Day 8 – Saturday, May 14: Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Garden Tomb, Pool of Bethesda, Holy Sepulcher Church, Herodium, Bethlehem
Today was a hot day, even here in Jerusalem. Temps reached the mid 90s (a bit unusual for Jerusalem this early), with a hazy sun. We read Psalm 125:1-2 as we left the hotel at 7:20 a.m.
Mt. of Olives
Our first full panoramic view of the Old City and the Temple Mount came from the top of the Mt. of Olives. We read from Luke 19 and Ezekiel 44 (about the Eastern Gate) before we walked down the slope to Dominus Flavet. This was a chapel built to remember Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Further down the slope we gathered in a small olive orchard where we read from Luke 22. Somewhere in this area was the Garden of Gethsemane.
Garden Tomb
Our bus picked us up and took us to the Garden Tomb located north of the Old City today. This is an alternative location for the crucifixion and tomb of Jesus. We enjoyed a time of worship and Communion here.
Old City
We entered the Old City through Herod’s Gate, walking first to the Pools of Bethesda. We first enjoyed singing in St. Anne’s, a Crusader Church. The church has an eight-second echo, making us sound angelic! By the Pools, we read from John 5. From here we walked to the Holy Sepulcher Church, the most-likely location (from an archaeological perspective) for Christ’s death and resurrection. We spent some time in the church before enjoying lunch in the Christian Quarter.
Herodium
Walking out the Jaffa Gate, we boarded the bus and drove southeast to Herodium. Herod the Great built this as a palace-fortress. He was buried here in 4 BC. We saw the grand receiving room above the small theater built here. Following an excellent video presentation, some walked up the Royal Arch steps to the top of the site. We then returned through the cistern system.
Shepherds’ Fields/Bethlehem
Driving to Beit Sahour (an eastern suburb of Bethlehem), we visited the Shepherds’ Fields. We descended into a small cave, much like used by shepherds in Jesus’ day. Here we read from Luke 2, Micah 2, 4, and 5 about the birth of Jesus. The shepherds were the first ones who witnessed thee Lamb of God, the Passover Lamb born humbly in Bethlehem. We sang carols in the cave and in the small chapel. Before we ended the day, we also stopped at an olive wood factory and store.
We drove back to our hotel in Jerusalem. We stopped for a brief overlook of the Old City from the south before arriving at the hotel for dinner. Some enjoyed an optional walk to the King David hotel nearby.
Day 9 – Sunday, May 15: Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, the Shephelah (Lowlands) of Judah
“Jerusalem did not disappoint at all. Wow, what a city! Seeing it for the first time from the Mt. of Olives was breath-taking! Everywhere we went today, there was something old from the days of the Bible. It was a great day!”
Day 3 – Tuesday, March 22: Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Precipice of Nazareth, Tiberias
