Today is Sunday, November 6. Our day began with a 6:30 a.m. wake up call. After breakfast, at 8:00 a.m., we made our way to the Old City. The bus dropped us off at the Lions Gate or St. Stephens Gate and we were on foot the rest of the day.
We walked to the Pool of Bethesda (“house of mercy”). The pool, which is believed to be the site mentioned in John 5, was discovered in the 19th century. For some the pool was quite bigger than they pictured in their minds. At the pool we heard the story from John 5 and then had a joint prayer of healing.
Next to the pool is St. Anne’s Church – a beautiful 12th century Crusader church built in Romanesque architecture, erected over the traditional site of the birthplace of Anne (Hannah), the mother of Mary. Once we got seated in the church, Phill led us singing “Amazing Grace”. The acoustics were wonderful and we sounded pretty good! Hard to believe a 12th century church beats any church I have been in lately in regard to sound quality. After we sang, a group from Germany sang a song – in 4 part harmony – beautiful! Then, a woman began singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. The visit to St. Anne’s was a moving experience!
At a model of Jerusalem, Peter (our tour guide) took a moment to share with us how Jerusalem has changed over the years. Many might think they are walking where Jesus walked when in fact they are multiple stories or layers above where Jesus walked. On the model, the valley of Gehenna was pointed out. Gehenna was a garbage dump – “it became the common lay-stall garbage dump of the city, where the dead bodies of criminals, and the carcasses of animals, and every other kind of filth was cast.” Gehenna is often referred to in the NT and in the Qur’an as a place of torment or punishment.
The model helped us to get an orientation of the Old City before we began our walk on the Via Dolorosa. A church was near the model – the church of the Condemnation. We entered the church which was the 1st station on the Via Dolorosa. In the silence, Phill led the group in singing “Were you there?”
Leaving station 1 – we made our way on the Via Dolorosa (Way of Grief or Way of Suffering). The path led us through crowded market areas to open courtyards and finally to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The church stands on the site that is believed to encompass both Golgotha and Calvary, where Jesus was crucified and where his tomb was located. The church currently houses multiple groups of people from various backgrounds. Today, one of the groups was having a celebration. Because of this, we were unable to enter the “tomb”.
After the Church, we had lunch – falafel and grilled chicken pita pockets. Following lunch, we did some shopping then made our way to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity. In order to get to Bethlehem, we had to go to the West Bank which meant we had to go through a check point at the barrier wall. When we arrived, we were anticipating about an hour wait. It took us about an hour from the time we arrived to the time we departed. The Church of the Nativity was built above the Grotto of the Nativity to commemorate the place of Jesus’ birth. In the eastern side of the grotto is a circular recess, containing a large star which designates the spot, as tradition has it, where Jesus was born. The star has fourteen points and is inscribed with a Latin inscription which translates: Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. During the 7th century, when the Persians invaded the Holy land, they destroyed all Christian churches they found except the Church of the Nativity. According to legend, when the Persians saw the mosaics depicting the wise men from the east coming to pay homage to Jesus, they were astonished by the sight of the Persian sages. Out of respect for them, they left the church intact. There was a crowd of people that made their way through the Church of the Nativity. Based on the amount of pushing and shoving, I doubt Jesus would be pleased.
Leaving Bethlehem required us to go back through a checkpoint. Our wait to get through (with 10 cars in front of us) was about an hour. By the way, the wall is covered with graffiti and messages and reminded me of the piece of the Berlin wall I saw in Berlin in May 2010. I think it is time we cried again, “Tear down this wall!”
Back at the hotel we met Olga Nawas – one of the family members who runs NAWAS International Travel. She was a delight to meet – warm and personable. With a few hours before dinner – some rested. We had dinner at 7 p.m. (roast beef, chicken, and dessert!!) After dinner we had our last Bible study session prior to communion tomorrow. Mike Watts led us in a study of the Lord’s supper in Paul’s writing which refers to the body of Christ and the cup of salvation. After the study it was off to bed!
Shalom! From Jerusalem
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