Day of Dichotomies

From the ultra orthodox Jews walking around in black coats and ringlets to the Palestinian boys banging on the bus doors trying to sell us souvenirs; from the intensely reverent prayer chants of the Western wall to the Muslim call to prayer which rings through the streets five times a day; from the Valley of Gehenna (pit-like valley outside ancient Jerusalem known for trash and child sacrifice) to the ritual hand washing stations of the Temple Mount, Israel is a city doused in dichotomy.

We began the morning like everyone should: with an airport-style security check. Once cleared, we proceeded into the Temple Mount area where we donned yamakas and joined the group of mostly ultra orthodox Jews praying at the Western Wall. Before leaving that area, we made our way to the steps leading up to the temple from Jesus' day where we took a chance to pray. After a chicken shawarma lunch at a local restaurant, we visited the town of Bethlehem which today is more like a suburb of Jerusalem. We visited a cave that baby Jesus' shepherd visitors may have used for shelter for their sheep and then hiked up, down, and all around one of Herod's nearby palaces: the Herodium.

Encountering numerous ultra orthodox Jews in their full garb for the first time this trip, we left the Western Wall and its tunnels with dozens of questions about the intriguingly different culture we had just stepped into. Graciously, our tour guide Ronan fielded a barrage of questions that brought to light the traditions and Scriptural basis for many of the different dress and approach to worshipping God. In spite of the apparent overemphasis on the literal interpretation of some Scriptures, one can't help but respect their intense level of devotion to prayer. The prayers which have been scribbled on scraps of paper and placed in cracks in the wall eventually fall from the wall over time, but rather than throw them away, we learned that the Jews view them as holy texts (no matter who prayed them) and thus bury them in a cemetery like they would any unusable scrolls or other holy objects. The wall is also open 24/7 to anyone who wants to pray there (and who can pass the security check). Given how pilgrims come from far and wide to insert prayers in the wall, even the ultra orthodox Jews treat the wall as "a house of prayer for all nations."

Moreover, it was extremely powerful to sit on the steps that led to the Temple in Jesus' day. To think that Jesus walked and likely taught on the very steps we sat on is enough to give one goosebumps. Those stairs are designed with a pattern of two short steps and one long all the way up, making it impossible to run into the presence of God. What a dichotomy when compared with our approach to worship these days! We run around like chickens with our heads cut off all week, then dash into our Sunday worship services late before slipping out at 12:01 to get back for the Texans game. The Jews understood the benefit to preparing one's heart for the presence of the Lord.

We closed the evening by singing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" in the shepherd's cave and shopping for souvenirs at a local Christian shop in the City of David.

With dichotomies everywhere we look, we can't wait to see what our God (who seems to love dichotomies like grace and justice, joy and suffering, faith and works) has in store for us the next two days in His chosen city.

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