Day 5 Israel

Welcome to Jerusalem!

Shalom (Hello!) Boker tov (good morning!) It was a luxurius morning as we could sleep in until 6:45 and board buses at a late hour of 8:30!!! I was so zonked, I did no studying or posting of the prior day. Jet lag finally caught up to me I guess.

As you can see by the photo on today's blog, we made it here for our Pilgrimage of sorts. I love this photo because it shows the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock behind me, the Eastern Gate to my left, and a graveyard behind me...curious? I guess you'll just have to wait until later in this post for the significance!

Well, the morning started out on Mount Scopus and driving back to the Mount of Olives directly next door. We stopped at the same overlook as last night to get our bearings. Looking in front of us, is the sight above. Behind us is the desert wilderness. The wilderness in the Bible is treeless, not like that which we would think a wilderness would be. Today the Jewish stores are all closed due to Shabat, their sabbath day. Here, Arab Muslims have their sabbath on Friday, Jews on Saturday, and Christians on Sunday. Schools and businesses run 6 days a week and close for their sabbath days.

Our first stop walking down the Mount of Olives is the Chapel of Ascension. Five church denominations in this area share the belief that they are the spot where Jesus ascended after the resurrection. The exact location is known to be here, but where exactly it happened is not known.

As we head down the mountain, which is an interesting and trying walk...you need great walking shoes with grips, we come across a cemetery. This cemetery, which covers the entire side of the mountain, is the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the world. People are buried in plots here only wrapped in a shroud. The boxes at the top of their site are only a marker, like our grave stones. When the body becomes bone, the family takes the body out and places the bones in a bone box for storage. This way, the tomb can be used again. This cemetery is significant to Jews because, as shown in Job and in Zacharias from the Bible, Jesus will descend on the Temple Mount and restore life to the dead. For this reason, all dead are buried facing the site of the temple. In the photo above, there is one grave marker with a square hole (window) cut into its side. That is so family members on the anniversary of that person's death can light a candle for 24 hours memorializing them. If this person were a rabbi (teacher), students from his academy or school would all come together to visit. Family and friends also lay rocks on the markers in tribute to them. This use of rocks is a tradition that stems from the time of Moses and the exodus. Inscriptions on the stones include the name of the father. However, today natural lineage instead reverts to their mother. The cemetery across the street, as pictured, along the Eastern Gate is a Muslim cemetery. South of the city, lower down the hill toward the City of David is the Christian cemetery.


From this magnificent and peaceful site we continue to head down the hill. Next stop, Dominus Flevit- the Place Jesus Wept. Traditionally it is believed that the Lord wept coming into Jerusalem in this spot. It is at the level of the Temple, across from the East Gate. Run by the Catholic Church, it's dome is tear shaped to remind us that Jesus wept here. Tear vases are prevalent here, which is important because in ancient times, including that of Jesus, it was that that tears caused grief. So tears were caught in these vases. If you look at the church, the window of the chapel looks out over the Temple Mount.

We continue descending this mountain past the Russian Orthodox Convent and Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. A couple of us ditch our group to run up into the property and get photos of this beautiful church. This beautiful old church has elaborate golden spires and onion shaped domes that reach into the sky. What is most interesting is that the nuns live, not in dorms, but in quaint little cottages around the church grounds. It is an inviting place to be and made me feel as though I went back into time.

We ran down the hill, through a tiny crowded street, wall-to-wall with people and cars trying to maneuver through. We made it to the bottom, turned the corner, and ran right into the Garden of Gethsemane. We raced inside through the throng of people to hook up with our group. Out of breath, we jump into listening and taking more photos. The olive trees here are very old, and some here are 400 years old. Some of the stumps (which are saplings from trees that regenerated when cut down) were actually here when Jesus came here the night he was arrested. It blows my mind away that I am looking at tree stumps that were here, as well as the garden, that could be the place where Jesus sweated blood, agonizing over the job that was placed before him. The Church at Gethsemane, which means Place of the Wine Press, is also known as the Church of the Passion, Church of Agony, and the Church of All Nations. One of the earliest Christian churches was built here. Inside you can see the rock that is believed that Jesus prayed over the night he was arrested. Above is a wine goblet shaped alter to symbolize the request to God to let this cup pass from me.

