Israel

Our Savior watches over us

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Recently I heard someone sing “The Sparrow” by Charles Billingsley. We often get so caught up in the day-to-day struggles, wondering how we will make it through. But God reminds us that He is caring for us every day:

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:26).

On the first day of our tour in Israel, we were sitting at the (dry) well at Beer Sheba, where Abraham and Isaac both had dug a well. I noticed that there were several small birds, possibly sparrows, flitting about in the branches above us. Here we were in the middle of the desert, with no water around anywhere, and very few plants, yet these little creatures were being cared for by our own Heavenly Father.

“Lord, I place my cares on you this day. Watch over my family, and make us to be more like you. Thank you for your watchcare today–and every day.”

 

Israel Tour Wrapup

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I’ve come to the last day, the last afternoon and evening of my trip to Israel. Every day has been a wonderful blessing and very special time of fellowship with precious believers.

After lunch the group had a session where we just talked about what the trip meant to each one of us. There were as many ideas as people, I believe. Each one of us were specially blessed by the entire trip.

The afternoon was a time of shopping at the Christian Quarter, a small street full of vendors. My sister and I walked around together and enjoyed a relaxing time together. The evening was a time of rest, trying to get some sleep, as we had to leave for Tel Aviv at 11:30 p.m. for a 5:00 a.m. flight. As far as I know, everyone made it home, even if some had delayed flights.

One more picture, that to me epitomizes what this trip is all about: worship.

Worship

Worship

The Garden Tomb

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The last place we visited is perhaps the most important place in all of Israel. The tomb is in the middle of a vineyard, including a large wine press from the first century AD. The tomb has two rooms, with only one place for a body to be laid. It also has no body niches, small pit or hole for the bones. The other room apparently had several benches, which have since been destroyed. There is a track for the stone is there to see, although the stone that was rolled away is gone.

The Garden Tomb

The Garden Tomb

Inside the Garden Tomb

Inside the Garden Tomb

Early Christians (3rd century) left an inscription on the wall, indicating “alpha and omega.” These early Christians believed this to be the place where Jesus was buried. Of course, the most important of all is that Jesus is not here, for He is risen!

Alpha & Omega Inscription

Alpha & Omega Inscription

First Century Wine Press

First Century Wine Press

After we had the opportunity to step in the tomb, we had a time of worship and communion in a small chapel. What a precious time to remember the price Jesus paid for my sins, and then to realize He is risen indeed!

One more very precious experience:  there were many other groups visiting the tomb, and frequently groups  would start singing to the Lord, some in other languages. It’s a thrill to know that we are all worship the same Lord, and will worship Him together in heaven someday.

The Garden Tomb

The Garden Tomb

Golgotha, the Place of the Skull

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The last two places we visited are perhaps the most significant, for me, anyway. While the Church of the Holy Sepulchre may be the site of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, this other location seems much more appropriate for various reasons.

Golgatha

Golgotha

Situated just outside the Damascus Gate north of the Old City of Jerusalem, there is a large rocky cliff with several large indentations that appear to look like a skull. Crucifixions were done just below this cliff, next to the road from the Damascus Gate, so that anyone traveling could view the criminals.

Golgotha photo from 1800s

Golgotha photo from 1800s

Mount Moriah extends from the Temple site to this particular hill, with the “place of the skull” being a higher elevation. Our guide, a Messianic Jew, mentioned that when Abraham came to Mount Moriah to offer Isaac, he left the servants at one place, and continued up the mountain where he built an altar to sacrifice Isaac. It may be that the very place Jesus was crucified is the site of Abraham’s altar. Our guide also indicated that this area may have been used as a quarry to mine the stones for Solomon’s temple.

Hill of the Skull

Hill of the Skull

The atmosphere here and at the Garden Tomb was one of reverence and worship, much different than the atmosphere at the Church of the Sepulchre. I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit among the many people visiting the site.

Wednesday June 14, early morning

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Wednesday was the last day of our tour of Israel. As usual, we were up early and ready to see many new sites. Our first visit was to the traditional Upper Room, where Jesus held the Last Supper with his disciples. This may also have been the room where the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, and possible where the first Christian church was located. Of course, this particular building was built much later, probably by the Crusaders in 1000 AD, then later used by the Muslims as a mosque. It is now in the hands of the Jewish people.

The Upper Room

The Upper Room

Below the Upper Room is the Jewish holy site of King David’s Tomb. We were not allowed to see the actual tomb, as there were Jewish women there holding a prayer service (on the women’s side). Later archaeological excavations have shown that David was buried in another place, but this has remained a very special place for the Jews.

King David's Tomb Memorial

King David’s Tomb Memorial

We then walked to the Gallicantu (“cock’s crow”) also known as the Church of St. Peter. Here is the traditional site for Caiphas’ palace, where Jesus was tried before the Sanhedran and Peter denied him three times. This particular church is owned by the Assumptionist Fathers, a French Catholic order established in the 1800s.

Church of St. Peter


Church of St. Peter

The Southern Temple Steps and the Western (Wailing) Wall

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Our last stops on Tuesday, the 13th, were the Southern Temple Steps and the Wailing Wall. As we walked up to the steps, we were reminded that these were the actual steps that Jesus and His disciples would have walked up, approaching the southern entrance to the Temple. The gates on this side are closed and not accessible to Christians and Jews alike, but under control of the Muslims. Perhaps the Double Gate and the Triple Gate (as known today) were the Beautiful Gate in Jesus’ time.

