DAY 12 – FRIDAY, JANUARY 27: OLD CITY, WESTERN WALL TUNNELS, SOUTHERN WALL EXCAVATIONS, CITY OF DAVID, YAD VASHEM
The streak continues … today was another perfect weather day, with cloudless skies, full sun, and temps in the 60s. We have been blessed! Today was also a day of incredible experiences. It all started after a good night’s sleep last night and a hearty breakfast. We left the hotel at 7:30, reading Psalm 48 as well departed for the day.
Western Wall / Tunnel
We drove down along the Hinnom Valley and then on up to the Old City where we entered the Dung Gate into the Kotel (Western Wall area). Our tour of the Western Wall Tunnel was fascinating. Herod’s Temple project (beginning in 20 BC) was expansive! We doubled the size of the Temple platform from the size it was in the 1st Temple Period. We saw massive stones that were part of this retaining wall, as well as the small odeon. We also enjoyed some time down at the Western Wall. It was quite empty of people.
Southern Wall Excavations
We walked to the SW corner of the Temple where we walked on the Herodian pavement. This corner may have been the pinnacle of the Temple where Jesus was tempted (Mt. 4). We walked up the southern steps used by commoners in Jesus’ day. Jesus Himself would have used these steps to enter the Temple. We recalled the many mentioned in the NT who used these steps (Luke 2, 18; John 2; Mark 13; and Acts 2, etc…). Before leaving the steps, we considered how God wants us to be His spiritual temple (2 Corinthians 3).
City of David
From here we continued walking south to the City of David. After gathering on the observation tower, we walked down through the excavations (“Area G”). We saw David’s palace, city walls, and 7th-6th BC house structures. One of them was excavated/uncovered by Dr. John in June-July, 1982. We all continued through Warren’s Shaft (2 Samuel 5). The upper part of this discovery was probably used by David but not the vertical 52 foot shaft. Finally, we descended down to the Canaanite/Jebusite pool to the Gihon Spring. Many in the group braved the waters of the 1,700 foot-long Hezekiah’s Tunnel (2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32), while others took the “dry” Jebusite tunnel built 100s of years earlier. Both groups met at the Pool of Siloam where we read John 9 in dramatic fashion.
“What a great day in Jerusalem once again! It was a busy morning with visits to the Western Wall, southern wall excavations, and the City of David. It was so neat to walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel and sit on the actual steps of the Siloam Pool.”
Yad Vashem
About noon we drove to West Jerusalem and to Israel’s Holocaust Museum & Memorial. It is called Yad Vashem, named after a verse in Isaiah 56 that mentions the “memorial and a name.” We only had time for a little over an hour to walk through the museum itself. It was a somber experience recalling the horrors of the Holocaust and the loss of six million Jews. Before leaving the area, in a nice shaded area outside Yad Vashem we heard the personal story from Shlomo about his family during this tragic event. He lost 12 family members in Vilna, Poland.
We returned to our hotels for some free time both before and after a wonderful Shabbat dinner! This second-last day here in Jerusalem was once again wonderful!
DAY 13 – SATURDAY, JANUARY 28: ISRAEL MUSEUM, OLD CITY, HOLY SEPULCHER CHURCH, A FEW FREE HOURS, GARDEN TOMB, FAREWELL DINNER, NIGHT FLIGHT HOME (for most in the group)
