Today was Travis's 40th birthday!!! So cool! If I could choose anyplace to be on my birthday, I would want to be in Israel. I'm so glad it worked out this way! The only thing I felt guilty about was it didn't occur to me until we were on the plane here that I had done absolutely nothing for his birthday. All the work to get us on this trip overrode any thoughts of throwing in a birthday crown or even writing a card. Major wife fail. Luckily, he is not the type to expect or need any hoopla, but still... I felt bad. When we got on the bus this morning, John announced on the microphone that it was Travis and his son who was with us, Levi's, birthdays today so we all sang to them! And many people wished him a happy birthday throughout the day.
Our top priority on Friday was to get to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection. We were there by 7am! It is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is considered to be the holiest site for Christians in the world and has been the most important pilgrimage site for Christians since the fourth century. According to traditions dating back to the fourth century, it contains both the site where Jesus was crucified at Calvary or Golgotha, and the location of Jesus' empty tomb, where he was buried and resurrected. So within the church is an enclosed shrine or sepulcher and normally the line to enter the sepulcher itself can be hours. Of the 12 groups John has led only one has entered the sepulcher. When we arrived the line was only 30 minutes!! So he said we could wait and see it. We were so happy!
This a view of the sepluchre from above.
The anticipation mounted as we waited. At any point they could close it for a religious group who had reserved it. Since we had been so carefully prepared to experience the sites of other religions with open hearts, I believe most everyone in our group had a fantastic experience. Personally, I went in with curiosity, not sure what to expect. There is no definite assurance on where Jesus died or was buried, if it was the garden tomb or the site of the Holy Sepulcher or somewhere else, but most recent statements from church authorities say that if you want to feel what it must have felt like go to the Garden Tomb and if you want to go to where it most likely was head to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
When it is your turn, you duck down into a small space that only fits about 2-3 people. There is a slab of stone. I wasn't expecting to feel the sacred reverence I felt. It was powerful. Even tangible. There was electricity in that space. It took my breath away. I walked out kind of stunned. In a dark church surrounded by strange smells and pressing people, I was so surprised that I felt Jesus. I am so grateful we got this experience.
This is what the sepluchre looks like from the back. You can see the line on the left which leads up to the front.
The site of the Holy Sepulcher was a rock quarry at the time of Christ and the church is chiseled into the quarry. It became a church shortly after the time of Christ and is now run by many churches. The type of worship there is so unfamiliar to us with incense, chanting, kneeling prayer, covered heads and kissing. You can see the influence of different types of believers throughout the building. Our lesson from John focused on John 20:2 Who are you looking for? Who am I looking for? Am I holding Jesus to a preconceived box? Am I holding on to what I thought things would be? Women were last at the cross and first at the tomb. He also talked about how in Luke 8 Jesus cast 7 demons out of Mary. When you are with Jesus everything changes. You can go from a very bad place to a very good place. He also encouraged us to study the seven statements Jesus makes from the cross.
This is called the Rock of Calvary, where the Crucifixion is believed to have occurred, is encased in glass at the lavish Altar of the Crucifixion.
I don't think I've even seen artwork of Christ being taken off the cross.
I loved walking through the Western Wall to get to our next location.
Today was the day before Shabbat.
We would come back later that night since many Jews mark the beginning of the celebration
at sundown Friday night in prayer at the wall.
Even though it wasn't sundown yet,
it was bustling with many coming in their best "robes" to pray at the wall.
We had heard that you could buy pomegranate juice here (so unique!) but it wasn't in season. We finally found some as we walked to our next spot!
I really liked the first century temple ruins found right next to the Western Wall. There is an excavation project beginning there, but it was impactful for me to see the broken arch and the gigantic pieces of temple remains from 2000 years ago and see the evidence of the truthfulness of the destruction of the temple foretold by Jesus, Lehi and many others.
Steps to the Temple Leading up to the Temple of Herod, these steps have only recently
been uncovered by archaeologist. The temple area was divided into courts, and the outer courts stood on the lowest ground. Worshipers entered through various gates, including those that led upward from these steps into the outer courts and then into the inner courts. Thousands of people have ascended these steps over time, including the Son of God. When the army of Titus destroyed the temple in A.D. 70, the steps were covered with debris. They were uncovered during excavation of part of the old city of Jerusalem. Significant Event: Ezekiel saw in a vision the size and form of the future temple (Ezek. 40). (See Bible Dictionary, “Temple of Herod.”)
You can see the double and triple gates in the sketch below.
The stairs that lead to the double gate are intact and well preserved.
The steps that lead to the triple gate were mostly destroyed.
