Day 10 – Tuesday, March 28: Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Bethlehem, Shepherds’ Fields, Herodium
Today was our first day here in Jerusalem. The experience of getting our first glimpse of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives offered us a breath-taking panorama of the Holy City. The weather was also perfect, with blue skies, full sun, and highs in the 60s in the afternoon. We read from Psalm 125 as we left the hotel.
Mt. of Olives
Leaving the hotel after breakfast, we 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. The First and Second Temples once stood on top of the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock stands now. Walking down to Domius Flavet, a small chapel, we read from Luke 19 and Zechariah 14 about the kingship of Jesus. Jesus will once day return here!
Garden of Gethsemane
We walked down the western slope of the Mt. of Olives where we arrived at a private olive tree garden. Here, 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.”
Bethlehem
From the bottom of the Mt. of Olives, we re-boarded our buses and drove past the traditional Tomb of Rachel into Bethlehem. We enjoyed stopped 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.
“Today was our first day in Jerusalem. With perfectly blue skies and temps, the view from the Mt. of Olives was spectacular. So many things could be seen from here, with so many biblical connections!”
Shepherds’ Fields
Just to the east of Bethlehem is another Arab town called Beit Sahour. After grabbing lunch here, we visited the traditional 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).
Herodium
Close by is 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.
We drove back to our hotels in Jerusalem. On the way, two of the buses stopped at the Promenade for a view of the Old City, Temple Mount, and Mt. of Olives from the south (looking north). Once we arrived, we enjoyed dinner and a free evening.
Day 11 – Wednesday, March 29: The Western Wall, Southwall Excavations, City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Siloam Pool, Shorashim, Israel Museum
