Ruth in Hezekiah's Tunnel, Jerusalem
The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah, all his power, how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?
2 Kings 20:20 NRSVue
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he showed himself in this way.
John 21: 1 NRSVue
1 Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,
things I would ask him to tell me if he were here:
scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
stories of Jesus, tell them to me.
3 Tell me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea
tossing the boat in a tempest on Galilee!
And how the Master, ready and kind,
chided the billows and hushed the wind.
Before we spent two weeks in Israel Ruth followed my encouragement to read James Michener's epic 60's novel, The Source. It is about the source of water for a series of civilizations at one site which is being explored by archeologists. Michener takes what could be an earnest but boring technical description and creates a vivid narrative about the people of each age.
Ruth was delighted that we could explore three different water sources at different locations, including Tel Megiddo, which I've mentioned was Michener's inspiration. The one which was most challenging but also most fun for her is what is known as Hezekiah's Tunnel in Jerusalem. This tunnel was probably created in the 8th or 9th century BCE by two groups of workers chiseling through the limestone to meet each other far beneath the city. This allowed precious water from the Gihon Spring to be accessed within the city walls, protected from enemies. When I first visited Jerusalem 35 years ago our guide suggested that it might not be wise to attempt to traverse the 533-metre tunnel because of my height -- good advice. On this trip Ruth made her way through the sometimes calf-high water with her sister while I followed an adjacent tunnel with plenty of head room to meet them at the other end.
Megiddo Water System
Water sources are still vitally important in Israel, a modern nation with nearly ten million inhabitants. The "sea" of Galilee is actually the lowest fresh water lake on the planet and is about the size of Lake Simcoe in Ontario. It is still a principle supply of water which is piped throughout the country, even though desalination provides an increasing amount of water. Israel has a high-tech agricultural sector which employs precise watering systems -- no random spraying of crops. Every home uses direct watering for outdoor plants as well and conservation is encouraged.
This still isn't enough. The level of Galilee/Kinneret/Tiberias (a lot of different names!) has been dropping dangerously low in recent years because of drought and diversion. A pipeline is being built to transport desalinated water from the Mediterranean Sea to the lake of Galilee to replenish it, the first such project anywhere. I have to wonder how this will affect the already stressed ecosystems of this legendary body of water. And the desalination plants are powered by fossil fuels which contribute to the climate change which is contributing to drought.
I should note that Israel and adjacent Jordan squabble over water use from both Galilee and the Jordan River which flows southward toward the Dead Sea. Also, that the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza are designated very little water, leaving much of these occupied regions in a state of severe water stress.
Jesus described himself as Living Water, the source of spiritual life. The longest encounter between Jesus and any person in the gospels is with the Samaritan women at a well. After the resurrection he appeared to the disciples as they fished on Tiberias where he had first called them.
Water is life, wherever we are.
Oh yes, we experience three thunderstorms in four days while we were there, which our family members suggested was unprecedented in April. We Canadians are a helpful bunch.
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