The First Full Day in Jerusalem

The Garden Tomb, the less likely site of Jesus' burial and resurrection,
but profoundly meaningful and moving none the less.

Thursday was our first full day of touring Jerusalem. It was nice not having to wrestle with jet lag. When I visited Israel the four previous times, I flew from the east coast of the United States. There is six hours difference between the US and Israel, but from Scotland there is only a two hours difference. In previous times it took one or two days to get back in sync with the local time; but the difference between  Scotland and Tel Aviv wasn't that bad. I had a great sleep at night and was ready to go by sun up.

There was a lot packed into the our first full day of touring.  We began at the top of the Mount of Olives with its fine view view of the mosque on the Temple Mount. The picture of this is the photo in the previous posting to this. We visited a church on the supposed site where Jesus first taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer. Then we made our descent down the Mount of Olives, visiting several churches that commemorate Jesus' actions as He also descended the mount. On the western slope there is an immense Jewish necropolis, a Jewish cemetery.  It is a pricey and prestigious place to be buried. Jewish people expect that hose buried there will be the first to be raised when the Messiah comes. 

We continued to descend to the ancient grove of olive trees that is the Garden of Gethsemane. The beautiful and majestic  Church of All Nations remembers that Jesus prayed there before He was arrested and sentenced to crucification. We found ourselves in the Kidron Valley, at the base of the Mount of Olives. Then we ascended the slope of the Temple Mount. We entered one of the Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem and then entered the peaceful grounds of the Pool of Bethesda to sing hymns in the Church of St Anne.  

After singing hymns in the Church of St Anne, we walked the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus walked on his way to be cruci-fied. We stopped at the Stations of the Cross to read Scripture about Jesus' passion. I was struck by the river of humanity flowing through the narrow walk ways of the Old City. The Old City of Jerusalem is a microcosm of the whole world.  I heard a multitude of languages being spoken as we walked along. There were pilgrims from Romania, Russia, South Korea, and the Philippines. I am sure there were people from other nations passing through to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the primary site of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Via Dolorosa is not the place for anyone who has issues with personal space. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a zoo of people pushing into the church to view the place of Jesus' Crucifixion and His resurrection. I have been there several times before, but chose to rely on my memories of times before. The lines to the the holy places were much too long. Soon we found our way to the nearby Garden Tomb. The Garden Tomb was the high-point of my day, especially after the Holy Sepulchre. A volunteer guide, a pastor from Calgary. Alberta, talked to us about the Resurrection of Jesus. Where Jesus was killed and resurrected  is unimportant; what is important and critical is that Jesus died for the forgiveness of sins, and three days later was raised from death to life. The tomb is empty. I was physi-cally worn out, but spiritually enlivened by visiting the Garden Tomb. 

I don't give much value walking where Jesus walked and seeing what He saw. It does not mean much to me. But I needed to hear the Story of Jesus and His journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb. As we walked from the Mount of Olives to the place of the Cross and the Empty Tomb, I remembered the Story and paid particular attention to the Scipture readings of his life, death, and resurrection. In that sense, it was a really rewarding day for me. 

Blessings to you and yours,