Jerusalem (This one is really long)

Today was the big day in Jerusalem! We decided to combine our sightseeing day with the YL interns that are here in order to lower our overall cost, but it made for a very long day. We started where Jesus began, and we ended the day at the tomb. Our first location was the Mount of Olives. You can see the entire city there – from the tombs of believers to the outer walls of the Old City to the temple mount. It is an amazing sight. There is a Jewish cemetery, a Christian cemetery, and a Muslim cemetery. It is quite the sight. We left the Mount of Olives and walked the road called the Palm Sunday Road. It was beautiful but very long and very steep down into the Kidron Valley and then up again to the old city of Jerusalem. We stopped in the Garden of Gethsemane on our way down.

The Garden was a beautiful place, with a Catholic church next to it called the Church of All Nations, or the Church of the Agony. It was place that Jesus prayed in and agonized to the point of shedding blood, and then later is betrayed by Judas in this garden as well. It was quiet and peaceful and holy and we enjoyed it very much.

The Church of All Nations

³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

The Lion's Gate

We then entered the city through the Lion’s Gate, or Sheep’s gate. It is now a part of the Muslim quarter of the Old City. We visited the  “pools of Bethesda” which supplied water to the First and Second Temples until Herod the Great’s time. Baths and a healing center were located near the pools. These very baths are where the healing miracle of Jesus took place; they are described as having happened in the pools of the Bethesda sheep market. In later years, a Byzantine basilica was built over parts of the pool. Next the Crusaders built a small chapel over its ruins and a larger basilica, St. Anna Church, nearby. Aside from the miracle of healing, the pools are remarkable for their sophistication. The reservoirs, based on a dam that collected rain from water flowing in the valley, were designed to direct the water from the lake to the Temple in an open channel.

The pools were very interesting to explore and the church was beautiful and majestic. People were singing hymns and praise songs in groups and at one point Rachel sang a song which Tracie then recorded. It was very memorable.

5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. ^[4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, ¹⁰ and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”¹¹ But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”¹² So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”¹³ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.¹⁴ Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

As we left the pools, we began to walk along what is called the “Via Dolorosa” (The Way of Grief in Latin). It is the road in the old city of Jerusalem where Jesus was led in agony, carrying the crucifixion cross. Our guide Jonathan, a Messianic Jew, told us that many people who visit travel the entire Via Dolorosa on their knees and carrying the cross piece of the cross on their backs in order to experience what Jesus did and identify with His pain. We just walked it… in the 95 degree heat…which was suffering enough for me! There are a total of 14 stations along this path, based on events that occurred on the way to the crucifixion. There are two traditionally accepted sites for the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. The first is at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The other is the Garden Tomb. As far as the Via Dolorosa is concerned though, the accepted sight is the Church, with eight stations marked along the Old City Road and an additional 6 stations within the church site. The walk was very interesting and filled with many vendors and people driving and walking. We did not go all the way to the church until later. First, we went to the Western Wall of the Temple, otherwise known as the Wailing Wall.

This is the holiest shrine of the Jewish world. The Western Wall is part of the retaining wall supporting the temple mount built by Herod in 20 B.C. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D., Jews were not allowed to come to Jerusalem until the Byzantine period, when they could visit once a year on the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple and weep over the ruins of the Holy Temple. Because of this, the wall became known as the “Wailing Wall.”

Jews were again not allowed to visit the wall from 1948-1967 when it was in the Jordanian section of the city. After the Six Day War, the Western Wall became a place for national rejoicing and prayer, as the last accessible relic of the last Temple. They believe that it is the shortest route to God’s ear… that the Holy Presence has never left the Western Wall as it is the closest to where the Holy of Holies was located. The big plaza in front of the Wall is divided into two sections - one for women and one for men. Our group split and went our separate ways and it was a beautiful and emotional time. I think the most poignant for me was watching the way the Jewish women prayed. They are so heartfelt and passionate, crying and beating their breasts, fervently reading scripture and spending long amounts of time praying. It was incredible. We do not pray like this in the Western World. At least not in public. When we were finished we heard beautiful singing from the men’s side, so we snuck over to the dividing fence and watched a group of school boys holding hands and singing in Hebrew. It was fascinating and beautiful to watch.

