On Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Israel opened up the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism for daily visits. No small task. Not only did it take coordination with the Israeli army, it also required the removal of a number of land mines located near that site, all costing somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.3 million dollars. In one sense it’s a sad commentary on the human situation, but in another sense, it makes perfect sense. Jesus came to earth because of landmines. And abuse. And war. And wickedness expressed in a thousand other ways. I’ve never been to the holy land and I imagine it’s something very special, but even more special is the fact that God chose to suffer with us and because of us, to save us from ourselves and take us to be with him. What a savior.