Today was a profound day. Now the way this trip is organized we are trying to follow the life of Christ. Today we took a detour to take advantage of the opportunities we have right here in Jerusalem before we travel north to Galilee. So we got up early and headed to Jerusalem, the City of David.
First a quick orientation thing; as I've said Jerusalem is a city on a hill. It's a big hill, a steep hill surrounded by valleys. When David invaded and took the city from the Canaanites, he set up the city so that the Temple (which his son Solomon built) would be at the highest point and going down the hill would be his palace, and then residental areas below that and beyond. Well we start at the ruins of his palace that overlook the city!
Of course that means he could look out on the rooftops of the homes below him in the Kidron Valley. Guess what he saw when he did that? Well, read your Bibles on that.
Anyway, the valley today (which you see here) is of the Muslim section of the city, and I enjoyed watching children play along the hill. That's what I saw! Another note, the upper right corner is the area where Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, and it's totally visible from the palace (including the acoustics!). We could hear roosters and people from far away like they were next door! The priests and scribes would hear the cheering of the crowds on Palm Sunday and freak. It's starts to make sense...
Now when David invaded the city he did so by having his armies invade through the tunnels the Canaanites dug to reach the water spring below the city. A sneaky way to attack, no? So when the Israelites settled, they didn't want other armies to attack the same way, so they dug a new tunnel, channeling the water to flow directly under the city, which was more convenient anyway! So we got to climb through the tunnels and even go through old the Canaanite one!
After going through winding tunnels going down, down, down, we popped up in the Kidron Valley, right next to the Pool of Siloam. The Greek Orthodox Church owns the site, and this is the very place where Jesus walked, talked, and healed the blind man! See John 9. The pool is a square. We sat on the open end, the rest is under all the green and trees.
Now while many religious sites here hold serious traditional significance in the life of Christ (like the Church of the Nativity), knowing "actual" spots is exceedingly rare. This is a beautiful exception! Jesus was HERE! We paused to reflect, have worship, and sing hymns. God's Word held new life at that moment, and it got better from there too.
We then went to the Church of the Upper Room. Now was the Last Supper held here? No. No way. It's a Crusader church. When the Crusaders from Europe invaded they would basically pick spots where Biblical events happened and start building. People worshiped here though, so it mattered.
Now when Saladin the Magnificent recaptured the city and kicked out the Crusaders it became a mosque. They took out the images of people, worshiped there, and in one spot they put a notch in the wall. Why? So during prayer they would face Mecca. The notch is in the dead center;
Next was something unique. We went to the Church of St Peter in Jerusalem. It is built on the possible ruins of the House of Caiaphas, the high priest whose palace Jesus was held in the dungeon while Peter sought information on him in the courtyard and denied him three times before the rooster crowed.
It's recently built (1930s) but there are ruins underneath the church that show that an old church from centuries before was there before, 4th century I believe. In it is a suspected dungeon where Jesus was kept before his trial that morning. As we approached the dungeon we heard Korean pilgrims singing hymns. Unreal.
As we crowded in the sad and lonely tomb our bishop read Psalm 88. Read it. It's a cry to God like one we don't read in church enough. At the end those Korean Pilgrams sang another hymn, so sweetly. And when we left the church, through the doors, a rooster crowed. I'm not making this up. The video of the 1st hymn is on Facebook.
After that we were presented with a treat, going to an excavation dig that's being done by UNC Charlotte. So cool!
The dig is uncovering a 3 story house from the priestly quarter of the city. The lead archeologist is Dr Shimon Gibson, who is like a rock star. So knowledgable, so passionate, and so gracious was this gentleman.
He later took us to the Armenian Museum (which is under renovation) to see a wall mosaic just uncovered in the priestly quarter and to actually hold artifacts they've found. I'll share those nuggets in person, maybe at church since these discoveries are unpublished (better in person and not here, sorry).
Now hang on, it gets better! He then took us to the western wall of the city. It's very pretty and wall is HUGE, while most of it was below ground until the 1970s when he started working there at age 17. As they got to the original bottom they found there was a city entrance that had been bricked over, but the steps and pathway was still there. Well with careful analysis of the evidence, studying the historians of the time, and carefully analyzing John's description of Jesus's trial and crucifixion, he has concluded (and I think he's solid) that there, on these two steps here in this picture; JESUS STOOD.
The trial took place here he concludes, and as Jesus would walk and stand for the trial, it would be here. I almost can't breathe thinking about it. He coming out with a book backing his conclusions, or maybe it's out, but I'm convinced. As usual there is a "traditional" spot that the tour groups will lead you too, but this strikes me as more authentic. I have his presentation on video, and I may share that at church but not here. Same reason as before, sorry.
We then broke for a brief lunch and headed to Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. It was refreshing; there were trees, lots of trees! Everywhere else has been stone, cement, and desert. This was wonderful.
There are 2 churches there; one for his birthplace, and one for where Mary told her cousin (John's mom) Elizabeth about the angel's visit and her becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The first church was nice, but honestly I wasn't wowed. Those steps Jesus actually stood on still had my attention. So I can't say much there...sorry. Then we went to the Church of the Visitation, of where Mary met Elizabeth (again, tradition).
Well it's a massive climb of stairs. Our guide Deeb said, "Who wants to run it?" Me and two others take off, reach the top (and it's a LONG climb) and start singing Rocky!
Well here it is. It's run by the Franciscans, and it's built to honor the all women of the Bible.
This place was so peaceful, so beautiful, and the monks greeted us warmly. Did Mary meet Elizabeth there? At that exact spot, probably not. But faith matters! This place was intentionally and lovingly made to worship God and honor our women saints, and I felt the touch of God. The Holy Spirit moved me profoundly here, just like at the Pool, the Dungeon, and Steps, and now here. I'll shut up and give you some of the images that moved me here; of what women of Biblical times meant to God's Kingdom, and the sacrifices they have made;
After that, what can you do? Celebrate the women clergy of our group. Our church is richer and better because of them. A group picture was in order, and I am so honored to get to know them on this pilgrimage and call them my friends.
After this emotional rollercoster; we deserved some gelato! We enjoyed the delicious gelato and headed back to the hotel for the day. There is actually more I want to show; of the people, the sights, the observations, but I'll save that for a final rehash blog at the end of the trip. It's forming in my head. Till then, it's midnight (5pm for my east coast family and friends), and I pray God's blessings on all of you. Thank you for reading, seriously. You make it worth it. Love to you all.
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