Day 09 - Jerusalem: Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Pool of Bethesda, Saint Anne's, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Tomorrow morning, 50,000 people will run the Jerusalem Marathon. We are hoping to start our race to the airport before they start theirs… which means a very early departure for our team. 

In many ways, this whole experience has felt kind of like a marathon for us, with mile markers along the way to show us how far we’ve come and signs to point the way forward. As we each reflected over dinner tonight on the one thing we are committed to incorporate into our lives as a result of this experience, we were reminded of the diverse ways God he worked in us. For some, it was through God’s people:  our pastors Patrick and Gary, our guide Dan, and driver Eli, and each other. For others, it was through the reality of being present in the places where God worked in the past, and seeing the artifacts that put Scripture into a time and place. And for others, it was through God’s Word coming to life in our midst. 

It started this morning on the Mount of Olives, where we looked out over the city, and recalled Jesus’ discourse given there—he is coming again, and we must be ready— and his charge to the disciples after his resurrection to be witnesses to what they had seen and heard. At dinner, several shared about sensing God’s prompting to be more intentional about sharing the Gospel in their worlds. 

From there we walked down the Palm Sunday Road, following the likely path of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and to Gethsemane where we saw ancient olive trees—perhaps the ones he prayed and wept under—trees that are still producing olives. It was there we reflected on the weight of our sun that Jesus took upon himself. At dinner, several shared about how God was helping them to overcome sins of various kinds in their lives. 

Further down the road we came to the pools at Bethesda, where Jesus healed a man who had been lame for 38 years… on the Sabbath. The religious leaders focused on the breach of Sabbath law, and missed the reality that Jesus was at work, right in front of their eyes. At dinner, several shared about how God was opening their eyes to see how He is at work all around them. 

Along the Via Dolorosa, we followed Jesus’ path to crucifixion and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We learned about crucifixion, an instrument of torture and death to remind people what happens when you disobey Rome. Afterwards, we shared communion on the roof of a nearby building. At dinner, several shared about their commitment to follow the way of Christ and not the way of the world. 

Would you join us in praying for each participant in this trip, that the marathon journey home tomorrow would not serve as a great eraser of the things we have learned and experienced, but as the next mile marker, as we continue to run the race marked out for us. When we get home, we will probably (hopefully) all sleep… but then we’d love to bear witness to things we have seen and experienced, to what God has done for us… and for you.

“The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’” Numbers 6:24-26 NASB