Remember when we were on the temple mount to see the Dome of the Rock?
Those windows we were looking out were those rectangles!
So again, of all the places we visited on this tour, THIS was the place we know of a certainty, Jesus walked. And Travis got to be in this place on his birthday! A memory of a lifetime.
John shared with us that Neil Armstrong visited this place and said "I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon."
Wow. That hit me pretty powerfully. I'm sure most of the world would think he was crazy. Going to the moon was surely better. But no, he recognized the divinity of Christ and THIS was more significant to him than walking on the moon. Do we follow worldly aspirations or is our focus figuratively walking in Christ's footsteps?
Near Jaffa gate there is a spot called the “hidden” gate. At the time of Christ the wall would have been open to Herods Palace. This would have been the location where Pilot might have stayed. This is where the trial most likely would have taken place. Barabbus thought it was the people that set him free but it was the love of Heavenly Father, just like He sets us, as sinners, all free. Jesus was willing to pay the price and Barabbus went free. Jesus also sets us free from our sin. As we read in John 19:12 Pilot was a political appointee. He was under pressure to give up. Never give up on Jesus.
Next we went to the Garden Tomb and Skull Hill!
Our group was assigned a tour guide.
He took us over to Skull Hill. It is believed that this is the mountain directly outside the city on which Jesus was crucified.
It is named Skull Hill because of placement of holes in the
knoll of the mountain making it look like a skull. Because of erosion you can't see it much anymore.
The cross of Christ is often portrayed as having been "on a hill far away."
We even sing songs about it!
But the Romans crucified people on well traveled roads as an example, not in remote locations.
None of the gospels indicate that Jesus was crucified on a hill.
BUT, all four gospels say that Jesus was crucified at "the place of a skull".
Interesting!
The Garden Tomb area was full of well cared for gardens. The ambiance was peaceful. Everyone walked around reverently and quietly. This felt more like what you would expect Christ's tomb to look like. We waited in a line for our turn to enter. You weren't supposed to take pictures because it held up the line, but we quickly snuck a few in anyway without holding anyone up. Interestingly, I didn't have the same powerful feelings overcome me when I walked inside, like I did at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The inside of the empty tomb.
To the far left would have been where a body would lay.
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John taught us in the gardens:
Christs disciple’s stick around between the tragedy and the triumph. Most of our lives are between tragedy and triumph. There were really good reasons for them to leave, like personal safety. They stayed close to Jesus and set an example for each of us. Luke 24:5-6 Jesus isn’t here. He is alive. I don’t need to walk where he walked to spend time with him. It is interesting to think of the story in Luke 24:13-31 of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. In the moment that they were giving up hope Jesus was walking with them. They didn’t recognize his presence but he was there. Christ is with us in our despair as well. Are we looking for him and recognizing him? Mark 16:1-8 The earliest accounts of Mark end here. Were they afraid? In the book of Mark there is a pattern of Jesus healing, asking the person not to tell, and the person telling everyone. We are now asked to do the opposite. Are you going to be afraid to tell everyone?
The resurrection message consistent in all of the gospels is:
1. The tomb is empty
2. Women were the first witnesses
3. Go and tell everyone
I haven't shown many pictures of the military.
Lots of guns in Jerusalem!
I never felt unsafe.
They are all basically kids who are required to sign up when they turn 18.
Men serve 3 years, women serve for 2 years.
Our first big chunk of free time!
We were let loose back at the old city.
But we were HUNGRY!
John said he would take us to a place to get real pizza.
We were desperate for something normal, haha!
Especially after eating kosher for so long.
Yafa Pizza, bless you for serving meat with cheese even in Old Jerusalem!
After lunch it was finally time to SHOP and explore!!
John told us we could trust Ali Babas. Often you buy things in Jerusalem thinking they are authentic but actually they are from China. Not so at Ali Babas. Shelley and I bought matching skirts and we got Weston a chess set and Collin a shirt here!
Then I saw this nativity mosaic on the wall and my heart leapt! It was PERFECT. And also expensive. But my ever generous husband encouraged me to get it. Shelley saw it and loved it too and there was one more left. I absolutely LOVE that we now have matching mosaics from Jerusalem! Christmas can't come soon enough!
This one was stunning but 4x the price of mine. At least I have a picture to remember it by.
Shelley and I saw a crown of thorns in a shop we wanted to buy for Easter decorations.
The shop owner started asking us questions.
Next thing we know we are following him across the street, paid a $5
entrance fee and were now being led on some kind of tour, lol!! It started at the Sister of Notre Dame.
At first we thought we were just looking at some cool first century stones.
