One of the first things we spotted this morning as we drove was a Dutch windmill. Our guide told us there are actually 2 of them in Jerusalem. They have never been functioning windmills.
We took the Dung Gate into the Temple Mount this morning seeing the remains of King Solomon’s temple. We later left by the Lion’s Gate. This piece of land belongs to Israel, but the Palestinian Muslims have built a Mosque over the place that is believed to be the site of the first temple. The Mosque is a beautiful structure with a gold dome and colored mosaic designs all around the outside. However, on the corners near the door are symbols of Satan. Muslims do not believe in Satan and they do believe this will keep Jews and Christians away. Every Friday 60,000 Muslims come to this area to pray and to denounce the Jews. This area is heavily guarded by military since it is a “hot spot” for fighting between Muslims and Jews. Muslims occasionally throw stones over the Western wall to hit the Jews who are praying.
Our next stop was the Holocaust Museum. We were reminded of the horrors of Jews from many countries faced as they came under the control of the Nazis. We listened to many testimonies of people (mostly women) who survived the horror of the Holocaust. We walked through the Children’s Memorial, built in memory of the 1.5 million children (up to 16 years old) who were killed. It was a beautiful presentation of pictures of children and burning candles with an ongoing auditory listing of the names of the children and the countries they were from. Outside this memorial, we gathered to pray for healing for the Jews who yet today suffer the impact of this horrible event. Our guide shared that he has no living relatives because of the Holocaust. The sting of what happens lingers.
The Dead Sea Scroll Museum was our next stop. Outside the museum is a large model of Jerusalem as it was in Jesus’ time. This was a great visual to help us get a better perspective of what it was like. Shim’on explained the location of Golgotha, Antonio fortress (Pilate’s palace), Herod’s palace, Caiaphas’ house, David’s City, the temple with the Holy of Holies, the Kidron Valley, and Mt. of Olives.
Our tour ended with a grand finale at Garden of the Tomb. A Christian guide told the story of the crucifixion as we looked at Golgotha, the place where Jesus hung on the cross. When he shouted out “it is finished” it would have echoed throughout the mountains. Interesting, the cliffs have weathered away, leaving a picture of a face in the rocks. Contrary to pictures we see and songs we sing, Jesus was not crucified on a hill. And His feet were not far from the ground. From there we walked to the garden where it is believed Jesus was buried. We were each able to enter the tomb. On the door of the tomb is a sign “He is not here.” What an opportunity to sit at the empty tomb.
We then gathered with people from two other tour buses (about 100 people in all) and Jim was privileged to lead believers in participating in the Lord’s Supper and Lois led them in singing. Although we initially planned on being freed of all responsibilities as we travelled, the last minute request from Pilgrim Tours for Jim to be the spiritual director on our bus turned into a blessing. He had the extreme honor of baptizing people in the Jordan River and offering the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper at both Mt. Sinai and the site of the crucifixion and resurrection! And Lois had the opportunity to lead people in worship through song. These are priceless experiences we will always cherish.
After dinner the people from our bus gathered together at the hotel to share 1-2 highlights of Walking in the Footsteps of the Israelites and then of Jesus. This proved to be a great review of what we had done in the past 12 days – because the collective memory brought up things that may have blurred for some. We prayed together and sang together. It is amazing how much you come to love and care for people in such a short time.
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