Day 08 - Jerusalem / Bethlehem: Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, St. Anne's Church, Pool of Bethesda, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Herodium, Church of the Nativity

We finally made it to “The House”…aka Jerusalem. All of our teaching this morning centered around Jesus and His last days before His crucifixion, burial and resurrection. We spent the first part of our day sitting in a site that overlooked the Temple Mount, David’s City, Kidron Valley and the Hinnom Valley. The focal view was the Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount. The hill in front of the wall is covered in tombs where Muslims bury their dead because they believe when Jesus returns he will not be able to enter The Temple because Rabbis cannot touch anything unclean. Even the Muslims expect the return of Christ - how much more should we as His followers?

Shortly after we walked a winding upward path to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here we sat and talked about Jesus anticipation of what was to come. In this moment, He began to feel the anguish of bearing the weight of the sins of the world as he was pressed in the place of the “olive press.” Part of our tour in this area included going to the actual area where this event may have taken place. A church is built in this site and is surrounded by olive trees hundreds of years old.

Upon leaving The Garden of Gethsemane we walked the Via Delarosa which is the path Jesus would have walked to His crucifixion. What a sobering day to think so much about what Christ bore on our behalf!

On our way to the next site, we silently walked into a church and stood on the steps and sang, “How Great Thou Art.” The acoustics of this ancient church are simply amazing and it was a very memorable experience. The priest gave us an 8 out of 10 for our performance as we journeyed on.

The next stop was the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. The man sat there day after day yearning for healing but never could make it into the water when the pool was stirred (John 5). Jesus met the man and simply brought healing to Him. In His loving kindness he told the man to pick up his mat and walk and the man went away healed. We captured the moment by praying for one another in our family groups. It was a great moment to connect our hearts together and seek the Lord.

The day continued at sites such as the Herodium and Bethlehem where we drew some comparisons between Herod the Great and Jesus. There is too much to write about here, so ask us when we return. Tomorrow is our last day to hike and tour. Please pray for God to continue to have His way in our hearts.