I am so behind on blogging. Last time I came with Olivia it was a requirement for the course we took and so each night I would force myself to sit and type out what we had seen and what I thought about it all. This time since it is not a requirement and I am with Mark, I seem to do this verbally at night and then we pass out from exhaustion! So, what that means is I will be going through my photos and notes from several days. Buckle up!
I believe I left off with our New Testament day that ended at the Holy Sepulcher. Our next day (Wed Oct 21st) started off with views of Jerusalem from Mt Scopus. This is located to the north and has lovely views of the beginning of the wilderness. In the distance we could see Anathoth the home of Jeremiah the prophet. I have never really studied the prophets of the old testament much. I know some key messianic verses but beyond that have never associated their message to Israel as a message to me. I think I am very wrong. The warnings that they give and the fact that Jesus refers to them in his teachings makes me think the old testament is a vital part of the new testament so much richer in meaning. Just as the land here gives me visuals to help me understand the history I read about in the bible, so does the old testament give us visuals for the new testament.
Our next stop was the Mount of Olives. The mount of Olives is actually a range of what we would classify has large hills. There are 3 distinct ones from the view of the city. One mount is covered with tombs and the other two were more olive tree groves. They sit across the central valley from Jerusalem. The Garden of Gethsemene is located on the second hill. We read about Jesus crying out in prayer to his Father to take this cup away from him but that if not he would be faithful. It always makes me emotional to think of that moment that he chose to give His life, His blood for mankind. For me. What a gift. There are several churches on the Mt of Olives. One is shaped like a tear drop to remember when Jesus wept for Jerusalem. We went into the Church of all Nations that is located in the Garden of Gethsemane. I love this church because there is silence. You have an emotional experience based on quiet time with God. Based on reflection. Not based on music, lights, or a praise team. The church sets the mood to make it feel like it is night time in the garden. No one speaks. We just walk around to different parts of the church that have art work on the walls and huge alabaster stained glass windows depicting crosses. As you walk up the middle isle you come to an alter and huge rock protruding from the floor. This is where Jesus cried out to his father. It literally brought me to my knees. I had to kneel and touch the ground and offer my thanksgiving and praise.
Same day we drove to Herodium and looked at his magnificent palace. it is a cool place filled with tons of archeological information from the time of King Herod up to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. We climbed in cisterns, tunnels, and around the palace. It is huge! We were able to see the shepherd fields from top and reflect on how the hillside developed the character of David as king. This area outside of Bethlehem would have been where he would have been tending sheep. Protector, Leader, Warrior. All are needed to survive in this land. Next we went into Bethlehem. We made a quick stop to the shepherd fields where the angels appeared to the shepherd (remembered as the place. Hard to find any archeological evidence of angels appearing!) A quick trip and we were at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. There is documentation from 1st century that this is where Jesus was born. This is huge! There would have still been family in the area to confirm that yes, this is the place. No one disputed it. We were able to go into the room and see the manger (which is made of stone and not wood) It was a permanent fixture in the "storage room" of the house. The animals would have been brought in when the weather was bad. Since it is stone it would not have been moved in and out as it would have been way to heavy. When Mary and Joseph came to stay with their relatives there was no room in the "guest room" (other relatives were already there) so they put them in the room with the manger. I love this thought more. God didn't desert them and let them fend for themselves as the Savior of the world is being born. He provided them with a house full of family support. Joseph didn't cut the cord! Every woman in the family and likely some neighbors as well were acting as midwives to make sure Mary and baby were taken care of. That is the how it is still done today in some areas. They value birth and life as a gift from God and would have surrounded them to help. LOVE IT! Think about it. How did the shepherds find them. They come into Bethlehem and ask one maybe two people. Everyone knows who had a baby because it is a community effort in those days. I wish I could upload some pictures to go with my blog but unfortunately my computer isn't cooperating. I am trying to put them on Facebook.
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