The Western Wall that we know today is not merely the area that people use for prayer or official ceremonies. It actually includes the entire western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, including what is known today as Robinson’s Arch. Located on the southern end of the Wall, Robinson’s Arch spanned over paved streets at multiple angles and led into the temple mount itself. It was enormous and vast and made me feel small, and it wasn’t even the whole thing. The rest spans below our feet into the earth. We visited the Southern Wall as well, which has the original temple steps underneath Herod’s rebuilt steps of the 2^nd temple, and you can see the remnants of the triple gate entrance that have been walled in. This place would have been magnificent in the time of Jesus. But we know that the temple HAS already been rebuilt in the form of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and breathes and is all we need for reconciliation with the Father.

This is a Mikvah, a caremonial cleansing bath
that all Jews entering the temple were required to do
before offering their sacrifice at the altar.
They would go down the right side unclothed, bathe
themselves and then come up the other side and put
white clothing without touching anything. Other
wise they would be unclean again and need to
repeat the entire process again. 

Robinson's Arch

Southwestern corner of the temple wall

Southern Wall with the triple gate

You can see the original stairs underneath the newer ones

We look happy, but we were melting it was soo hot.

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”^[c]18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.^[d] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person's heart.

 We then went to the believed place of the “Last Supper”. The site of the Last Supper is not known and the Gospel accounts provide few clues. It cannot be the present room, which was built in the 12th century. However, it is possible it stands over or near the original site of the Last Supper and/or Pentecost. Beneath the floor of the building are Byzantine and Roman pavements and the foundations go back to at least the 2nd century AD. It is possible that the "little church of God" that existed on Mount Zion in 130 AD (mentioned by Epiphanius of Salamis) was on this site. Danger and persecutions would have excluded Christian invention of a new holy place in the 2nd century, so if an active church existed in 130 it must have already been important for some time — perhaps because the upper room was nearby. In those times this was an affluent area of the city and a wealthy Christian may have opened his home for use as a church. It was a bit anticlimactic for me.

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[h]after a blessing, He broke it and gaveit to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”³⁰ After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We then made our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, "the place of the skull" (Matt. 27:33–35; Mark 15:22–25; John 19:17–24). This has been identified as an area of abandoned stone quarries just outside the city wall of the time. About 10 years after the crucifixion, a third wall was built that enclosed the area of the execution and burial within the city, and this accounts for the Holy Sepulchre's location inside the Old City of Jerusalem today. The Roman emperor Constantine I, a convert to Christianity, had the temple of Venus in Jerusalem demolished to make way for a church. In the course of the demolition a tomb was discovered that was thought to be the tomb of Jesus. The first Church of the Holy Sepulchre was approached by a flight of steps from the Cardo, the main street of Jerusalem.

The Church is divided into two, with the Greek Orthodox side and the Roman Catholic side. We entered the Orthodox side first and we did not like it at all. It was much like the church in Bethlehem of Jesus birthplace… very gaudy and gold and blinged out. They had a golden cross hanging where Jesus supposedly hung on the cross. We did not take many pictures in here. We then went to the Roman Catholic side where the tomb stands, although it was all encased in beautiful wood vault and there was a long line of people waiting to enter it. Along the side of the room there was another little cave that you could enter that was nearby and used as a tomb. It at least gave you a visual of what it may have looked like at some point. There was a service happening and it was crowded and cluttered and so we left after about 15 minutes. 

We then made our way to the other possible sight of the crucifixion and burial site called the Garden Tomb. It is a rock-cut tomb, which was unearthed in 1867 and has subsequently been considered by some Christians to be the actual site. The Garden Tomb is adjacent to a rocky escarpment -which since the mid-nineteenth century has been proposed by some scholars to be Golgotha (it is also known as Skull Hill and Gordon's Calvary.) We LOVED this place. Even if it isn’t THE PLACE, the way it had been preserved just suits how I see Jesus better. It was thoughtful and lovely there and we were able to rest and be rejuvenated in the garden surrounding it until our next big venture.

