Israel Speaks
Millions of tourists from abroad visit Israel every year.
Most of them come with an organized group guided by a tour guide
authorized by the local Ministry of Tourism.
Those desiring to be tour guides take a special course.
By passing the final exam successfully they become qualified tour guides.
The 2-year course includes theory studies in class
and a weekly study tour around the country.
Most tourists coming to Israel are Christians who want to visit
their holy places.
Hence, the course is mostly concentrated on topics related to
Christianity and the New Testament.
Haim Karel has been leading tour guide courses already for 15 years.
Almost every course has students who personally believe in Jesus
and the Bible.
Two of them, Sahar Sa'ado and Eli Bar David, are beginning their 2nd year.
It is obvious that the course concentrates on Christianity.
This is the only country in the world where the manifestation of
the Son of God and the New Testament took place.
This is the country of the Bible and of the Jewish people.
For the Christian pilgrims, who make up most of the tourists, -
the Bible is the most central issue.
Hence, the course is also concentrated on fulfilling the needs
of the target group.
It tries to provide all the tools and knowledge in a professional and
relevant way about the Bible and, particularly, the New Testament.
In the first lecture, our teacher asked: How many of you have read
the New Testament? About five hands went up.
After approximately 2 months of intensive study on the
New Testament and the history of Christianity, -
the teacher repeated the question.
Now the situation was completely different.
This is one of the few courses where Israelis without prior knowledge
can receive a very realistic and informative picture of
the New Testament and Christianity.
Occasionally the subjects in the course raise mixed feelings
among the believer students.
We have to study geology, the evolution theory and
the explanations of science.
Personally I would say, as did some of the lecturers in the course, -
that in the end they are only theories.
Theories are theories.
Tomorrow you might say that the world is 10 million years old
and in two weeks - 200 million years old.
Each one can throw in any number he or she wants.
Eventually, I know that what the Bible teaches us and what we
understand from it and from the New Testament, gives us another
kind of a reality.
I listen and study, but at the same time I understand what the
problems of the scientific explanations are.
I express my own view already in the course and also to the tourists.
I don't get involved in these theories.
We have the clear Word of God which we are trying to explain
and teach.
I was surprised at how precisely they taught about Christianity
in the course with all its different interpretations.
You cannot say that they were not taught correctly.
On the contrary, you could better understand what different
denominations think about the Old and New Testaments, -
and how different their interpretations are.
As a believer this sometimes provokes anger in me.
I can better understand why the Jews have denounced themselves
from the Christian New Testament.
The students often start discussions about faith and religion.
This enables believers to share about Jesus and the New Testament.
We are the only two believers in the course.
We are all Israelis from different age groups - from 20s to 60s.
The relationships become very personal.
We represent many different opinions.
The attitude towards us, believers, is very tolerant.
This has enabled us to express our opinions about the subject.
For example, I was asked to hold a lecture about our faith
in the Old and New Testaments, about Messianic Jewish world views
and the current situation.
This is what I will do very soon before the whole class; -
because they are personally interested and because they
need to know about this subject on a professional level.
Christian groups prefer to have tour guides who personally believe
in Jesus and the New Testament.
Faith is the most important guideline for me in my tours.
If you don't understand the spiritual side, it's hard for you
to explain them.
The whole Bible and, particularly, the New Testament, speaks about
the spiritual aspect.
Our Lord uses everyday stories in His examples and parables.
He uses parables about farming and everyday life in order to explain
spiritual concepts.
Through them we can also better convey His message.
When we are with a group for an entire week, day after day, -
we have a real opportunity to talk about profound spiritual issues
in the relevant places based on the Word of our Lord.
This way we get a much more profound view.
People have taken their time from their daily tasks and have come
to Israel in order to explore the places of the Bible
in a more profound way based on the Scriptures.
It is very important how the people are guided in these places
in order for them to receive what they were expecting from the visit.
It is very important that the tour guide does not make himself
the center of the group.
We should always remember that our goal in guiding tours
and with regards to the tourists is to give glory to our Lord, -
the Son of God, who is the center of everything.
We have a minor task to direct people's minds to
the real centerpiece -
the Word of the Son of God.
Translation: Sonja Mattayev