Once and For All

It was another beautiful day in Jerusalem and another very full schedule of exciting things to see! We began when the bus dropped us off and we walked through the Zion Gate and through the Jewish Quarter. This area was controlled by Jordan from 1948-1967 until the Jews took it back during the 6-day war in June of 1967. While in the Quarter, we experienced an amazing moment. Our tour guide, Ronnie, was telling us how this area was Bible prophecy come alive. We were reading through Zechariah 8, where Zechariah contrasts Israel’s past judgment with promised future restoration, and verse 5 reads, “And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.” While he was reading it, the sounds of children playing and laughing on a nearby playground filled the air. It was one of life’s beautiful moments when all you can do is shake your head in amazement and say, “Only in Israel.”

Our next stop was The Temple Institute, where preparations are being made for a new Temple. We learned a lot about the history of the first and second temples, and the Jewish mindset regarding their desire for a third, new temple. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures in The Temple Institute according to their policy.

Following The Temple Institute, we went to The Shrine of the Book, which is the home of several exceptional archaeological finds: the Dead Sea Scrolls and other rare ancient manuscripts. There was a fantastic scale model outside of what Jerusalem looked like in 70 A.D. before its destruction. The museum itself was fantastic as well. The rooms housing the Dead Sea Scrolls were modeled to look like caves, and it was just an amazing experience to be able to look at these nearly 2,000 year old pieces of parchment in person. As was the case with The Temple Institute, no pictures were allowed at The Shrine of the Book in order to preserve the condition of the scrolls.

Our final two stops for the day were at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb. The contrast between the two was pretty startling. The Church of the Sepulchre serves as the home to many branches of religion. Almost everywhere I looked, there was someone kissing a slab of marble, or performing a ceremonial prayer in a dark corner, or rubbing a rock. So much attention is given to items possibly tied to the past; items that are being substituted for all that really matters…Jesus the Messiah. Because of all this, for me there was a feeling of sadness and loneliness within the church, even though it was jam-packed with people. You’ll notice down below in the pictures, there is one of a wooden cross propped up outside in a corner in front of the church. This perfectly sums up what I’m trying to say. Everyone rushes through the front doors, amongst all the beauty and fanciness of the church, looking to ancient relics to provide to them a connection to God. All the while, the cross, looking simple and unnoticed in a corner, is the symbol of where their hope and rest can be found. But it really is that simple. We don’t need any stone, position of authority, or anything else to know God. We just need Jesus.

The Garden Tomb was a beautiful place. It was very peaceful among all of the trees and the flowers. We were able to check out the tomb there and had the privilege of taking communion. Jim Showers shared a devotional, connecting Christ’s death and Passover and the picture of Christ’s blood atoning for our sin. Then we headed back to the hotel for dinner and ended the evening with a word from Meno Kalisher, pastor of The Jerusalem Assembly. Another fine day is in the books!