What Is This World Coming To?

As you can imagine, our anticipation was very high in regards to what Boaz had in store for us today.  We were finally going to experience all of the wonders of this glorious city, so everyone was on the bus well before our scheduled time of departure.  On our way to the Mount of Olives, we traveled past two gates of the Old City Wall and across the Kidron Valley.

Near the top of the Mount of Olives we disembarked from the bus and walked to an overlook of a Jewish cemetery on the side of the Mount of Olives.  Visitors place small rocks on the tombs, rather than flowers, to signify that we come from the earth and back to the earth we will return.  This vantage point also gave us a fantastic view of the east wall of the Old City, with the Dome of the Rock and the Golden Gate.

We walked down the hill, through a very narrow street, to the Garden of Gethsemane, which is located near the foot of the Mount of Olives.  This is where, on the night of His arrest, Jesus prayed “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matt. 26:39)  It is also where Judas betrayed Him with a kiss, and He was taken into custody by the chief priests (Matt. 26:47-56).

We then boarded the bus, traveled back across the Kidron Valley, and were dropped off just outside the Old City wall.  Boaz led us along the east side of the wall, where we entered through the Lion’s Gate.  This is also named Stephen’s Gate as it is near the spot where Stephen was stoned for his testimony (Acts 7:54-60).

Walking a short way, we came to Bethesda, site of the medicinal pools where Christ healed the lame man on the Sabbath (John 5:1-9).

It was now time to begin our procession down the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow).  This well worn path, through the narrow streets of the Old City, marks the way that Jesus traveled as He carried the cross.  The route starts in the Muslim Quarter and travels into the Christian Quarter, with fourteen “Stations of the Cross”.  From sentencing to crucifixion, each station marks the location of an event that took place during the final walk of Jesus.  Most of these locations had a church built on the site.  Some had engraved stone archways or beautiful paintings depicting the event at this spot.  Others were just a cross drawn on a stone post in the wall.

As we walked along the Via Dolorosa we saw many sites as evidence of this very culturally diverse city.  Some could have been as they were when Jesus walked these streets.  Others, I don’t think so!

At the end of the Via Dolorosa is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  This structure houses the tenth to the fourteenth Stations of the Cross.  They include the Mound of Golgotha (Calvary) and the Anointment Stone, where tradition has it, Jesus’ body was laid prior to His burial.

After this, we proceeded back through the streets of the Old City, on our way to the Western Wall.  Also known as the Wailing Wall, it is the only remaining structure of Herod’s rebuilt Temple Mount.  In the Hebrew language it is referred to as “HaKotel HaMa’aravi”, or simply “Kotel”.  “Ko” is the numerical value of God’s name, and “Tel” means mount, therefore it is known as  “God’s Mount”.  Because it is in the nearest proximity to the Holy of Holies in the Temple, it is considered one of the Holiest sites of Judism.  It is said that when the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, God’s Devine Presense rested upon the wall and is eternal.  Over the last few days I had experienced many moments where I had been moved to tears, but nothing had prepared me for the emotion that overcame me as I stood at this Holy site, praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and an end to the persecution of God’s Chosen People.

We then left the Old City, boarded the bus, and headed for our next stop, which was the Israel Museum and the “Shrine of the Book”.  Housed in this shrine are the Dead Sea Scolls and many other artifacts from the “People of the Book”, the Essenes.  These people were a Jewish sect that lived in Qumran, which is where the Scrolls were found.  Also at this museum is a model of Jerusalem, during the second temple period, just before the Great Revolt against the Romans.  This model is built on the scale of two centimeters represent one meter of the ancient city.

It was now late afternoon, but Boaz had one more place for us to see, the Holocaust Museum.  For most of us this was the final plunge of the emotional rollercoaster we had been on today.  (There’s just something about seeing how six to eight million people were systematically slaughtered due to their race).  We did not have enough time to see all there was to see. By the time we regrouped it was dark and windy, and the museum was closing.  It was now time to go back to the hotel for dinner and some much needed rest.  And so ended our first full day in the Holy City.