We leave this site to jump onto our bus. As we walk from this Holy place, we hear the Muslim prayer coming over loudspeakers throughout the city. It was one of their 5 times to pray toward Mecca. Back on the bus, we pass over the Kidron Valley, past the City of David below the city walls, past the Houlda Gate where Jesus climbed into the city, to Mount Zion. Zion is known for the location of the last supper and the House of Caiaphas, where Jesus was held prisoner. At the Basilica of Dormition, one can find the location of the last supper. The upper room was destroyed, but rebuilt and has been determined to be the location of this event. We know this, because the sect of men who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls lived in this neighborhood. They secretly brought Mary here after the crucifixion and the place carried on through the ages. Interestingly, it is not known if this was the true place where Pentecost occurred.

From here, we drove over the Hebron Valley, on Hebron Road (the road that Abraham took to Mt. Moriah 4000 years ago- current location of the Temple Mount) to view Bethlehem. Looking in the distance, one can see Jordan and a nice little monastery. As we looked to Bethlehem- The House of Bread, we see a mountain in the background (Herodean). This is the tomb of Herod- the same guy who built Caesarea, the Aqueduct, Masada and the Western Wall. Bethlehem is significant. Not only is it a breadbasket for those who live there, it is the home of the Nativity Church, built over the manger where Christ was born, as well as home to famed stories of Jacob burying his beloved Rachael here (she is known as the symbol of a Jewish mother who cries for her children in exile. Women who are barren or unmarried come here to cry/pray to mother Rachel to intercede), Ruth met Boaz here, and the writing of the Vulgate occurred here. Two interesting things happened with this little visit. Our 10 minute stop turned into almost and hour. While we were talking, a shepherd came with his family and flocks. People, mom included, had their photos taken with them. Then, while looking at the city, I noticed a fence with red markers. After asking Eli, our discussion turned to current events. It turns out that it is a security fence from a Palestine ruled West Bank. In a reciprical agreement of peace, Israel gave Palestine authority to rule cities in the West Bank, Bethlehem included. So this little city, a ten minute walk south of Jerusalem can not be accessed by Israelis due to rules and regulations. Since the fence has gone up, there have been zero incidents between the two areas, which is a miracle since the days of bombing and terrorists in the early 2000s.

Lastly, after a very long day, we drove back to Mt. Zion to the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu (meaning Peter of the Cock Crowing because Peter denied Christ here), or better known as the House of Caiaphas. It was here that Jesus was condemned by the Sanhedrin and thrown into prison. Although this place is a serious place based on what Jesus went through, I had to laugh when we first arrived. As we walk in, a crow actually landed on a building in front of us. Fitting, I would call it. On the door as we entered was the scripture from Luke 22. This entire building is built around forgiveness. As we explored the 4 levels of the High Priest's house, the level of magnitude of this event really hit home. As we left the courtyard level where Jesus would have been brought in, we were taken to the prison level. It was here where minimum security prisoners were kept. There were spots in the walls where there once hung chains and benches. Then we were taken to the lower dungeon, the actual spot that Jesus stayed the night awaiting his fate. This place really broke me. As we as a group were standing in this small room/pit, I decided to sit on the floor. We sang a song and then as Eli was speaking, the lights went out. As I sat on the floor, I began to understand what Jesus felt and saw sitting there. I couldn't hold back the tears as the reality of what he went through that night truly hit me. We left in somber moods climbing up stairs that Jesus actually climbed back up to the main level outside to the bus outside. The thought that went through my mind was dead man walking.

After supper, the end to a fitting day- a short night visit to the Western Wall. It was a treat to be at this somber place as Jewish Shabet ended, and Jews of all levels prayed in their designated sections for men and women. After visiting and praying, the few who ventured here this evening headed back exhausted, ready for our pillows and needed sleep.



Erev Tov (Good evening)!