Jerusalem and Bethlehem

We were up and at it early again today, but we had a lot of ground to cover here in Jerusalem.

Our first stop was the City of David national park. This was the original portion of Jerusalem, built below the temple mount. From this park we were looking up at the walls of the temple. First they showed us a 3D movie of how the city looked in King David's day, and why he chose the spot on the point between the two natural valleys. On each side is a natural wadi where water flows in the rainy season and building there would have been considered dangerous.

Though the valleys would flow with excessive water in the rainy season, they are generally dry - except for the engineered tunnel deep inside the mountain. This tunnel was built by Hezekiah in order to have and hold fresh water for many reasons, including water supply while under siege and ritual bathing.

We took stairs deep into the mountainside to the mouth of the tunnel and then plunged in. We all came prepared with water shoes and water friendly clothing as the water reached to mid thigh at its deepest. Then for the length of 5 football fields we followed the tunnel, walking in fresh clear, running water. When it was built, two teams worked toward each other blindly. They followed a natural stream of water as it worked its way through the mountain and then met and joined the two tunnels. All this without GPS!

Those of us from Michigan would describe the water in the tunnel as warm, though some found it rather chilly. I would guess it was about the temperature of Lake Michigan on a really good day. Refreshing.

At the end of the tunnel was came to the Pool of Siloam. This pool was built for the purpose of ritual cleansing. The Jews needed to pass through flowing water (going in and going out of the pool) before ascending to the temple as a means of purification. From this pool they would have ascended the 900 steps to the temple, ready to offer sacrifices and meet with God.

You might think I made a typo when I said 900 steps to the temple mount, but no, I did not. As we have learned everywhere on this trip, this means we are going UP. Obviously, the city has built over the original steps for many generations and (hope against hope here) they put in an elevator? Again, no, they did not. They did, however, uncover some of the original steps but they were 'underground' in another tunnel as houses still exist on the top layer of the mountain. So we went into another tunnel, only this time going up. No songs of ascent were being sung, but we all made it.

Once again on the top side of things, we were looking at an active excavation of the hillside. There were rooms and mosaics that they are certain were from the time of Jesus. Another interesting thing we considered was how King David from his palace could easily look down at the rooftops below and see something he wanted. Her name was Bathsheba.

We had looked at this scripture shortly after arriving at the City of David, Seeing the physical landscape from both perspectives gave us a sense of how the story played out. Lust, envy, adultery, conspiracy, murder, and cover up - all the elements for a good novel. Unfortunately, these were real people who paid for the commission of these sins over and over. Redeemed and forgiven, yes. But the ripple effects of those sins were felt for generations.

The final leg of our upward journey took us through the Dung Gate into the old city of Jerusalem. From the moment we walked through the gate, the splendor of the Western Wall lay before us. Rising high with the layers of the various civilizations, it was stunning. But, we were not stopping there quite yet. Ronnie had a different view he wanted us to see first.

Back into another tunnel, we went down alongside the Western Wall underground, Here they are digging to the base of the wall and uncovering treasures from the previous centuries. We saw another ritual bath that was found recently, only nearer to the Temple gate than the one far below at Siloam. I guess that not all the travelers were up for the 900 steps and found they could utilize baths closer to their destination.

Ronnie did a beautiful job illustrating (with the help of a model set up ahead of time) how Jerusalem had changed through the centuries and different regimes. This city was literally reshaped several times over until Herod the Great (Jesus' time) built the great walls, including the Western Wall we see today. We walked along the previously buried portions of the Western wall and marveled at the craftsmanship and skill involved in the placements and creations of those stones. One stone we stopped to admire weighed 570 plus tons!

After our tour underground in the tunnels we resurfaced and were given time to approach the Western Wall portion that many know as the "Wailing Wall". Men on one side, women on the other. I will forever consider this half hour one of the greatest experiences of my life.

A bit of history about the Western Wall - this is the wall that would have been nearest the "Holy of Holies" with regard to the placement of the Temple above. In 70 AD that Temple was destroyed, but Jews believe that this is where they should come to be nearest the heart of God. Now, why the 'wailing' wall? It was actually intended to be a mockery of the devout who were praying and crying for delivery of God's people.

After all the hiking in water, steps up and down the from the Kidron valley, and taking on the Western Wall - we all were starving! Meier arrived with lunch and a surprise. Instead of our usual pita bread with meat sandwiches we were given a 'bagel'. Don't think that this was a Panera sized bagel - this was a HUGE bagel that hung from our arms about 10" on each side. Ronnie then had us prepare five plates to dip our bagels in (small pieces at a time!). We had hummus, goat cheese, yogurt with date honey, hyssop in olive oil, and chocolate spread. He called this a 'Jerusalem Lunch'. We all unanimously voted it delicious!

Now filled with all the "Milk and Honey" our stomachs could tolerate, we crossed the square to Davidson Park. This park is actually the corner of the Western and Southern walls of the Temple courtyard. In the quiet of the park Ronnie answered the many questions we had about what we had seen at the 'Wailing Wall' and found confusing. The time in open discussion was very informative and I think that we will all carry this knowledge forward into our lives.

Next we found steps on the Southern wall and had a time of teaching about the Pentecost and how it may well have happened at this spot. Certainly we were sitting where the disciples must have rested at one time or another. Incredible really, isn't it?

At this point, our time in Jerusalem was done. We boarded the bus and headed out of town for the Herodium. This spot is several miles out of town and high up on a hill. Actually, the hill was part of the whole story that was so interesting. Herod had the hill made for his palace to be perched on top of. Why? There are loads of hills in the countryside to choose from, why build your own? I guess it is like Ronnie says all the time "It is good to be the King".

On this hill a grand palace was built to Herod's exact specifications. Today the ruins are still in remarkable shape. This hill was also Herod's burial site at his request. From the top of this hill we took time to consider how he looked down (literally) on Bethlehem and raged when he heard that a king had been born there! It kind of reminded me of the David and Bathsheba story a little.

Now we boarded our bus again and made the trip to Bethlehem. As this town is mostly Palestinian we were warned about many things. Though the Church of the Nativity is open to us, the area is grudgingly welcoming at best.

Making our way to the Church of the Nativity we were told that no teaching (Bible lessons) could occur inside the church's walls. This is out of respect for the three active churches occupying the space. While we waited in line for our opportunity to see the spot under the church where Jesus was believed to have been born, we were educated on the history of the actual church building.

The structure we were standing in, which is the original church, is over 1500 years old. It is home to Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and the Armenian church. It has held up very well for being this old.

Finally, slipping through a door and down a few steps were at the spot where it is believed that Jesus was born. The spot is marked by a silver 14 pointed star - to stand for the 14 generations from David to Him. To our left was the manger. With little time to ponder these things deeply, all I could say was 'thank you for coming, Lord Jesus.'

On the newer portion of the church, which is St. Catherines Catholic Church portion we stopped to learn about Jerome's caves beneath it. Jerome is credited with having translated the Bible from Aramaic to Latin so that the whole world might know God's word. We slipped down into those caves for a few minutes. One more very interesting part of that cave system was the memorial for the babies that King Herod had murdered in his quest to eliminate the King that was born in Bethlehem. They are remembered and mourned, how fitting.

Our final stop of the day was Johnny's Tourist Shop. This shop was chosen by Mr. Schenck and Ronnie because they are Christians trying to survive in a mostly Muslim city. They had told us that we would be stopping there, and to try to save our purchases until they could do good for them as well as for us. I think we all left happy.

Back to Jerusalem again, we look forward to our last day here tomorrow. We have some very intensely emotional things to look forward to, but I am confident that they will all be great. Blessings from Jerusalem.