Inside the cut tomb of Joseph of Arimethea

Cross cut into the rock in the 1st
Century. Apparently early
Christians did this to identify
Christian sites in camouflage.

 ³³ And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, ³⁴ they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.³⁵  And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among  themselves by casting^[p]lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. ³⁷ And above His head they put up the charge against Him ^[q]which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ³⁸ At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.³⁹ And those passing by were ^[r]hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, ⁴² “He saved others; ^[s]He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. ⁴³ He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He ^[t]delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴ The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. ⁴⁵ Now from the ^[u]sixth hour darkness ^[v]fell upon all the land until the ^[w]ninth hour. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ⁴⁷ And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.⁴⁹ But the rest of them said, “^[x]Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him^[y].” ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. ⁵¹ And behold, the ^[z]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.⁵² The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the ^[aa]saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was ^[ab]the Son of God!” ⁵⁵ Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ^[ac]ministering to Him. ⁵⁶ Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

⁵⁷ When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave. ⁶² Now on the next day, ^[ad]the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”⁶⁶ And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.

The last thing we did that day was something that not many people get the chance to do. We went on an underground tour underneath the city along the Western Wall of the Temple.  These underground tunnels connect the western wall prayer area to the north-west side of the temple mount, passing along the side of the temple mount and under the present day houses in the Old City. Along its path are remains from the second temple period - from the Hasmonean period (2nd century BC) up to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem (70AD). There were four gates located on this side - two gates at a lower level and two gates on top of bridges. A paved street passed at the foot of the temple mount, and additional structures and installations were located at that street level. Following the Roman destruction, the debris accumulated along the western side. After two millenniums, new buildings were built on top of these old layers. However, under these structures, some cavities remained buried deep underground. Since the 19th century, explorers examined these cavities and tunnels in the search for the second temple remains. Explorers, such as Warren and Wilson, did manage to unearth sections of the tunnels, but they were limited in their research by the Ottoman rulers. Only after the six-day-war (1967), when the area returned to Israeli control, the underground area was thoroughly researched and reconstructed, and some sections are still in the process of archaeological excavations.

Actual Temple stones on the actual stone road that Jesus would have walked on, now underneath the city.

An Aqueduct still around from the first temple that led to the northwestern
corner after the road and walls ran out.

It was an incredible experience and I learned so many things that I’m not sure I can even remember them all! (Thank goodness Randy was with me and was very interested in it all. Have lunch with him sometime when we get back and he will delight you with all that he learned!)

Needless to say, we were all exhausted by the end of the day. It was amazing and exhausting, very hot yet wonderful. I don’t recommend doing it all in one day as we did. We may go back next week to poke amongst the shops and experience the flavor of life a bit.

Although it was a bit mind blowing to be walking (in some parts of the city) on the very stones that Jesus walked on, and to be in some of the places where he suffered much, but also lived and loved much, I still found it to be surreal. I have found that the moist poignant and meaningful experiences I have with Jesus are the ones that occur on my back deck in Montana. When he whispers to my heart and moves me to tears. When I pray and study His Word with my campaigner girls. When I go for a walk with my dog. When I talk theology with Randy. When I help my girls work through life lessons with Scripture and prayer and Jesus holding our hearts and our hands. As I have said in earlier posts, our God is a living God. He is active and working and moving. These places make scripture come alive to me in new ways and give me great insight. It has been incredibly meaningful to see with my own eyes the places my Lord existed in the flesh. But I cannot worship these places. They are not alive. They do not help me. They do not love me. They did not sacrifice anything for me. They are only a tool, like so many things in life, meant to draw me closer to the one that is the source of true living water.

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; ⁵ and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but He has ^[a]risen! Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, ⁷ saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” ⁸ And they remembered His words, ⁹ and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. ¹¹ But these words appeared^[b]to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. ¹² But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings ^[c]only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.