Stay thirsty, my friends

The morning began with an adventurous bus trip to the Mount of Olives. From the view on the mount, we surveyed the eastern side of Jerusalem with the Temple Mount in full view. The Kidron Valley that stretched in front of the mount is a combination of tombs and gardens. The gold dome of the muslim Dome of the Rock was glistening in the morning sun. Our guide, Yehuda, showed us the traditional sites of the resurrection and last supper (which made much more sense when we saw the model later in the day).

JP gave a devotional from Acts 1 about the commission to spread the gospel from the Jerusalem that was displayed before us. We then took a walk down the mountain past ancient graves of the Jews and saw an original ashuary where the bones of those who died were stored after their flesh was gone. We then went to the Garden of Gethsemane for a communion service where the juice was served in carved wooden olive tree cups. There was a brief reflection time sitting among the cedars and fragrant plants. This was a meaningful time for many of the travelers. The walk down the Mount of Olives concluded with a stroll through the Catholic Gethsemane where we saw twisted and gnarled olive trees that were reported to be over 1000 years old intertwined with roses and the fragrance of rosemary.

We then took a short ride to the Old City and walked in through the Lion’s Gate to the pools of Bethsaida. Yehuda reviewed the story of the stirring of the water and explained the difficulties encountered by the man who could not lift himself into the water. Jesus saw the unlovely, the disabled, the seeking and He showed compassion on their infirmities. On the same site, we gathered inside St. Anne’s Cathedral and sang a resonating chorus of Amazing Grace. We had to do it twice because our guide said we had to let the notes ring at the end of the lines and when we did, it was as if our praises echoed to the heavens. Just beautiful.

Our walk continued through the Old City and up the Via Dolorosa tracing the steps of Jesus as He carried the cross. The street was narrow and steep enough to make us breathe a little heavy carrying only our backpacks let alone a cross after being beaten! The vendors repeated with storefronts full of olive wood figurines, garments, t-shirts, spices and leather goods. The sounds and the smells of trading, laughing and bartering echoed off the limestone walls. We exited the city through the Jaffa gate and boarded the bus for the Museum of Israel.

The museum had a model of the city of Jerusalem during the second Herodian period and the time of Jesus that was big enough to walk around (maybe like a skating rink size). Our guide pointed out the traditionally held Holy sites of Golgotha and two places where the tomb could have been hewn into the rock. Seeing the size and scope of the city helped to make all the pieces fall in place. In another part of the museum, we viewed pieces from the Dead Sea Scrolls which was a continuation of the story from our previous visit to Qumran.

Lunch was in a park area next to the museum and consisted of a Jerusalem bagel and several plates of dipping sauces. The Jerusalem bagel is an oval shaped bread that you could stretch to wear on your head and has sesame seeds on the crust. The bus driver, Igal, has prepared most of our lunches and is always ready for us when we get to our picnic spot. Then it was back on the bus to the Old City.

After lunch we headed to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, by way of the Via Dolorsa. The streets were bustling with business and people, but mentally stepping back in time and imagining how hard it must have been to carry a heavy cross, wounded and weak, was surreal.

Approaching the church, which is believed to house two of the holiest sites in Christianity; Golgotha and the empty tomb where Jesus was buried, we were instructed to keep close to one another as many, many people crowded inside. Within the impressive structure five different sects of Christianity converge. We were witness to the futility of man attempting to draw near to God through worship and prayer to physical artifacts. We observed a stone on the ground surrounded by people on their hands and knees placing gifts on top of it and bending down to kiss it. They wholeheartedly believe the stone is a portion of the stone that Jesus was laid on in the tomb. There was also another burial cave from Jesus’ time that a few people explored.

In another area, people were walking on their knees to the place that they believe was the site where Jesus was crucified and his blood and sweat seeped into the ground. Not too far from there, two long lines were streaming past a section believed to be where Jesus’ mother, Mary, had watched the crucifixion; and the tomb in which they believe he was buried. We are so grateful that the God we serve can be worshipped wherever we are. After the tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we had time to walk through the streets of Jerusalem and shop. Can’t go home without a few trinkets to commemorate this journey!

A highlight of our visit came at the end of the day today. We journeyed to the Western Wall, aka the Wailing Wall, and passed by the ruins of the market and saw a wall constructed in Hezekiah’s time. At the wall plaza, there were many different sects of Judiasm that are distinguishable by their dress. Today is Shabbat and the crowds this evening will fill the plaza. Men were instructed to go to a selected section of the wall designated for men and the women were separated by a freestanding wall in another section. People were crying, reading from the Hebrew Bible, praying silently and out loud, rocking back and forth, burying their faces into the wall; each having a personal time of prayer. Our group joined in the throng of people gathered in hushed silence. Placing a hand or two on the wall in prayer was a powerful reminder that although the wall holds no significant power for us as Christians, it was still a place where “two or more gathered” in prayer and He promises to be in the midst of them.

Our last journey through the Old City took us to a restaurant in an upper room for our farewell dinner. The table was filled with baskets of pita bread, salads and dipping hummaces. The entrée was a set of beef and chicken kabobs and were delicious! After dinner, we gathered and Jim gave us the opportunity to share what we had learned or what the Lord had impressed on us. It was apparent that people were moved in unexpected ways throughout our journey through the Holy Land. Insula (community) was the main theme and it was demonstrated and built through broken shower doors, falls and missteps, tears around dinner tables and lots and lots of laughter. Joe brought the point that although Israel is considered the Holy Land, the place that we came from is also Holy because God is everywhere and He loves everyone. His presence is now inside of us and cannot be contained in walls of the Temple of old. The group gave Yehuda and Igal parting thank you cards and gifts and Yehuda expressed his appreciation as well for being a fun and enjoyable group to lead. So, as we travel back to Texas or our respective homes, we have many things to reflect upon and a few things that will become a part of our new vocabulary – ‘slowly slowly’, ‘over here, over there’, ‘what happened? We don’t know’, ‘shut your face’, and a phrase that has the most varied of meanings, ‘stay thirsty, my friends.’ May the remembrance of our journey make us even more thirst for the Word.

Patty & Chris Reyna