Day 12 - Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, St. Anne's Church, Pool of Bethesda, Garden Tomb, Holy Sepulcher, Southern Steps

Last full day in Israel! We woke up early and hiked around the city to the Mount of Olives. Our goal today is to march where Jesus walked during his final day. We started on the Mount of Olives. To get there, we had to cross the Kidron Valley and then walk through a massive Jewish cemetery where Jews are still being buried today. We passed the tomb of Absalom, Zechariah, Haggai, and other prophets as well. Getting to the top of this hill was a steep climb, but we were pretty used to that by now. The view from the top was amazing and we had a group photo taken there. 

Next, we made our way down the hill to a garden near Gethsemane. Gethsemane means olive press, so it is unlikely this was a garden in Jesus’ time, but there is a garden near that area today. This is where Jesus was arrested the night before his death. This is also where he prayed in physical agony to God while he wrestled with God’s plan. We spent some time discussing “the cup” that he asked to be taken from him. It was so much more than the physical pain. We took communion there as a group. Then, we traveled just under the garden where an ancient olive press was found (thus the location of the garden). It is likely that this is near the place where Jesus was during that night. 

Next, we entered the city again through the Lion’s gate (also known as Stephen’s gate) and made our way to the Garden Tomb and place of the skull. Protestant tradition places this as the site for Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, but it is highly unlikely as it was only discovered 300 years ago. It does, however, give us a much better idea of what the crucifixion site and burial site would look like in first century times. 

We then walked to Saint Anne’s Church next to the Pools of Bethesda on the northern side of the Temple Mount. This church was built by the Crusaders. We had a short discussion about what modern Christians should do with the Crusaders. They are obviously an incredibly dark mark on the history of the church and did their slaying in the name of Christianity. On the other hand, they built a beautiful church. Can God be present in a church that was built by the hands of such people? Only God knows. This church, however, was gorgeous in its simplicity and had stunning acoustics that we put to the test by singing some hymns with another tour group. The act of joining another group from another part of the world in singing was a highlight for many people on the trip. 

We left this church to walk through the Muslim quarter on the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Suffering). This took us to the Catholic and more convincing site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial- the Holy Sepulchre. Libby is convinced that this is a more accurate location due to the length of time that this site was recognized. On top of this site today is a huge cathedral with many images and monuments dedicated to the crucifixion and burial. The place was crowded with people from all over waiting in lines for a chance to glimpse at the empty tomb. Afterward, we discussed how this site felt as a monument. Although many in our groups felt that the overly-decorated and religious cathedral was not the look and feel they were hoping for, it was great to see a huge diverse group of Christians paying respect in one location. It reminded us of the need to celebrate a United Church. 

After this stop, we met our guides Guy and Yigal for lunch. We said “goodbye” and gave them a parting gift. They meant a lot to us on this trip. We had falafel sandwiches while sitting under the shade of an overhang. After lunch, we made one more stop. We went to the eastern gate of the Temple Mount where it is the most likely location for the Holy Spirit descending on the group at Pentecost as well as Peter’s first sermon. This was the birth of the church. Rod and Libby thanked our group for taking this adventure with them and we gathered around them to pray for them. Our group was next meeting at a restaurant for dinner in the evening before getting a little bit of sleep before the 1:45am wake up call. The bus will take us to the airport in Tel Aviv for a 6am flight to Istanbul. We will be arriving in Grand Rapids about 11pm on Wednesday.

Kevin Looman