Israel: day one

We flew from Venice to Riga, Latvia then from there to Tel Aviv. By the time we went through customs and so forth and drove to Jerusalem it was already two in the morning. I faintly remember getting into the vehicle Melton referred to as a refrigerator on wheels because of its rectangular shape.

I also hazily remember Melton talking about  traveling UP to Jerusalem. When the Bible mentions traveling up to Jerusalem it isn't referring to heading north. No matter which direction you are coming from you are always heading up to Jerusalem because of its height above sea level. The old city of Jerusalem is 3800 ft above sea level and the rest of Jerusalem ranges but averages around 2500 ft above sea level.

I stumbled my way into the hotel and fell onto my bed, most likely asleep before actually hitting it. The next morning, I awoke and took in my surroundings. I was sharing a room with Jess and Jill. There was only one large bed and a small mattress on the floor. I had opted for the floor so my vantage point from the floor was a bit unusual at first. I clambered up, stiff from the long hours on a plane combined with the "mattress" I had slept on. There was one large window that took up the length of one wall and two glass doors, one on either side of the room leading out to two separate balconies. Gossamer-like curtains similar to the color of autumn leaves hung from ceiling to floor on all sides of the room. I walked over to the largest set and pulled them aside to see what hid behind them. Now, I always have had the ability to get the room with the worst possible view. Its usually a dumpster or a wall or someone else's room. However, this time God gave me the best view possible. Behind the curtains was a large window seat about the size of my "mattress". That either means the seat was large or my mattress was small. Take your pick. I digress...So here is my first real view of Israel. The old city of Jerusalem lay before me. My window faced Mt. Zion and all of its beauty. I wish my pictures could do it justice.

Our guides were kind enough to let us sleep in a little before tackling the day. The breakfast was so unique. Apparently a salad for breakfast is typical. They had a full salad bar, with fruit, an array of cheeses, and bread. I did find a hard boiled egg and had some fruit and cheese for breakfast. They had a orange juice machine that our group quickly became fascinated with. You stuck a whole orange in it and it proceeded to peel and squeeze it for you before distributing a fresh glass of juice for you. We probably emptied at least five whole trees worth of oranges before we left that hotel.

When I said "tackle the day", I truly meant it. Our guide was intense and since we only had five days, we were not to waste a moment. After breakfast, we walked down through the Valley of Hinnom and back up the side of Mt. Zion. [Can I just say, at this point I was already a little winded. It was quite the hike and we hadn't even reached our first location.]We walked through a slightly wooded, untraveled area where I could see broken shards of old pottery scattered amongst the dirt and rocks. Our first stop was the Upper Room. This was the site the Crusaders claimed the Last Supper took place. It really is impossible to know exactly, but it was an upper room in a believable location just outside the walls of the old city. The Crusader's had done a little redecorating then Muslims had added their own touch with a little nook in the wall pointing towards Mecca. We sat in that room surrounded by tourists viewing the area just as we were. We huddled close and read John 13:8-14, the passage where Jesus washes the feet of His disciples in the Upper Room.

"Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet." Jn. 13:13-14 KJV


We then walked towards the walls outside the old city. From this point, I got my first view of the Mt. of Olives. Craig, our guide also pointed out Mt. of Offense where the high places and altars were located and the Hill of Evil Counsel. I can't remember which gate we actually entered the city through, but it was interesting to see the holes above the gate where they would pour hot oil upon enemies who got too close. You could also see the evidence of bullets from the last attack on Jerusalem.

We went into the area where they are excavating around the Temple Mount. The Western wall, or the wailing wall, is a sacred site for Judaism and used for prayer, but only so much of it is actually used. The rest of it is part of the excavation site. I was able to see and touch both sections. At the base of the wall, was a road. Archaeologists had moved some of the large stones so the damage underneath could be seen but then they left many of the others. What I was seeing was remnants of the destruction of the Temple which happened around 70 AD, a fulfilled prophecy. You could see the places where market stalls used to be lined up. Jesus would have walked on these very stones at one point.

You could see the massive size of the Herodian stones. These are the stones that Herod used for the retaining wall when he built the second Temple. Then you could see where they ended and where new stones had been placed to repair the wall. You could see the genius in its construction. As Craig pointed out to us, if you stood at the corner you could see that each stone that was placed on top of another was place in one inch so the wall gradually tapered in so as to best function as a retaining wall and not collapse. When I talk about massive stones, I'm far from talking about pebbles. Some of these brick shaped stones weighed well over 100 tons each, yet they were perfectly shaped and stacked.

We sat there in this location and read Luke 19:41-44, the end of Jesus' triumphant entry. It's the repeating of the prophecy given in Daniel 9:24-27.

"But as He came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, He began to weep. How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation." Luke 19:41:44 NLT


Part of the excavation was closed off so we were only able to see the steps where the Jews ascended into the Temple. This was where the Jews quoted the Psalms of Ascent as the took each step (Psalms 120-134). It was a powerful view of their preparation for entering the Temple. They would sing the Psalms and meditate or dwell on them as they entered. This, as you imagine, took some time. They made sure before they entered the Temple that they were prepared to worship. A stark contrast to my puny preparations on Sunday morning, if I even remember prepare at all to come before Him.

We did walk along the Via Dolorosa, but our guide pointed out many reasons why he believed this was not actually the road Jesus would have walked to the cross. One of the reasons being, the Via Dolorosa begins at the fortress. Pilate would not have stayed in the fortress. He would have been a guest at the palace or he would have been at the citadel, not the fortress for the Roman guards. He showed us the rest of the traditional "holy sites" along the Via Dolorosa, but many of them are just places that churches have claimed are the exact locations. There really is no way of knowing many exact locations. It was a great tour of the old city though.

We were able to visit the pools of Bethesda mentioned in John 5 and the story of the healing of the lame man. This man had been sick for thirty-eight years. The pools were said to be healing pools and the first one in when it bubbled up was healed. However, he was lame and could not get in first. He sat there for years waiting to be able to get in first only to have someone else beat him to it. When Jesus came to him, He didn't put him in the water, but instead said "Get up and walk." Which is exactly what he did.

We eventually made our way down to the garden tomb. This was a really neat experience. It is run by a British non-profit organization. We had this small, English man lead us through. He showed us the cliff face that resembles a skull and the possible location of Golgotha which means place of the skull. There was also a 1st century tomb found in the same location. However, the man said "We cannot know for certain if this is the actual location." It is outside the walls of Jerusalem and a logical location, but I loved what he said about it. "Does it really matter? He isn't here! He arose from the grave!"

I still get choked up thinking about how awesome of an experience to see the empty tomb and be reminded of all He did for me. It doesn't really matter if we ever find the exact location. It doesn't matter which hill He died on, what matters is that He did die. He died for my sins as well as yours. He died for the sins of our ancestors and for the future generations. He died so that our sins could be wiped away, so that we could be made new creations in Christ.

"...though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.." Isaiah 1:18 KJV


He died, but then three days later He conquered death. He arose from the dead. He has victory over death and over ours sins. What an amazing thing!

That was only day one of my trip to Israel...