Day 07 - Two Kingdoms – Jerusalem

Shalom! It has been a long and wonderful day here in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. We are working our way toward the center of the story of Jesus and His redemption. Daily we get closer to the center of the city of Jerusalem. The reality of the story of Jesus and His life becomes more and more real to us all the time. Today, we got more in depth about our understanding of the world Jesus was born into. The stories we hear in Sunday School were filled with a lot more tension and life than we realized. We’ve spent our time in Israel filling those stories in with the color and detail and humanity they deserve.

Temple Mount

We woke up extra early this morning in a beautiful hotel just outside the old city of Jerusalem. We boarded our bus at 6:40am and began our ascent. This city is so beautiful and full of life. The way the modern world and the ancient world co-exist is something that we cannot explain. It’s something that must be experienced. Ralph led our devotional along our journey to the Temple Mount, where Abraham brought Isaac to be sacrificed. He explained how the account of Abraham and Isaac is a picture of God the Father and Jesus. A remez (a hint)! We could see the hills that Abraham and Isaac would have traversed for three days to reach Mount Moriah. Everything in the Old Testament points to ultimately Jesus. It’s all about Jesus!

The Temple Mount is the highest point in the Old City of Jerusalem and used to be the site of the Temple, both Solomon’s temple and later, that of Herod the Great, which was the temple that was in operation at the time of Jesus’s ministry. After the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD the platform continues to be in conflict. Since 695 AD, it has been what is known as the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim shrine. We were struck by the tension of all three religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Western Wall

Our next stop was the Western Wall Tunnel. As of now, because of Muslim houses that were built along the outside of the Western Wall, only a portion of it is accessible to the Jewish people. The solution? A tunnel built underneath the Muslim houses! We took a tour of the tunnel, which gave us the opportunity to see the length of the Western Wall. One portion of the tunnel is the spot that is closest to where the Holy of Holies used to be when the Temple was still standing. Prior to entering the tunnel, some of us had the opportunity to pray at the Western Wall (we plan to return to it before we return home), some of us leaving written prayers, as is customary. The passion of the prayers at that place is sobering and awe-inspiring.

The tour of the Western Wall Tunnels is one of the most popular tourist sites in Jerusalem. These underground tunnels connect the western wall prayer area to the north-west side of the temple mount, passing along the side of the temple mount and under the present-day houses in the Old City. Along its path are remains from the second temple period, as well as structures from later periods.

Pools of Bethesda/St. Anne’s Church

We then walked through the winding stone streets of old Jerusalem to the Pool of Bethesda where sick people would gather in the hopes of being healed. Jesus healed a crippled man in this exact spot (John 5:2-9). After the man was healed, he was able to go up to the temple. After being lame for 38 years there were likely countless things he wanted to do and upon being healed he could have gone anywhere, but he ran to the temple. This should be our immediate response when God heals us!

In the immediate area of Bethesda is the Church of St. Anne's, the best-preserved Crusader church in Jerusalem. It marks the “traditional” site of Virgin Mary’s birthplace. It’s a beautiful building and the acoustics are fantastic, which we experienced as our group sang Amazing Grace.  Because of the acoustics in the room (and a few gifted vocalists), our collective voices were resonant and powerful. It brought tears to many eyes. The caretaker of the church explained the symbolism of the church architecture, but what we will remember most is that he told us he sees people from all over the world, from different denominations, but we are all one in Christ. Before we left, another group arrived and (knowing that there are no coincidences) wouldn’t you know… it was the Crossroads church from Michigan that we met a couple days ago on Baptism day!!  They joined us to sing several verses from a few different hymns. Pastor Guil read aloud John 17:23. A wonderfully unforgettable experience. “We have no doubt we will see them again. Here and/or in heaven.”

Herodium

Our next destination for the day was the Herodium. This was Herod’s opulent palace built just southeast of Jerusalem. Herod was truly a mad genius. It doesn’t take much exploring in Israel to realize how cunning and calculated he was about his reign in Israel. Herod was unrelenting when it came to holding onto his power. We walked all the way to the center of the palace that acted as a reception hall in Herod’s time. Pastor Ralph taught us about the world Jesus was born into—a world dominated by Herod the Great. Not too far south of the Herodium is where Bethlehem is situated. Jesus was born in the shadow of Herod’s empire. Herod considered himself the King of the Jews and killed anyone who resisted him, so when wise men from the East showed up at his doorstep asking where the real King of the Jews was, what would his reaction have been? He wasn’t just angry. The Bible tells us that he flew into a murderous rage, calling for deaths of all Jewish boys under the age of two. This is the world into which Jesus was born. Pastor Ralph encouraged us to look around at what’s left of Herod’s empire. All that’s left are ruins. The kingdoms of this world pass away, but God’s kingdom is established forever.

There’s so much about the birth of Jesus that we tend to overlook when we simply read Bible stories about it. For starters, Jesus was not born in a wooden, barn-like structure like most people (and retailers) in America think. He was born in a cave on the hillsides of Bethlehem. We learned that all of Scripture and history looked forward to the life and ministry of Jesus. We learned that because of the fall of mankind, the rest of Scripture and human history served to tell the story of God’s redemption. When Jesus taught, he consistently referred to the Old Testament. We’ve become quite familiar with the word "remez" on this trip. When referencing Jesus’s teaching, a remez is any time that Jesus used a connection to the Old Testament in his teaching. He did it constantly. His knowledge of the Old Testament was unlike anything anyone had ever seen, and he was consistently reminding all who would listen that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to see them fulfilled. The day Jesus was born, God’s redemption became flesh and dwelt among us, and the story would only culminate with his death and resurrection. We learned so much today that it’s tough to put it all into words. From the time of Moses and the temple in the wilderness, to the writings of David and prophets like Isaiah and Amos, all of it pointed and still points to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

That’s all for this evening. We’re off to get some rest for another blessed day tomorrow. We are praying for all of you back home and we can’t wait to tell you more.  

Have a wonderful day!

CIC Israel ‘22