But THEN he told us these flagstones were thought to be those of Gabbatha, which
John 19:13 describes as the location where Pontius Pilate had Jesus's trial.
Outside is the Ecce Homo Arch.
By Christian tradition the arch was part of the praetorium, the Judgement hall of Jerusalem
in the first century.
He said we could take off our shoes and walk the stones which Jesus also walked.
The Ecce Homo Arch.
With Jesus underneath it!
We heard a bunch of commotion and saw that the procession
to the Holy Sepulchre was going by.
Little did we know that we were basically at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa,
which we had been trying to find!
That is the start of the procession, so it helped us find our way!
We had to stop and ask for a picture. He walks this path every week barefoot. I admire the commitment.
Via Dolorosa is the route Jesus would have taken on the way to his crucifixion.
It is marked by fourteen Stations of the Cross.
9 of which are outside in the streets,
with the last 5 inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
1) The place where Jesus was condemned to death;
(2) Jesus is made to bear his cross
(3) Jesus falls for the first time;
(4) Jesus meets his mother.
(5) Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross (Chapel of Simon of Cyrene);
(6) Veronica wipes Jesus’ face;
(7) Jesus falls for the second time;
(8) The women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus;
(9) Jesus falls for the third time;
(10) Jesus is stripped of his garments;
(11) Jesus is nailed to the cross;
(12) Jesus dies on the cross;
(13) Jesus is taken down from the cross; and
(14) Jesus is placed in the sepulchre.
Don't mind us. Ice cream helps with all the walking haha!
We first met this group of American monks at the beginning of the procession.
They were walking with the procession group.
We are curious cats, so we asked where they were from, what sects they represented and such.
I think they were from Michigan and fully commit the rest of their lives to their religion.
The one in the robe was in training.
They will never marry.
They had just gotten to Israel that morning for a month long visit and for schooling.
They were incredibly friendly and I loved meeting people who were so devoted to their faith.
We would say our goodbyes, then ran into them again, where we would ask more questions!
So very interesting to learn about other religions. Before we parted for the last time, he offered us these Virgin Mary necklaces.
The Miraculous Medal was originally called the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, but, because of the numerous accounts of miracles by those who wore it, people began to call it the Miraculous Medal, and the name stuck. The Medal is a visual reminder of our salvation through Jesus Christ. Special graces are promised to those who wear it.
I still needed a souvenir for Olive and was in the process of buying an olive tree bracelet for her when
Travis got suited for his headwrap!
This guy was sure trying to make a sale!
It was dusk and time to meet back up with our group at the Western Wall.
Here is some info about it.
Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, a place of prayer and pilgrimage sacred to the Jewish people. It is the only remains of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem, held to be uniquely holy by the ancient Jews. The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587–586 BCE, and the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.
The authenticity of the Western Wall has been confirmed by tradition, history, and archaeological research; the wall dates from about the 2nd century BCE, though its upper sections were added at a later date. Texts explaining the survival of the wall vary; one suggests that God saved this fragment for the Jewish people, while another holds that Titus left it as a painful reminder of the Roman defeat of Judea.
Because the wall now forms part of a larger wall that surrounds the Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jews and Arabs have frequently disputed control of the wall and, often, right of access to it. That conflict has been particularly heated since the Israeli government took full control of the Old City in the wake of the Six-Day War of June 1967.
Ok. I need a minute to just sit in the memories of this experience.
Being at the Western Wall Friday night, the beginning of Sabbath for all Jews.
What a special experience.
They came well dressed and ready to celebrate. We watched a large group of boys gather to sing and dance. The boys always stayed separate from the girls. I didn't know if it was appropriate to talk to them, but my impetuousness won over. Shelley and I walked over and started asking questions. They were eager to answer. They smelled strongly of smoke, which made me sad, but I was impressed by their love and dedication to their religion. I don't think boys in our church would eagerly put on their Sunday clothes to sing and dance together.
I loved watching.
I loved feeling their enthusiasm.
Welcoming Shabbat is a big deal!
The Orthodox Jews dressed a little differently from the others. Furry hats with coiled sideburns. Prayer shawls. The women wore wigs to cover their heads. I tried to talk to some but they weren't as eager as the first boys. They seemed wary of me. Maybe they were just annoyed and wanted to go to the wall without tourists bothering them.
Some seemed very upset and others seemed happy. They would put scripture to their foreheads and rock their upper body back and forth. I asked one girl the meaning behind the rocking. She seemed confused by my question, but explained it added fervor to the prayer.
Witnessing such dedication and faith inspired me. I felt a renewed dedication to make the sabbath a special day in our home. If they can do what they do, I can definitely step up my game and become a little more committed.
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