Our pilgrimage through the homeland of Jesus has passed through the plains of Galilee in the north of Palestine and the midlands of Samaria and now wending its way to Judea in the south. As we journey from the north along the banks of the river Jordan we pass through the fertile lands of Galilee and reach the desert lands of Judea. Apart from the banks of the river Jordan, this land of Judea is a hilly country abounding in deserts, hills and valleys. The town of Jericho lies in the western plateau on the banks of the Jordan 8 km short of the spot where the river falls into the basin of the Dead Sea in the south. All the passengers, traders and pilgrims journey along the road on the banks of the Jordan river and halt at Jericho before proceeding to Jerusalem. There is a distance of 35 km from Jericho to Jerusalem. This road lies along the deserted hilly country of the Judean desert. Once you leave Jericho the road is mainly uphill till you reach Jerusalem.

Whenever Jesus travelled from Galilee to Jerusalem, he took this road running along the banks of the river Jordan. So he had to cross Jericho when going to Jerusalem.

Archeologists consider Jericho as one of the most ancient cities of the world. It has a history of 7500 years before the time of Christ. It is a city of date palms and palmyras - the green oasis of the Judean desert. It was on a sycamore tree, that Zacheus, a man of short stature, climbed to see Jesus, who was passing by amidst a crowed of people. These trees still grow in plenty adorning both the sides of the streets of Jericho. When we see these sycamore trees what comes first to our mind is the picture of Zacheus and his story.

The city of Jericho is asscociated with many events in the history of salvation. The first time we get a description of this city in the Old Testament is in the books of Joshua, The Israelites, delivered from the slavery of Egypt, reach the country called Moab on the eastern side of the river Jordan after 40 years of sojourn through the desert. The great and powerful leader Moses led this people to the frontiers of the Promided Land, but could not enter the land of Canaan. He stood on the mountain "Nebo" rising high on the eastern side of the Jordan river and viewed the land. According to God's decree, he completed his mandate on this spot, passed on the responsibility of leading this people into the land of promise and conquering it to his successor Joshua and died here. Until today, it has not been possible to discover his tomb. What Moses must have seen when he viewed the landscape from the top of Mount Nebo were chiefly Jericho and its surrounding areas.

Joshua led the Israelite people to the Promised Land. It was necessary to cross the river Jordan to enter Canaan. They reached the river banks. Right in front were the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant. They stepped into the water. Instantly, the waters flowing from the above stood still, while those flowing south were fully cut off. Then the people crossed over on dry ground and stepped into the promised land. The first city they set their eys on was Jericho (cf Josh 3:1-17).

It was Rahab the prostitute who helped Joshua and hid the spies he sent. Joshua and the Israelite people conquered this city surrounded and fortified by huge walls, in a most dramatic manner. The warriors of Israel walked round this city on six days. Seven priests carrying horns of rams walked in front of the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day the priests walked seven times round the city and blew the trumpets. When the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout and the walls of the city fell flat. The people charged straight ahead and captured the city (cf Josh 6:1-21). Thus did the city of Jericho enter Biblical history.

We heard in the II book of Kings that during the time of Elijah and Elisha, a company of prophets lived in Jericho (cf 2 Kings 2:5,15). As recounted in 2 Kings 2:11-12, after Elijah was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, his disciple Elisha, struck the water of the Jordan with the mantle that had fallen from Elijah. Instantly, the waters parted to either side and Elisha crossed over. The miracles he then worked in Jericho are recounted in the second book of Kings. The location of the city of Jericho was good but the waters of the spring were bad and consequently the land was unfruitful. Elisha dropped some salt into the spring and miraculously purified it (cf Kings 2:19-22). That spring of water is still near to Jericho. Every pilgrim, recalling the miraculous event, draws the water and take a drink. This spring is the only source of water for the people of Jericho.

In the New Testament the city of Jericho is often referred to. The house of Zacheus, the rich tax collector and leader, was in this city. Jesus, walking along its streets in the midst of the crowd, saw Zacheus seated on a sycamore tree, called out to him, made him come down, went to his house, accepted his hospitality, had supper with him and spent the night there. The presence of Jesus and his teaching, filled Zacheus with divine inspirations. Zacheus was ready for a transformation in his life. He declared it with courage, publicly and confessed his fault. It led him and his family to salvation. "Today salvation is come to this house" - these words come to the mind of every pilgrim when he is in Jericho and thinks of Zacheus. Seated beneath the sycamore tree, reading the story of Zacheus from St Luke, he cannot but be filled with deep emotions. He bids farewell to the city only after resolving to make the salvific experience Zacheus and his family had, his own by being transformed.

It was in Jericho that the miraculous incident of giving sight to two blind men took place (cf Mt 20:29-34; Mk 10:46-52; Lk 18:35-43).

On the eastern side of the city of Jericho flows the river Jordan. It was in this river that Jesus received his baptism. And then he spent forty days and nights in fasting and prayer in the vast Judean desert lying to the west of Jericho.

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil" (Lk 4:1-2).

Though the forty days of Jesus' fasting and prayer are mentioned by the evangelists, there is no evidence to prove which exactly is the spot in the desert where Jesus spent these days. But we accept what tradition tells us. There is, to the west of Jericho, a mountain that rears its peak very high. Tradition has it that Satan led Jesus to this peak and showed him all the countries of the world. If we climb this mountain we can view all the neighbouring countries. This mountain is known as the "Mount of Temptation." It is possible to climb this mount but no one dare make the attempt as it requires hours to do so. There is a Greek Orthodox monastery in the middle of its eastern slope. There are four Orthodox hermits staying there. In the early years of the Church, there were several hermits who, in imitation of Jesus who fasted ans prayed there, lived in the caves of the desert, severing all connections with life in this world. They spent their time in prayer and fasting. So testifies the history of the Church. In 614 AD the Persians came and massacred them. We can see in this monastery on the slopes, tokens of the religious life lived at that time. Most of the pilgrims who have the stamina to climb the "Mount of Temptations" manage to climb up to this monastery. Hardly anyone makes it to the top as it is too steep a climb.

As we return from the Judean desert and the "Mount of Temptation," the dry, parched desert, hard stone and rock, mountain ranges with caves and clefts, the desert so conductive to prayer and repartation, the precipices, ups and downs, and the thorny and dry brambles remain fixed in the mind. What makes for the deepest inspiration is the fact of Jeaus' days of prayer and temptation.

We now say farewell to the city of Jericho. Our next place of halt will be the Dead Sea situated in the south of Jericho, the Qumran caves with their Dead Sea Scrolls. And then we proceed to the city of Jerusalem. This city of Jerusalem is associated with all the salvific events that took place in the last years of Jesus' life.

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