Tuesday late afternoon we headed off in towards Jerusalem to go to the Israel Museum. When we first arrived we went to look at the model of Jerusalem as it was during the time of Jesus. The model was laid out according to Josephus’s description. I finally feel like I am understanding the lay out of Jerusalem with the Hinnom, Kidron, Central, and Transversal Valleys. The model was extremely helpful as you could see the entirety of Jerusalem including the additions, such as Herods. What was interesting was noting the monuments that existed back then and the ones that exist now. For instance, near the Temple Mount Herod had built a fortress known as the Antonia fortress in honor of Mark Antony. During the Roman conquest the Antonia fortress was completely destroyed in order to prevent further revolts from occurring. Today the Omariya School is in its place. After viewing the monument we went to see the Shrine of the book, which is the section in the Israel Museum that contains the history and artifacts of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1948 some Bedouins, who were most likely antiquity finders, discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran caves. Archaeologists came and excavated the caves. They found over 800 different manuscripts in eleven caves. The discovery was monumental. Within the findings were the oldest Biblical Manuscripts that we have today, some dating back to 250BC to the Roman Conquest. There were books from three different categories: the Apocrypha, Sectarian, and ¼ Biblical. It was an incredible/significant find since the oldest book on record only dated back to 1000AD. All of the sudden there were Biblical texts before Jesus’ time. Every book of the Bible was represented except Esther. The fact that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and survived over thousands of years is only because of God.
Early Wednesday morning we once again headed to the Old City of Jerusalem. Our first stop was The Temple Mount. The Bible mentions the temple often. In John 2 God comes and cleanses the temple. The Sanhedrin asked him by what authority do you do this. His response was destroy this temple and in three days I will rebuild it; the people were confused by this statement, but as events unfolded it was clear that Jesus was referring to the Temple of His body. The purpose of coming to earth was not political but was to die. He knew he came to die and without his death and resurrection the power of death would not have been broken. Once on the Temple Mount the Dome of the Rock is clearly seen in its entirety. It is covering some bedrock, which may be the place of the Holy of Holies. The structures were originally built in 70 AD because of Islamic tension and have been refurbished over the years. The Temple Mount used to be the place where God dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant. Today God does not make himself known in a physical structure as he lives in us now. From the Temple Mount we went and viewed the Western Wall, this is the closest the Jews can get to the temple. After that we went to the Pools of Bethesda. I really enjoyed seeing the Pools of Bethesda, as they were nothing I had imagined. I feel like many of the places we have visited are different than what I thought. I always picture the flannel board stories that I was taught in Sunday school. One main reason I have loved being in Israel is that the Bible is coming to life; I can actually picture what I am reading about. The Pools of Bethesda were quite impressive. John 5:1-15 talks about the Pools as this is where Jesus healed a man, who had been lame for thirty-eight years, on the Sabbath. From the Pools of Bethesda we walked along the eastern wall, down the Kidron Valley, and then up the Mount of Olives. I am sure we were all glad to be to the top as it was quite the hill. The view was incredible as we were able to look out over the Kidron Valley, the City of David, and Jerusalem. While walking up the Mount of Olives I was picturing different events in the Bible that took place here as well as when Jesus comes back and splits the Mount in half. Words cannot express what I am trying to say or felt. All I know is it will be a moment like none other. We then descended the Mount of Olives and headed to the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane means pressing the olives. Hear Jesus was pressed while he prayed in the garden the night he was betrayed (Matthew 26). The location today may not be the exact location, but extremely close. While in the Garden scenes from the Bible just kept running through my head and I realized how little I made them when they are monumental. Being here, the place where Jesus prayed to his father for the cup to pass over him, the place where he was betrayed, the place where he healed the man’s ear; it brings me to my knees in aw of Jesus and all he did for me. I am continually moved and must re-examine my heart and the respect I have actually given my God over the years. Our last stop was the Garden Tomb. Many believe this to be the place Jesus was crucified and buried; however it is most likely not. In any case it doesn’t matter where it happened, but that it happened. Jesus was led out of the city to a place called Golgotha, also known as Calvary. Here he was crucified, took my punishment, broke the power of sin, died, and rose again (Matthew 27-28). We had some free time so I took the opportunity to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Johns’ accounts of the death/resurrection of Jesus. Each day I am falling more in love with my Savior and am realizing the significance of who He is and how much he loves me.
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