Day 07 - Jerusalem : Hezekiah's Tunnel, Western Wall, Davidson Center, Southern Steps, Yad Vashem

Today started out in Old Jerusalem, also known as the City of David. We did our morning devotion at a point in the city that could have been, or was very close to, where King David’s palace would have been. As we looked out over the city, we could easily imagine King David looking out over his people. From there, we continued our way deeper into the city to Hezekiah’s tunnel. King Hezekiah had the tunnel built under the City of David to bring the waters of Gihon Spring to the southwestern side of the city. The tunnel, which is 1750 feet long, is considered one of the greatest works of water engineering technology in the pre-Classical period. With our water shoes on, we stepped into the cold water that came up mid-thigh and waded through the dark, narrow tunnel with flashlights in hand. A few had to overcome their claustrophobia to make the 15-minute trek through the tunnel. The tunnel ended at the Pool of Siloam where Jesus sent the blind man to wash his eyes and was healed. It was interesting to note that Jesus did not send the blind to the Pool of Bethesda which means "healing". He sent him to the Pool of Siloam, which means “sent.” We still need to obey God, even if it doesn’t make sense. The steps of the Pool of Siloam were discovered in 2004 and will soon be opened to the public once it is completely excavated and restored. 

After the Pool of Siloam, we made our way to the Temple Mount which is the elevated plaza above the Western Wall and was the site of both of Judaism’s ancient temples. The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, is a place of prayer and pilgrimage sacred to the Jewish people. It is the only remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. It was once called the Wailing Wall as it was the closest the Jewish people could get to the Temple Mount for thousands of years as it was inaccessible to Jews before 1967. Many of our students walked up to the Western Wall and inserted their own prayers into the cracks of the wall. We also witnessed the custom of people walking backward away from the wall to show respect for its sanctity. 

We also gathered on the Southern Steps of the Temple Mount where it is believed the events of Acts 2 took place when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit at the Feats of Pentecost and spoke in other tongues. One interesting feature of the steps is that they are irregular and uneven. This unusual design requires people to carefully watch their steps and encourages worshipers to be reflective and focused as they approach God. 

We left the City of David and drove to Herodium, once one of Herod’s palaces that then became his burial location. Herod was paranoid of people plotting against him including his family and the rumored Messiah who would be born in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:8 says Herod told the Magi “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so I too may go and worship him.” Once Herod realized the Magi did not report back to him, he gave orders to kill any boys in Bethlehem and surrounding vicinity who were under the age of 2. It’s ironic that Herod died overseeing the city where the Messiah would reside. 

We ended the day by taking a trip to Bethlehem and stopping at Johnny’s Souvenir Shop. Everyone was excited to buy some memorable gifts to take home to their friends and family.

Highlights from students:

Brendan Novak - Visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem was my favorite part of the day, since I got to see a part of how Jewish people worshipped. Learning about how Jews considered it the holiest place of worship instead of the holy of holies also opened my eyes to the past and present contexts of the previous and ongoing conflicts between Islam and Judaism.

Matthew Dudley - Today we visited Herodium, a palace belonging to Herod and quite possibly his final resting place. My highlight from our visit was when we talked about how Herod was probably here when he ordered all the baby boys to be killed, which showed just how powerful he was.  Since he was here at Herodium he could have seen Bethlehem from his palace. Not only that but he also would have been able to hear the mourning of the families or communities (insula) of the children. Being able to come to Israel and see how Herod lived and interacted with the people he ruled made the story come alive. While the Bible only talks about that order as a verse (Matthew 2:16), seeing how it played out made the story come alive to me in a way it never had before!

Claire Madsen - My highlight of the day was being able to walk through Hekiziah’s Tunnel. I enjoyed walking through the narrow and water-filled tunnel. After traveling through the tunnel, we were taught about how Jesus healed the blind man by rubbing mud in his eyes, and sent him to the Siloam pool to wash his eyes. After following Jesus’s instructions, the man was healed and able to see again. We were able to sit where the pool was during this lesson. I have loved being able to be at different sites and return to stories in the Bible. Getting to see the locations and read God’s word has changed how I read the Bible. Everything becomes more realistic and the Bible comes to life even more. I am excited to take what I’ve learned and share it with others! This trip has changed how I read God’s word and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be here.