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Israel Study Tour
February 27 - March 8, 2018
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We are His Temple
“Walk a mile in their shoes”! Up until now, that was only a cliché quote reminding us to consider others perspectives. It took on a far more significant and real meaning today. We walked where Jesus walked. We saw what he saw. We looked at what is now only a small portion of what the Temple once was and like his disciples, “were amazed about how the temple was adorned with such beautiful stones…” (Luke 21: 5). We saw the place where Jesus likely drove out those who “have made my house a den of robbers” (Luke 19: 46). We saw the place where Peter and John likely healed a crippled man on their way up (probably up the Southern Steps) to the temple at the time of prayer (Acts 3). If you have ever wondered how the disciples baptized three-thousand converts in one day (Acts 2: 14-41), you’d understand if you saw the numerous purification pools just below the Southern Steps where he likely addressed them (Acts 2:1).
Southern Steps
An enormous flight of steps leads to the Southern Wall from the south. They were excavated after 1967 by archaeologist Benjamin Mazar and are the northernmost extension of the Jerusalem pilgrim road leading from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount via the Double Gate and the Triple Gate, collectively called the Huldah Gates. These are the steps that Jesus of Nazareth[2][3] and other Jews of his era walked up to approach the Temple, especially on the great pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. [2] The stairs that lead to the double gate are intact and "well-preserved."[4] The steps that lead to the triple gate were mostly destroyed.[4] / The risers are low, a mere 7 to 10 inches high, and each step is 12 to 35 inches deep, forcing the ascending pilgrims to walk with a stately, deliberate tread.[2] The pilgrims entered the temple precincts through the double and triple gates still visible in the Southern Wall.[5][2] Together, the double and triple gates are known as the Hulda Gates, after the prophetess Huldah.[2]
The emotions you felt at the Temple complex were strong and reverent. As a Christian, it would be easy to get offended that the Dome of the Rock stands on one of our holiest of sites, the Holy of Holies that sat inside the Temple. But that’s gone now. And now something honoring another god stands in its place. Sure, the Dome of the Rock is impressive and historical. But still… Yet, we were reminded that in Jesus, the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in us, and we are his Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16).
Western Wall
The Western Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of Muslim control of the Temple Mount. Known in recent centuries as the “Wailing Wall,” this was built by Herod the Great as the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex. The plaza was created as an area for prayer when Israel captured the Old City in 1967. At times tens of thousands of people gather here for prayer.
You only became more emotional as you entered Yad Vashem. Israel’s Holocaust Museum will not only remind you of one of the darkest moments in history, but elicit emotions of anger and sadness and heartbreak and confusion all at the same time. From there, it was dinner and then an amazing concert with Legacy 5. If you’re not familiar with them, get familiar. You’ll be glad you did. The day was bright, sunny and warm. See you tomorrow with another update.
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem (Hebrew: יָד וַשֵׁם) is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the dead; honouring Jews who fought against their Nazi oppressors and Gentiles who selflessly aided Jews in need; and researching the phenomenon of the Holocaust in particular and genocide in general, with the aim of avoiding such events in the future.
Established in 1953, Yad Vashem is on the western slope of Mount Herzl, also known as the Mount of Remembrance, a height in western Jerusalem, 804 meters (2,638 ft) above sea level and adjacent to the Jerusalem Forest. The memorial consists of a 180-dunam (18.0 ha; 44.5-acre) complex containing the Holocaust History Museum, memorial sites such as the Children's Memorial and the Hall of Remembrance, the Museum of Holocaust Art, sculptures, outdoor commemorative sites such as the Valley of the Communities, a synagogue, a research institute with archives, a library, a publishing house, and an educational center, the International School/Institute for Holocaust Studies.
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