Jerusalem

Boker Tov from Jerusalem!

After surviving the heat of the desert and relishing the time spent near the Sea of Galilee, we have finally made it to the City of David. It is a beautiful and sobering place.

Today was a day for us to become acquainted with the area. We began with a visit to the Mount of Olives. It’s a spot overlooking the Old City and marked as the general location where Jesus wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). We went from there to a garden, similar to a garden that Jesus would have gone to after the Last Supper. There we received a teaching about the last meal Jesus shared with the disciples and the significance it held for the crucifixion and our salvation. We then walked to the Eastern gate; scripture marks it as the gate the Lord will return to Jerusalem thru, at His second coming.

From there, we entered the Old City. We first stopped at St. Anne’s Chapel - a beautiful church named after who the Catholics believe is the mother of Mary. There we sang songs that reverberated thru the building and gave us a moment of worship that was invigorating. We saw the pools of Bethesda and a sight dedicated to the Via Dolorosa before walking a path thru the city that would have been similar to the path Jesus walked in the day of His crucifixion. That path led us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where it is believed to be the place where Jesus was buried and resurrected.

Our time in Jerusalem was overwhelming. The stark change in the way life is lived in the city from the places we have been is complicated. In part, because of the subject matter, we were left a little more exhausted today than the days we climbed mountains, if you can believe that.

After time spent in the city, we headed to the Herodium, Herod’s favorite palace which overlooks Bethlehem, on the cusp of the desert. There we spent time discussing the Christmas story and explored the genius of the architecture and fortification of the palace. All the while understanding that while this was a brilliant feat, the building and that established kingdom no longer stand. But the kingdom of the Son of G-d is still alive and growing - the kingdom of the King born in the shadow of a magnificent palace.

Today was revealing. There is a reality one comes to after experiencing the desert and then the city. The lessons in the desert are difficult and will tax you physically. The dependency on the Lord and the realization of the lessons learned at the top of a mountain are raw and real. The city takes the muscle built in the desert to navigate.

We are coming to the end of our time in Israel. Even as we try to soak up the last bit of knowledge and experiences here is the Promised Land, we are beginning to think of home and how to guide ourselves with the lessons learned here. Keep us in your prayers as we are doing the same for you.

Shalom,
Tamra Alexander