Madaba Map. It is located in the renovated St. George Church. Jerusalem is specifically featured on this ancient map. We also met Sam’s wife and oldest child here too.
We then drove into Amman to our hotel for dinner and a brief overnight before we wake up at midnight tonight for our 3:45 a.m. flight tomorrow.
Day 15 – Tuesday, September 17: Early Morning Flight from Amman, Arrive Home