Temple Steps

Temple Steps

Southern Steps of the Temple

Southern Steps of the Temple

Just below these steps were a number of mikveh pools, where the Jewish people would wash themselves before entering the Temple. It is conjectured that this is where Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, and thus was able to baptize thousands of converts in one day.

Mikveh

Just around the corner is the Western Wall, where millions today gather to pray and weep for their Messiah. The Western Wall is important to modern Jews for two reasons: This is the closest to the Holy of Holies that they can come, and God and promised to Solomon that His heart and eyes would be on this site forever:

And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually ( I Kings 9:3).

Western Wall, Men's Side

Western Wall, Men’s Side

Western Wall, Women's Side

Western Wall, Women’s Side

Western Wall

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

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It is hard to put into words my thoughts of this particular place in Jerusalem. This may well have been where Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again, but it didn’t seem like it. There were so many thousands of people crammed into this one church, and so much “glitz,” that we were not even able to get to the various “holy sites.” It was difficult to worship there.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Around AD 300 Constantine’s mother, Helena, visited Israel, trying to find out where the various holy sites were. She would build a church wherever she determined something happened in the life of Christ. She actually built two churches here. A thousand years later the Crusaders built a much larger church over the two churches. The building is beautiful and impressive. Four churches vie for control here: the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Armenian Orthodox Church.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

"Golgatha"

“Golgatha”

We descended into the lowest level, where Helena would have first built, to see the stone arches that hold up the building and the beautiful mosaics in the flooring.  Along the way down, you can see crosses etched into the walls, where pilgrims have left their marks as they worshiped Jesus.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Crosses in the Wall

Mosaic Floor

Mosaic Floor

Tuesday, June 13

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The last 2 days of our trip were spent in Jerusalem. There were so many things we did there that I will probably have to break up my comments into separate posts.

Our accommodations for three nights were in the Old City of Jerusalem, at the Lutheran Guest House. The rooms were small, but adequate. The room I shared with another traveler had no air conditioning, so we slept with the window and door opened every night. Of course, Ramadan was in full swing the entire time we were there, so every evening and morning horns were blasting, and people were celebrating until early morning. The horns started at 2:30 a.m. each morning–you can imagine the amount of sleep we got!

Lutheran Guesthouse

The streets of the Old City are narrow, in some cases much too small for cars, and everywhere were steps up or down.

Jerusalem Street

The guest house had a beautiful plaza in the back, overlooking the city. A number of us would spend the late evening hours outside, enjoying the cool air and scenery. It was a wonderful place for spending time in the Word in the morning.

Dome of the Rock

 

Monday June 12

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Our first stop for this day was outside Bethlehem at a place called the “Shepherds Fields.” If you want a real name, we visited the Franciscan Monastery, where they feature a small cave that was probably used to house sheep at night. Jesus may have been born in a cave like this. All around this area are fields, and we even saw some sheep in the valley below.

Shepherd’s Cave

We then climbed up to the Herodium, a man-made mountain (by Herod the Great) with a palace on the top close to Jerusalem. In thinking about the places that Jesus was taken during His trial, He would have had to travel quite a bit during that night just to reach these places. as I may have mentioned, everything is up a mountain or down in a valley.

Herodium

During the afternoon, we visited Tel Maresha, a dig site in the Lower Judean hills. We were privileged to spend some time digging in the dirt, trying to find artifacts. Tel Maresha was originally given to Caleb (Joshua 15:44) and Micah the prophet was from here. It is also the site of a Canaanite village from the Intertestamental period, so everything we found would be dated before Christ (and we did find some items). I think we all enjoyed getting “down and dirty” for a little bit.

Les Bruce at Tel Maresha

Saturday, June 10

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Saturday morning started early with a rededication baptism in the Sea of Galilea. Throughout the whole tour we were encouraged to listen to what the Lord would have us do with out lives and to submit to His will completely. What a blessed time, even for those who were not baptized!

Bethsaida, meaning “House of Fish,” was Peter and Andrew’s home town. During Jesus’ time, Bethsaida was on the upper shore of the Sea of Galilee, but currently is considerably north or the shoreline. Apparently, the delta from the Jordan River has filled in some of the land, and coupled with numerous years of drought in the land, the city is no longer close to the water.

Bethsaida

Close by Bethsaida is another possible site of the feeding of the 5,000. Shortly after that, Jesus walked (and Peter) on the water of the Sea of Galilee.

Hillside, possible site of the feeding of the 5,000

Next in our tour, we visited Dan, where the Israelites had set up an altar to Jehovah, which later turned into a place idolatrous worship. Dan is also the site of one of the springs that feeds into the Jordan River. It is a delightfully peaceful place, at least by the spring.

Kursi is the place where Jesus cast demons out of a man, and the herd of pigs ran down into the water. There are many caves and tombs in the hillsides, where the demon-controlled man could have lived.

Jesus took his disciples up north to Caesarea Philippi, also called Banias, or Panias. There is a massive cliff city names for the emporer, dedicated to Caesar as well as the goat-god Pan. Herod had built a temple over a cave, which was called “The Gates of Hell.” In this place, Jesus asked his disciples: “Whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock [that Jesus is God] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:16-18).