Welcome to Jerusalem

After the wonderful day in Galilee, which I wrote about in my previous post, we woke up for our second and final morning at the Sea of Galilee. When I looked out my window, the sun was shining down through the clouds into the water, like one of those Biblical scenes where God is talking to his people. Just amazing. “God is great,” I thought. We all met for another fantastic buffet breakfast in the Leonardo Plaza Hotel, and then boarded our bus to leave the region and head towards Jerusalem.

After we took in our last views of the Sea of Galilee to our left as we headed south on the bus ride, we soon entered the West Bank area of Israel. This area is “Zone C” for Palestinians living outside the main areas of Israel. It is controlled by Israel and is sparsely populated. In total we were on the bus for about two hours until we made our way into Jerusalem. We could see the metro area from a distance, but soon we passed through a tunnel to enter the Holy City.

As we came out of the tunnel, Raj read us the scripture verses from Jeremiah 31:

“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus says the Lord: The people who escaped the sword find favor in the wilderness. As Israel comes forward to receive rest, from afar the Lord appears: With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy towards you. Again I will build you, and you shall stay built, virgin Israel; Carrying your festive tambourines, you shall go forth dancing with merrymakers. You shall again plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; those who plant them shall enjoy their fruits. Yes, a day will come when the watchmen call out on Mount Ephraim: Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord, our God. For thus says the Lord: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The Lord has saved his people, the remnant of Israel. Look! I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the earth…”

And with that we came up to a point near the Mount of Olives, with an incredible first view of the Holy City, and Raj said to us, “Take a look outside the window to your right. Welcome to Jerusalem!”

Jaws dropped. There she was. The Holy City. A skyline we were somewhat familiar with from many pictures was right there before us. A few minutes later, our bus parked and let us out at the Mount of Olives. Yohav, our Israeli tour guide, gave us a great explanation of what we were looking at. He pointed out the Temple, the City of David, and many other spots, including where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Right below us was a Jewish graveyard. This is one of the most coveted places to be buried for Jews, throughout the centuries and up to our present day, for this is where they believe the Messiah will return and they will be among the first in line on Judgment Day to be resurrected.

After we took our photos of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, we made our way over to what Christians have traditionally called the “Palm Sunday path.” This is probably not the path Jesus took into the City (first, it’s now asphalt) but it may have been a path towards one of the city gates. We’re simply not sure. But it was nice to envision Jesus coming into Jerusalem on either this path or some other similar one, as he entered the city God promised for His people.

Before getting to the walls of the city, we come upon the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the site of the Agony of Our Lord. It’s the garden, just outside the city, where he took his apostles to pray before he was arrested.

When Jesus came to this garden, he asked his disciples to “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and two of his Apostles with him. They fell asleep while Jesus prayed and this is where Jesus famously told them, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.” Jesus knew what test he was about to face. In anguish he said, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” Soon after Judas appeared with a large number of armed men with swords. Jesus was handed over.

The garden here is a powerful place and for many in our group is was the most powerful experience so far.. We had taken a journey with Jesus from Galilee. He was becoming more real – more human. Here he contemplated his last moments of freedom before he was arrested. He knew of a horrific suffering he would soon endure and he was in anguish about it to the point that he sweated blood as he prayed. He asked Our Father to take this cup from him if he could, but that if it was his Father’s will, he would do it. He would suffer and sacrifice himself for all of our sins.

Next to the garden, there is a Catholic Church called The Church of All Nations. Inside, you can go near the altar and kneel on “The Rock of Agony.” I did so, offering up prayers. I had competing feelings of sorrow and gratitude. It was an emotional experience.

After we left the Garden of Gethsemane, we boarded the bus and were dropped off inside the city walls of Jerusalem. We got off the bus and walked through the Jaffa Gate and we had a mix of options to scatter around to for lunch. I joined the part of our group that went to a cafeteria style restaurant where I had the Israel dish, which was just fantastic. It included falafel, cabbage, carrots, hummus, pita bread. Yum.

We then were given a quick tour of a wall below us that was built by King Hezekiah, who reigned around 700 BC. Next to this wall structure were some small homes. At this point, Raj pulled out his Scripture again and read to us a passage from Isaiah 22:10: “You surveyed the houses in Jerusalem and pulled houses down to strengthen the wall.” The Prophet Isaiah was using a real, physical image right in front of him to allude to the power of the Lord and the love he has for us. Isaiah may have been writing that passage from this very spot, Raj told us.

From there we walked over to where we could see the Temple Mount, and below it, the Wailing Wall (or Western Wall). We didn’t visit those areas today, but instead went around to the right side. Yohav pointed out the huge rocks that were laying there in front of that side of the wall. He said those rocks are still there from when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. We walked around the other side to the Southern Steps. And here we got a real treat.

There is a slab of concrete in the corner by the wall. There used to be a gate into the city there. But it is now covered by concrete. However, Jesus used to enter into the city through that gate. And the slab of concrete that is on the ground is the same actual rock that was there in his time. I reached down and touched it with my hand realizing I was, with 100% certainty, touching the same ground that Our Lord and Savior walked on. Wow.

From there, we walked back to the bus and were transported to our hotel, the Tryp by Wyndham. It is a newer hotel in a refurbished building and is a very nice boutique hotel. The rooms are great and the shower is probably the best thing about the room. After a few days on the road, it felt great!

We had a few hours to relax before dinner, which was right across the street at a really nice restaurant named Chakra. Once again, a family-style meal with all the new members of our family brought together by the Israel Collective. When I got back to my room after dinner, I just felt so grateful to be given this great opportunity to come with this group, to be in the Holy City, to touch the ground our Lord walked on, and to feel his human experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. I am grateful to God for allowing me, one of His people, to make my way to the Promised Land. It seems everywhere we turn, the faith is deepened – and fulfilled.