Day 8 – Monday, May 5: Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Bethlehem, Shepherd’s Fields, Herodium
We woke today to find out the the road along the Dead Sea to Masada was still closed because of flash floods. So we decided to switch around our days. As a result, we headed west “up” to Jerusalem. The weather this morning was a mix of clouds and with a few rain showers actually, but the sun was full this afternoon. Highs were about 70. We read from Psalm 122 and 125 as we left Al Mog for Jerusalem and the Mt. of Olives.
Jerusalem / Mt. of Olives
We approached the Mt. of Olives from the east, seeing Bethany and Bethpage along the way. Once we crested this mountain range, we enjoyed a spectacular panoramic of Jerusalem! We looked across the Kidron Valley to the Old City and Temple Mount. From here we walked down the slope to Dominus Flavet. Here, we read recalled the Palm Sunday story (Luke 19), the passion of Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22), Christ’s ascension (Acts 1), and the return of Christ (Zechariah 14). Today’s Eastern Gate was also in full view (Ezekiel 44). Jesus probably walked in the original gate following the Palm Sunday event. With showers in the area, we even saw a rainbow over the Old City! Continuing down the steep slope we entered just the garden area of the Church of All Nations (the traditional Garden of Gethsemane) where we saw very old olive trees.
Israel Museum
David picked us up at the bottom of the Mt. of Olives. We drove to the western part of Jerusalem to the Israel Museum. First, we saw the Shrine of the Book where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. Next, we viewed the 1:50 scale model of 2nd Temple Jerusalem. This was very helpful to understand what Jerusalem looked like at the time of Jesus. Finally, we went through the archaeological wing of the museum where we saw some of the “highlight artifacts” that relate to the Bible.
“Since the road down along the Dead Sea was still closed, we decided to switch around our days. So we drove to Jerusalem and had a wonderful day. The view of the Old City and Temple Mount from the Mt. of Olives was spectacular! We also visited Bethlehem and Herodium as well.”
Bethlehem/Shepherd’s Fields
Next, we drove south to the area of Bethlehem. We began by eating lunch at Nissan Brothers (we were treated by Amiel Tours! Thank you!). Then we visited their olive wood factory and store. These olive wood products were impressive and so well crafted. Next, we drove east to Beit Sahour (an adjacent Arab town) and visited the Shepherds’ Fields. We entered a large cave where we read from Micah 2, 4, and 5 and Luke 2 about the birth of Jesus. It was “just at the right time God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4). We also sang a few carols in the Chapel of the Shepherds. We sounded angelic!
Herodium
To end the day we drove a few miles further east and south to Herodium. This was a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great. He was also buried here in 4 BC. The site was incredible, with many renovations and new displays. Inside the well-preserved official’s chamber (i.e “Reception Room”) where we saw a wonderful presentation. We then walked up 170 steps through the royal arches to the top where we saw the bathhouse, synagogue, impressive frescoes, and a great view of of the surrounding area, including Jerusalem! The view of the Dead Sea (and Jordan beyond) was incredible! We left the site by carefully walking down through the cistern system.
From Herodium we drove back to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and an optional walk to the Western Wall.
Day 9 – Tuesday, May 6: Yad Vashem, Shephelah: Gezer, Beth Shemesh, Lachish, Azekah, Jerusalem
