Day 8 – Saturday, October 17: Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Pool of Bethesda, St. Anne’s Church, Shepherd’s Fields, Herodium, Bethlehem
Today was our first full day in Jerusalem. This is the first of three full days here in Jerusalem’s ancient and modern capital. We began on the Mt. of Olives, and ended in Bethlehem. The weather was perfect today, with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 70s. It is for sure cooler here in Jerusalem! We read from Psalm 122 (in English and Hebrew) as we began at 7:30.
Mt. of Olives/Gethsemane
From our hotel we drove around the northern end of the Old City to the Mt. of Olives. Cresting the Mt. of Olives we drove to a spectacular view across the Kidron Valley of the Old City and Temple Mount below. From here we walked down to Dominus Flavet, a small chapel where we enjoyed singing a chorus together. Here we celebrated Christ’s kingship as we remembered Luke 19 (Palm Sunday), Acts 1 (Christ’s ascension), and Zechariah 14 (about the return of Christ). Continuing down the slope and then up to a private garden where we considered the passion of Jesus in Gethsemane (Luke 22). From here we walked down to the Church of All Nations (the traditional Garden of Gethsemane) where we saw olive trees hundreds of years old!
St. Anne’s Church – Pools of Bethesda
From the Mt. of Olives we walked into the Old city through the St. Stephen’s Gate (also called Lion’s Gate and Jericho Gate). We first visited St. Anne’s Church, a Crusader Church with an eight-second echo! We sang a few songs and we sounded like an angelic choir! Nearby are the Pools of Bethesda. We saw the lower pool (most likely used as a ritual bath) where the paralytic was healed by Jesus (John 5).
Shepherds’ Fields
From the Mt. of Olives we drove towards Bethlehem. To the east of Bethlehem is Beit Sahour. Following a delightful lunch here, we walked across the street into the “Shepherds’ Fields.” We recalled the brith narrative from Luke 2 as we celebrated that it was “just at the right time that God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4). The shepherds were probably tending their sheep at Migdal Eder (between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Micah 4) before the angelic host informed them of the birth of Jesus as prophesied (Micah 5). We enjoyed singing a few Christmas carols both in the cave as well as in the Chapel of the Shepherds.
“Today was our first full day in Jerusalem. The view of the Old City and Temple Mount from the Mt. of Olives was amazing! Standing in front of the Eastern Gate was also surreal! Ending in Bethlehem, the town of Jesus’ birth, completed the day!”
Herodium
From here we drove a few miles further to the southeast to Herodium. This was a palace-fortress built by Herod the Great. He was also buried in 4 BC (although other biblical scholarship suggests he died in 1 BC. This means that Jesus may not have been born in 5 BC, but rather on either September 11, 2 BC or September 20-21, 3 BC).
The site of Herodium is impressive, with many new renovations and displays. Inside the well-preserved official’s chamber (i.e. reception hall) we saw a wonderful presentation. Then most in the group walked up 150 steps through the royal arches to the top where we saw the bathhouse, synagogue, impressive frescoes, and a great view of Jerusalem from the highest of the four towers. We left the site by walked down through the cistern system.
Bethlehem
We ended the day by driving into Bethlehem where we visited an olive wood factory and story. These olive wood products were impressively made. The store is owned by a Christian family. The population today is only about 15-20% Christian vs. Muslim. It was the other way around 30 years ago!
We returned back to the hotel to enjoy dinner together before another optional walk, this time to Ben Yehuda Street in west Jerusalem. It was a great first day here in Jerusalem!
Day 9 – Sunday, October 18: Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, Shephelah (Gezer, Beth Shemesh, Azekah)
