Day 09 - Jerusalem : Temple Mount, Western Wall, City of David, Hezekiah's Tunnel, Pool of Siloam, Herodium, Shepherds Field, Johnny's (shopping)

We have made it to Jerusalem! Over the last eight days, we have been immersed in the true and holy Word of God. Whether it be from hiking through the Wilderness of Zin in southern Israel to walking where Jesus walked in the region of Galilee, it has all been preparing us for our ascent into Jerusalem. We arrived yesterday evening as the sun was setting and today many of us for the first time ever got to set our eyes on the city of Jerusalem, a place we had only ever seen in pictures. Wake up call was at 6:15am and after a great breakfast buffet, we loaded the bus and were off to see what the city had in store for us! Today was truly an eye opening experience.

We started our day by heading in through the walls of the old city of Jerusalem and got to walk around what is now the Dome of Rock - the very same location of the Temple Mount built by King Solomon and where the Ark of the Covenant once resided. Inside the walls, it is now a place filled with Muslim prayer and worship and on the outside it is much different. Practicing Jews line the Western Wall to pray and get as close as they can to where the Holy of Holies once was.

Shortly thereafter we were off again and this time all we knew is that we had to quickly change into our shorts and water shoes! Where could we have been headed? Well, if you guessed the ancient Siloam Tunnel, you guessed correctly! The Siloam Tunnel, commonly referred to as Hezekiah’s Tunnel, was built by King Hezekiah to protect the city's water source from the approaching Assyrian army. With water ankle deep still flowing through it, we were able to walk through the dark 1,750 foot long tunnel. As we saw the sunlight starting to creep in from a distance we knew the tunnel was ending, however we did not know where it was taking us. As we emerged from the tunnel we were amazed to see that we were standing at the foot of the Pool of Siloam. The same spot the blind man was healed by Jesus in John chapter 9, amazing!

It was at that spot where we got to dive into the text and see Jesus give the blind man an opportunity that no one else was willing to give him and an opportunity that no one else could give him. With one action, Jesus is proving that He is the Light of the World. In the same way we saw blindness lead to an opportunity for faith for Samson, we see it lead to an opportunity for faith for this blind man.

After we closed our time in Siloam we headed into Bethlehem and were greeted by local friends of the Forge and were treated to a delicious lunch in the birth town of Jesus. When it was all said and done, we ate more bread than we could probably handle. But nevertheless, we were ready to head to our final spot of the day! The last few hours of our day were spent at one of King Herod’s palaces, Herodium. King Herod actually had men build him a man-made mountain in order that he could have a grand dwelling place at the top. However all that is left of the palace is ruins, and the point is not to highlight the once glamor of this place. Something greater was happening while Herod was living at this palace. Right down the hillside our Savior Jesus was being born in the small town of Bethlehem. Jesus was born in the house of bread, and He is the bread of life! At this time, God was painting a unique and special picture. He has brought two kings, totally opposite of each other, to the same place. The only difference, Herod is dead and all he once cared for is in ruins, but our Jesus is alive! Praise God we were able to be reminded of this beautiful message today, while being able to see the city of Bethlehem.