Thursday 26 April

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus in Jerusalem!

Today we spent a blessed 12 hours in the old city of Jerusalem, on foot interspersed with periods of sitting in beautiful or informative places, and being reminded to ‘watch our steps’ on the slippery limestone pavements.
In this ‘holy city’ we were also warned to protect our bags and belongings from pickpockets!
On our walk outside the wall of ancient Jerusalem, we first passed Damascus Gate, then Herod’s Gate and an inscription in Arabic to Suleiman the Canaanite. Nearby we saw the limestone bed rock of Mount Moriah (which is Mount Zion ) on which the walls currently stand. These walls were not the ones of Jesus day.
Before entering the old city we passed through a Muslim cemetery and viewed the lights of a soccer field on our right over the wall inside the Muslim quarter. On our left was the Mount of Olives over the Kidron Valley (The Valley of Jehoshaphat which continues east down to the Dead Sea).

We entered the old city through the impressive Lion gate with four lions carved in limestone above. (St Stephen’s Gate, where he was stoned to death, is likely to be underneath this).
The whole of the old city was occupied from 1948-1967 by Jordanians, with limited access, until freed by Israel in the six day war. Since then Jerusalem has been open to all nations to visit. Jerusalem is the only city with a duplicate in heaven!
On our left was the way to the Temple Mount, but we turned right along limestone pavements with lovely gardens past the ancient crusader Church of St Anna resonating with gospel singing as we sat under a palm tree full of chirping birds. Here above Bethesda Pools, we prayed and read how Jesus, on the Sabbath, healed the man paralysed for 38 years waiting by this pool, John 5. The church was named after the mother of the Virgin Mary. In fact, Mary was born here. Bethesda means house of grace, or even more: house of Love and Kindness.
Phil related how modern day paraplegic Joni Ericsson Tada came here and was overwhelmed with the love of God for her ... now really looking forward to the resurrection body in Heaven!
What a privilege it was to sing Amazing Grace, with wonderful acoustics, inside St Anna’s church.

We returned to walk along the Via Dolorosa (the latter part dates to Jesus days) where Jesus carried his cross.
Next Nate took us to Nuns of Sion Convent purchased from the Ottermans in the 1850’s to discuss the building of the first and second temples and see the archeological digs showing unearthed layers with the second wall of Jerusalem, which was at the time of Jesus. The Via Dolorosa is parallel to this second wall.
Protestants believe the Praetorium of Herods Temple is where Jesus would have stood trial.
As we walked we passed through a security checkpoint between the Muslim and Jewish quarters. We got used to seeing young Israeli soldiers both male and female carrying guns. Military service is compulsory after leaving school for Israeli citizens except Religious Jews and Muslims?

Approaching the Western Wall we saw many of these conscripts arriving to pledge allegiance to the State of Israel and also many young 13 year old boys having their Bar-mitzvah (coming of age). Loud and joyous celebrations followed with pipe, drums, sax and singing as they proceeded towards the wall, with the Tora enclosed in a silver Mezuzah. Many religious Jews were robed, had long hair and wore black tefilin(prayer box)on their forehead. Some had black straps wrapped around their arms 7 times. Deuteronomy 6.
As one of their most holy sites, Jews like to pray at the Western Wall, as it is the nearest point to the original Temple site. Only men were allowed to approach the wall on the left side and women on the right, but many of them were leaning over the dividing fence and screaming loudly to participate with their families.
Jan paraphrased, that when King Solomon was dedicating the 1st Temple, he said the foreigner should pray and God would hear his prayer (2 Chronicles 6, 32 & 33). Most people approaching the wall write a prayer on a folded piece of paper and squeeze it into the wall and pray silently. Our young tour guide, offered us paper and asked us to pray for Jerusalem.

Nate related to us that his family are secular Jews but were keen to offer him a Jewish education and even celebrated his Bar-mitzvah. Now as a 33 year old he is growing in his passion for his Jewish heritage and “the Lord”.

At the Davidson Centre we were privileged to walk through the archeological digs. We saw a 2000-year-old road to Hebron and walked up the impressive flight of main entrance steps to the Temple (buried/destroyed), which Jesus would have used (like when he was taken there at 8 days old to be circumcised) and saw the Gates which are now sealed below the Temple Mount with the golden Dome of the Rock and the Al-aqsa mosque on top.
Behind us as we photographed these steps was the way to Bethlehem (The City of David) just 8 km away and the way to Hebron!
As we stopped at the southern corner of the Western Wall we saw the massive dressed Herodian limestones laid perfectly without mortar. The largest up to 500 tonnes at the base and about 5 tonnes each at the top. Near the Temple here, more than 170 ritual baths for purification have been unearthed.
Right next to where we bought lunch, tasted Halva, baklava and Olive oil we viewed the remains of a wall that could have been built by Hezekiah or his father Ahaz about 800 BC.
We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (means resurrection) where Catholics claim Jesus was buried. Nate, our tour guide, says he asks which denomination, before answering where an event happened...he says “who can be sure”...with shrugged shoulders.
Enroute we temporarily lost Bridget in the crowds but were relieved when she appeared 20 min later, at the church, with help from store owners and friendly police.
In light rain we left the church and walked through the Muslim quarter to the Christian quarter beside a Cardo(roadway) dating to 6th C AD. Many of our group had fun putting themselves “into the picture” of a 10x5m recent “Cardo”/streetcape depicting bustling life in ancient times.

Our focus was on following Jesus, but this walk was enmeshed in such a diverse archeological record that it was hard to keep perspective at times.
Eg. we saw a replica of the Madaba mosaic previously seen by us in Jordan. Nate noted that there was no Temple recorded as this was not important to this author.

As the long day faded and the rain increased we left the old city through Damascus gate and followed the wall with ‘an escort’ of armed young girl soldiers.
King David’s Tomb is inside a “Religious Jewish Synagogue”. We walked past Religious Jews reading and studying the Torah. Upstairs the “Room of the Last Supper,” was dated to the 12th C, so was only identifying the suggested site where Jesus broke bread with his disciples.
Back in the old city, past the Armenian quarter which is enclosed by a wall- off limits- except for a few retail outlets namely ‘Authentic Armenian Ceramics and Pottery’. We saw Towers built by Herod the Great, and his swimming pool.

At Christ Church,it was our turn to participate in a Messianic Passover Seder Haggadah while thunder and lighting and pouring rain came down heavier than any time since 1979. The tables were set beautifully with traditional wrapped unleavened bread full of fine holes representing Yesua’s side, a glass for wine/grape juice, a plate with parsley representing the hyssop for applying the blood on the doorposts and lintels. We dipped in a bowl of salted water representing tears of sorrow shed during the captivity of the children of Israel, bitter herbs remembering the slavery in Egypt and sweet fruit mince representing the mortar used in Egypt, and symbols such as an egg representing new life, the bone referring to Yesua as the lamb, a plate of dried fruits to add to these when eating.
We were encouraged to have The word of God written on our hearts like the Jews have the Torah.
We were encouraged also to allow the Holy Spirit to be our teacher opening our eyes to the word of God.
Referring to John 14 we were reminded that obedience is seen as love by Yesua and love is demonstrated in obedience.
Let us pray for this ‘agape’ love to be released through this ministry at Christ’s Church.
We finished our response by singing the Aaronic blessing to them and saying in unison
“Next year in Jerusalem!”

Jim & Bridget Grant