Well, the trip is now over. It was an amazing experience. I am sorry that I wasn't able to post yesterday. We got on the bus early in the morning, visited several sites during the day and then went to the airport in Tel Aviv and boarded our flight home. I am posting today from Canton, Ohio. I decided to stop here to be with Shelley, because her brother, Scott is very near death. We hope to be home for services Sunday, but right now, we aren't sure. Let me tell you about our final day.
We began our day at the Lion's Gate. Outside of this gate is where Stephen, Christianity's first martyr, was stoned. This is also the gate through which Jesus rode on Palm Sunday to the jubilant adulation of the crowds.
Our next stop was the pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the man who had lain beside the pool for 38 years, sick of the palsy. There are ruins there from several different structures throughout the centuries.
Next we went to St. Anne's Church, a Crusader Church that is one of the most well-preserved buildings from that time. The reason is that the Muslims put a school in the building so it did not get destroyed. It is an amazing example of Medieval architecture and the acoustics were amazing. We sang Amazing Grace and it was one of the most beautiful things that I've ever been a part of. Wonderful!
Next we made a visit to the Southern Steps of the Temple. Many of the sites are traditional sites where they have just estimated where certain events might have taken place. But at the Southern Steps, we know that we are standing at the very spot where Jesus stood, walking on the very stones that He walked on. It was there that He proclaimed that if they tore down the Temple, He would rebuild it in three days, signifying His resurrection. Unfortunately, my batteries went dead and I didn't get pictures of the Southern Steps. I will get some from other members of the group and add them here later. On our way to the Via Dolorosa, we bought a Jerusalem Bagel (wonderful, by the way) and we re-enacted the feeding of the 5,000. :0)
The next few sites were somewhat confusing. The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church have so corrupted the places and events of the crucifixion and resurrection that it is difficult to see the real story through all the paganistic ritualism. The Catholic Church has concocted twelve stations of the cross, describing twelve distinct events that they say happened on the way to the cross. Many of these have no basis in Scripture whatsoever, and others are incredible superstitions that have been developed down through the years. For instance, three of the stations are places along the road where they say that Jesus stumbled and fell. The first of these has a place in the wall where they say Jesus placed His hand when He fell. (See the picture below)
The "Lithostrotos" is an area where supposedly, Jesus was held while He awaited trial. This area is more realistic and even includes markings in the floor where the soldiers played their game, mocking Him as King.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the site where the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, as well as a few others, say that Christ was crucified and buried. There is very little about this place that matches what the Scriptures say and very little evidence that this is where the events actually happened. But the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox have created a ritualistic site for worship of the place and the stones, etc. surrounding the event. They have been so competitive in their bickering over the site that in the 12th century the emperor gave the key to the door of the church to two Muslim families for safe keeping. Since then, these two families and their descendants have opened the doors in the morning and closed them at night. It is one of the most blatantly idolatrous places that we saw at any time during our trip. Long lines of people waiting to kiss the stone upon which the blood of Christ fell from the cross, or the slab upon which His body lay. All surrounded by images and statues and burning candles. It was oppressive to my spirit and I couldn't stay there for long.
This was followed by an almost exactly opposite experience, as we went to the Garden Tomb, outside the walls of the Old City. As we entered, our guide shared the major Scriptural evidences why this site was more likely to be the actual site of Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. First, the Scriptures say that it took place outside the walls of the city. Second, they say that he was crucified at a place called the place of the skull. This site is located next to a hill with those exact features. (See below)
The bottom portion of the skull is somewhat obscured by the undergrowth and the level of the street that is several feet higher than it would have been in Jesus' day. The scriptures also say that the tomb was located in a garden that was owned by a very rich man, Joseph of Arimathea. In this garden, there is a cistern, cut from the rock, that would hold thousands of gallons of water for use in the garden. Only a very rich man could have afforded such a project. The tomb itself fits the descriptions given in Scripture as well, giving us a pretty strong argument for this being the very tomb from which Christ arose.
I am happy to tell you that the tomb is empty, He is not there! He has risen, as He said! Hallelujah!
This would have been a wonderful place to end our tour, but I had asked Tali to take us to a place where we might be able to see Bethlehem. What we saw was a sad testimony to the tension in the Holy Land today.
If we wanted to go to Bethlehem, we would have to get off of our bus and walk through a security checkpoint. Then we would have to board a Palestinian bus that would take us through Bethlehem and back to the checkpoint, where we could board our bus again.
The wall above is the security wall that Israel has had to build to stop terrorist bombers from freely entering Jerusalem for their attacks. It is a sad thing to see, but a strong reminder of the fact that we need to faithfully pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
After Bethlehem, we had supper in an Arab village called Abu-Gosh. The food was amazing! Then we headed to the airport where we said goodbye to Tali and Abi. The two of them had become a part of our family and we hated to say good bye.
I am very thankful to God and to Rivers of Life, especially Joe and Brenda Nowlin, for the opportunity to be a part of their very first Pastor's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It has been a wonderful time and I am ready to get home and put into practice the things that God challenged my heart with over here.
No comments:
Post a Comment