Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/just-over-the-horizon/ 

This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org

When the apostle John was just a small child, he likely made his first pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem with his family. His father Zebedee, his mother Salome, John, and his older brother James all trudge south along the winding road through the Jordan Valley. To avoid crossing through Samaria, they take the traditional longer route to the ancient city of Jericho. From there, they follow the arduous Jericho Road. The dry, rocky, and dangerous road ascends 3,500 feet over 17 miles before arriving at Jerusalem.

It is not hard to imagine the young John, weary and thirsty, asking his parents again and again, “How much farther?” Mile and mile, Zebedee might have answered, “It’s just over the horizon.” Finally, just before the end of the road, the caravan would have topped the ridge of Mount Scopus, singing the Psalms of Ascent joyfully as their destination broke into view. According to Jewish tradition, John would have climbed that ridge singing these words from Psalm 121:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

Fast forward to the very end of John’s life. Now an old man, he has been exiled to a small rocky island in the Aegean Sea. John must be weary from his travels. For decades, he has been treading along the narrow way, the unpopular path of believers in Jesus Christ. Now, he is the last of the apostles still alive.

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