Yoda

From Holy Land

I always thought that Yoda was a cute and creepy little muppet. Then I grew up and listened to his pithy sayings. He’d make a great person to follow on Twitter. His one liners make for great inspiration “Do or do not. There is no try.”

You just can’t argue with logic like Yoda’s. The guide on our trip, Jimmy, reminded us a lot of Yoda. He spoke great English but since it wasn’t his first language at times his sentences came out very Yoda like, “Come. Let us go. We see much more.”

Jimmy knew everything and everybody. At one point we thought he was part of the Christian Holy Land mafia (which never got refuted and could still be in fact true). Jimmy knew parts of the country that weren’t on the regular tour. When it came time to visit the rock where the church where the sermon on the mount was preached (Mt. of Beatitudes), Jimmy showed us the traditional site. We got to see a beautiful garden and relics from various popes who had been to the site.

But after the traditional tour, Jimmy took us down a side path that wound down the mountain. We stopped under this tree and read the Beatitudes. There wasn’t anything that showed Jesus had been there or that the church site was more authentic but it was easier for us to picture. When we were able to sit near a tree and listen to Jesus’ words, they just felt right.

I wondered if Jesus’ disciples felt like he was a Yoda. A bit different from the rest of the world but very wise. To them perhaps “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” has just as much ring to it as, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Jimmy was the best guide we could have had. He pointed out things all along the way and would even stop the bus to let us take pictures of shepherds. On one of our last days, he pointed out the front of the bus and said, “Do you see that group of trees over there?” We replied, “Yes Jimmy!” His answer: “So do I.”

He had a sense of humor too.

Until Everyone Hears,