The Temple Mount

Today began at the Mount of Olives opposite Mt. Moriah, (Temple Mount) and we walked down towards the Kidron Valley. This is likely a similar path that Christ took on Palm Sunday as he entered Jerusalem. It was a beautiful morning.

Looking across the valley at the Temple Mount.

The walk down the Mount of Olives.

 

Today was a serious history lesson concerning all things “Jerusalem.” Jews believe that the Messiah will come through the Mount of Olives and enter Jerusalem through the Eastern or Mercy Gate. And the Christian tradition says that Jesus will return and enter by the same gate. Standing on the Mount of Olives and having Hezi point out things opposite the Kidron Valley like the part of the Mount where Satan tempted Jesus, the oldest Jewish cemetery where Haggai and Malachi are buried, and the tomb of Absalom (David’s son) was fascinating.  As I said, we started with a downhill walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. Hezi had made reservations for us to be in one of the private gardens for a time of prayer. We began with Pastor Polson reading from Luke 19 about Jesus entering the city…our response was…"blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!". Pastor Polson then read Matthew 26 and Dean led us in prayer before we all spread out under olive trees to pray as families. I used that time to write out the prayer that I wanted to leave in a niche at the Western Wall. It was a really special time remembering the great sacrifice that Jesus was for us, and the agony he went through at this spot in the garden when he asked God the Father three times if it was possible for this cup to pass from him. We then went to the Church of the Nations. This church is supposed to mark the place where Jesus prayed and Peter cut off the ear of the soldier. 

The Lion Gate

This is the Church of Mary Magdalene. It is Russian Orthodox and only Russians on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem are allowed to enter. We are looking back on the Mount of Olives from the New City.

Another view looking back at the Mount of Olives.

The structure that looks like an upside down ice cream cone is the tomb of Absalom.

Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane under the olive trees.

The Jewish cemetery outside the walls. The cemetery has been full since 1946. To the Jews this is a much desired location because when the Messiah comes they will be the first to be raised from the dead. As a sign of love and respect, stones are left on the tombs. This tradition dates back to the exile in the desert when there were no flowers to adorn grave sites.

The oldest Olive Tree in Jerusalem and possibly the world. It is approximately 2200 years old.

Stained glass window in the Church of the Nations beside the Garden of Gethsemane.

As we entered the city by the Lion Gate, (St. Stephen) Hezi told the story of when he was fighting in Dothan in the 1967 war and word came to his unit that the Western Wall and Temple Mount had been liberated by Israeli forces. All the troops rejoiced and broke into celebrations.  The troops who won the wall entered through the very gate we were entering. 

We then moved to the Pool of Bethesda where Pastor Polson read John 5 about the man who sat by the pool for 38 years but could never be the first one in the water after the angel stirred it. We then stepped next door to the Church of St. Anne and lifted our voices to the Lord.   

The Pool of Bethesda.

Church of St. Anne beside the pool.

The women's section of the Western Wall .(Wailing Wall)

Today old Jerusalem is divided into 4 quarters: Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Muslim. The Western Wall is the most holy place to the Jews. I still can’t believe that we had a chance to pray there. The women pray in one section and the men in another. Today Prime Minister Netanyahu was coming to pray here after he won the election yesterday. Hezi got an emergency call saying we had to move up our time in the Rabbi’s Tunnels because of his arrival. Again Hezi gave us a lesson on how the foundation was prepared for the Temple Mount. It is amazing to me what these ancient people were able to build with relatively simple pulleys and weights. The history of this city is too much to learn in a single trip. I know when I get home, I will start planning my next trip and adding to the seeds of knowledge that have been planted on this trip.

Sue Polson praying over her sweet daughters, Ruth and Jessica, at the Wall.

The men and women are separated, but these women were standing on chairs looking over into the men's section. There was a group of little boys learning to read the Torah. Perhaps these were their mothers?

On the men's side of the Western Wall there were rabbi's teaching little boys to say their prayers and read from the Torah in one section and a bar mitzvah going on, too. It was intriguing to watch.

It was very special to get to pray here and leave prayers in the Wall. These are collected regularly and buried three times a year.

Hezi teaching us about the building of the Temple. What an incredible building project! Solomon had to have the northern hill of stone cut down significantly and raise the lower south side using tools that make that work seem impossible to us today. We saw a video on how the building was done. It was really informative, and I am truly in information overload.

The Rabbi’s Tunnels under the Temple Mount are fascinating. The arches were built to hold up the lower south side of the mount. The foundations are amazing. The pictures simply cannot show the work and detail that went into building this site. Some of the stones were enormous.  The largest was 44 feet long and weighed over 570 tons, and this stone was cut and moved using wedges, pulleys, weights and oxen to move into place.

The tunnels were much more extensive than I could have imagined. When we came up from the tunnels, we were in the Muslim quarter of the city. It had a very different feel to it. A few years ago a Muslim shop keeper agreed to let the tunnel exit through his store...he saw an opportunity to make money. Unfortunately his neighbors did not like this decision and he was found murdered a short time after making this agreement. The exit to the tunnels had to be relocated.

Our drinks at lunch with Arabic labels.

After we exited the tunnels, Hezi took us to lunch. We had falafels and lots and lots of people got pizza. It was really tasty...different from home but still very delicious. With all the walking we did, we were ready for lunch! Next we began our walk down the Via Dolorosa. The stations of the cross are plainly marked as you walk the narrow alleys. We learned what happened at each station as Jesus's death sentence was given and carried out.

Each station is marked with a medallion and number.

The last three stations are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church is maintained by five different denominations. It was a bit overly commercialized to us, but this is the site where many believe the garden tomb was located. The church was built over the tomb about 2oo years after Christ's death. Hezi will take us to a different garden tomb tomorrow. He says we have to decide which place seems right to us. I am reminded again that we don't worship the site but rather God alone. And Jesus was buried in this area and to see the area is good enough for this woman!

The tomb of Jesus at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The line was long to go in and pray in the spot were Jesus was placed in the tomb according to our orthodox brothers.

The last historic site of the day was the Israel Museum where we saw two of the actual jars that held the Dead Sea Scrolls that we saw in Qumran. We also saw an amazing replica of the city.

The replica of Jerusalem. It was finished in the 1960's just before the war in '67.

The gate where Jesus will enter when he returns.

What an incredible day! I say that every single evening. We ended the day by stopping by an artist's shop and picking up some treasures. We were all rather exhausted today so I think most of us will call it a night rather early. Goodnight from a tired group of travelers.