Our Tent near Bethel

‎After seeing the miracle which our Lord performed in raising Lazarus from the dead, it is said that “many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. * * * Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death. Jesus, therefore, walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with His disciples.” Ephraim was a city of Israel which Judah captured from Jeroboam. It has been thought that this Ephraim is identical with the Ephraim by which Absalom’s sheep farm, Beth-zur, was situated and that this is a city near to Bethel. Nothing more than conjecture can be arrived at as to the real site of Ephraim where our Savior retired with His disciples. Bethel, where our lunch tent was pitched on the 2nd of May, 1894, is thought to be not far from Ephraim where our Savior retired. In modern towns throughout Palestine, a lunch tent is usually furnished to travelers to rest under at noon. The sunshine is generally very warm, or the wind is blowing very hard, and the tent is a great convenience. Horseback riding in Palestine is very tiresome, and after a tedious ride of four or five hours travelers are greatly refreshed by an hour’s sleep, so that the dragoman keeps one of the muleteers along with the tourists, who carries the lunch tent, pillows, rugs, etc., and as soon as the party stops this tent is pitched, rugs are placed on the ground with pillows for each traveler, then, while the dragoman makes the coffee, the tourists go to sleep.