Day 7 – Saturday, February 25: Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Herodium, Bethlehem
Today was our first day in the Jerusalem area. We actually spent the morning in Jerusalem on the Mt. of Olives. Then we drove south of Jerusalem to the Bethlehem area. The morning temp was col (40s), but the bright sun warmed up the day to the low 60s by afternoon. We read from Psalm 125 as we left the hotel.
Mt. of Olives
We left the hotel at 7:30 and drove around the north end of the Old City enroute to the Mt. of Olives. The view of the Old City and Temple Mount was stunning from here. Walking down to Domius Flavet, a small chapel, we read from Luke 19 and Zechariah 14 about the kingship of Jesus. On the Temple Mount today stands the Dome of the Rock. In the days of the Bible, the 1st and 2nd Temples stood there.
Garden of Gethsemane
Walking down the western slope of the Mt. of Olives we arrived at a private olive tree garden where we considered the passion of Jesus. The Garden of Gethsemane could have been located anywhere on this western slope of the hill. We read from Luke 22 where we heard, “Not my will but yours be done.”
Herodium
We walked from here to the bottom of the Mt. of Olives where we loaded on our bus and drove south to Herodium. The palace-fortress was built by Herod the Great. While he died in Jericho, he was buried here, with his tomb discovered by Ehud Netzer. At the site we saw a video in the Reception Room. Most in the group then walked up the Royal Staircase to the top of the site. Here we could see the area of Bethlehem to the west, Jerusalem and the Mt. of Olives to the north, the Judean Desert to the east, and Tekoa (the home of Amos the prophet) to the south. We descended down through the impressive water cisterns as we left the site.
Shepherds’ Fields
After grabbing lunch in Beit Sahour, we visited the Shepherds’ FIelds. We descended down to a large cave where we considered the unique role of shepherds in Jesus’ day. We read portions from Micah 2, 4, and 5 and Luke 2 about the birth of Jesus. The Savior of the world was most likely not born in a cave but rather a kataluma (guest room of a typical 1st century house dwelling). Jesus was born “just at the right time” (Galatians 4:4).
“Today we spent the morning in Jerusalem and the afternoon in the Bethlehem area. Our first full view of the Temple Mount and Old City from the Mt. of Olives was spectacular! What a beautiful city!”
Bethlehem
We ended the day at an olive wood factory and store. It was so impressive to see how the olive wood products are made. The store is owned by Arab Christians, the Nissan family.
We drove back to the hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and a free evening.
Day 8 – Sunday, February 26: Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, Some of the Select Cities of the “Shephelah” – Lowlands of Judah: Beth Shemesh, Azekah
