The journey is as important as the destination. Jewish Rabbis (teachers), including Jesus, taught their disciples not by teaching in a classroom, but by walking the land with them, teaching as they walked, using the pictures and metaphors of their surroundings. The study tours try to model that approach, helping us learn and experience from more of an Eastern perspective than the Western perspective we are so used too. We walk the land, learning as we walk. Often, you won’t know what’s ahead, where we’re going next, or how long it will take to get there. That’s to help us focus on where we are, and what we can learn from the present, rather than on where we are going.
A "talmid" (disciple) is someone who learns by walking with his Rabbi, who learns by experience, and who has an open heart and a beginner’s mind. We will try to learn like "talmidim" (disciples). And as we try to experience God’s Word as much as possible within the original context of culture and place, we allow God to shape us more like the disciples He wants us to be. This includes understanding our Jewish spiritual heritage, as well as the cultures of Rome, Greece, Asia Minor, Egypt, etc.
As we see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and set our hearts upon all that God shows us (Ezekiel 40:4), we give God an opportunity to revitalize our spiritual lives, and give us renewed motivation and excitement to study His Word within the framework of the Holy Land. In the words of one recent participant, "I will never read Scripture the same again!"