The day begins as all the others. A buffet breakfast that is more filling than tasty – then onto the tour bus. Today, our first stop is the Garden Tomb.
Garden Tomb
The Garden Tomb is located just north of the Damascus Gate, outside the walls of Jerusalem. This site was discovered by a group of British Christians during the late 1800s. The Tomb looks like what people might typically envision as Christ's tomb. Also, there is a skull-shaped hill nearby, as indicated in the New Testament as Golgotha. A beautiful park now surrounds the tomb. This site is believed by some Christians to be the site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Others believe that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the site of the tomb.
While officially the Garden Tomb Association only maintains this as a possible site for Christ's burial, some tour guides of the site are convinced of the authenticity. They note the large cistern nearby, which proves the area must have been a garden in Jesus' day. They maintain that there are marks of Christian worship at the tomb which also prove its sanctity throughout the ages.It would be nice to know with certainty that this was the tomb in which Christ was buried after His crucifixion. However, it really isn’t important at all. Wherever the tomb is in which Jesus was buried, that tomb is empty. He is risen! So at most, we are simply viewing a tomb which may be where Christ was buried, and if it isn’t the tomb, it would be similar to the authentic one.
There was a 5-10 minute wait to get into the tomb, so we waited patiently in line. When we entered the tomb, we noted that it had two chambers. On one side was the weeping room – a place for professional mourners. The other side had two spots for bodies. At the time of use, it was a new tomb and only one spot had been used. As we walked back out, we saw a trench that ran along the front of the tomb. Our guide said that the trench was there for a stone to be rolled along and cover the entrance to the tomb.
There is a quiet sitting area not far from the tomb’s
entrance. Pastor Rick talked for a few minutes, exclaiming that we serve a risen Lord. We had communion there - small olive wood cups filled with juice and small pieces of bread were provided to groups making prior arrangements. After communion, we sang two songs: “Oh the Blood of Jesus’ and ‘Because He Lives’. I had asked Pastor Rick earlier in the day to sing ‘Because He Lives’ – it’s one of my favorites. The 1st verse and chorus follows:God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus; He came to love, heal and forgive; He lived and died to buy my pardon, An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
This experience was a beautiful way to begin our day. Next stop the Israel Museum.
Israel Museum
The brochure at the entrance advertises the museum nicely. It states, “Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, boasts a vast array of world art, spanning five continents and ranging from Rembrandt, Rubens, and a long-lost Poussin to cutting-edge creations by acclaimed contemporary artists; a Judaica holding that is considered the most comprehensive in the world; and a renowned Archaeology Wing, whose treasures include the Dead Sea Scrolls and a figurine thought to be the world's oldest artwork. The splendors of this great encyclopedic museum are now displayed in 300 full-color reproductions, accompanied by in-depth commentaries by its curators.”
In four sections that correspond to the organization of the Israel Museum-Art, Judaica and Jewish Ethnography, Archaeology, and the Youth Wing-this collections catalogue presents: a superb collection of Western art in every medium, as well as rare works from the Americas, Africa, Eastern Asia, and other parts of the globe; a rich assortment of objects that offer an illuminating overview of Jewish ritual, custom, and daily life in many cultural contexts; the largest collection of antiquities from the Holy Land; and a captivating view of the Youth Wing, which draws half the museum's visitors every year and has established an international reputation for innovative activities.
Portions of every book in the Old Testament, except Esther and Nehemiah, are housed here. The entire Isaiah manuscript was found and part of that is on display. The Isaiah manuscript is 637 centimeters long. Outside is a huge model of the city of Jerusalem. When we first heard that we were headed to the Israel Museum, we naturally thought that we would be inside a nice air-conditioned building. We eventually ended up in one but in the first 30-45 minutes, we were walking outside and getting a history lesson from our guide at the model of Jerusalem. Since we thought that we would be indoors, many of us left our hats on the bus – bad move. It was hot, sunny and there was no breeze. My ‘dome’ was cooked – not a pretty site. We enjoyed all the museum had to offer, however, all good things must come to an end. We left the museum and headed for Mt. Zion.Mount Zion
Rimon, our tour guide, has consistently stated when he thought the sites we visited were the actual places from Biblical times, when the sites we visited could not be the actual places from Biblical times and when there continues to be debate as to the authenticity of the sites from Biblical times. There seems to be some confusion between the location of Mount Moriah and Mount Zion
The modern Mount Zion is one of those places probably not located where the Mount Zion of the Bible was. He explained that the modern Mount Zion is a misnomer applied by Byzantine pilgrims who thought that the larger, flatter Western Hill (of Jerusalem) must be the original City of David or Mount Zion (but it was really Mount Moriah). Archaeological evidence has shown that this hill was only incorporated within the city's fortifications in the 8th century B.C. but the name has stuck. The Hinnom Valley borders this hill on its western and southern sides. Mount Moriah is not a single peak, but an elongated ridge which commences to rise at its Southern end at the junction of the Kidron and Hinnom Valleys, at the original City of David, (elevation approximately 600 meters). The ridge then climbs in elevation to a maximum of 777 meters just Northeast of the present Damascus Gate of the Old City. The Temple Mount, prominent in most photos of Jerusalem occupies an area of about 45 acres. However the elevation of the bedrock outcropping on the Temple Mount within the Dome of the Rock Moslem shrine is only 741 meters.
A distinctly separate "mountain" is Mount Zion (elevation 772 meters) which lies about 600 meters to the West. In ancient times, a deep valley separated Mount Zion from Mount Moriah. Today many layers of ruined city and rubble from Jerusalem's many destructions completely fill this valley.
Outside the present old city walls, the traditional tomb of David and site of the Upper Room are located on present-day Mount Zion, as well as the Church of the Domition.
We unloaded from the bus, walked uphill, just outside of the old city walls and climbed the stairs into the traditional Upper Room. Rimon made sure that we knew that this room could not be the authentic upper room, but it is the room in which we remember at least two distinct events in the Bible. The Upper Room is where Jesus brought His disciples for the Last Supper (Matt 26: 17-30). The Upper Room is also the place where the 120 believers were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1-2) which was the precursor for 3,000 others being saved that day (Acts 2:41). Pastor Rick led devotions by reading from the Book of Acts. Afterward, we sang two songs and by this point in the trip we were sounding like we knew what we are doing. The 1st song that was sung was ‘Surround Me’, which we didn’t know so the Taylor family hummed sweetly. I’m telling you that there is nothing like a good hum. The 2nd song that we sung was ‘Hallelujah’. About half was through the song another tour group joined in and that sweet music filled the room – it was an awesome experience. After the singing, Stan began to recite Psalm 29, broke into tears half way through, and then composed himself and finished. The Psalm is beautiful and ends by saying “The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.” Psalm 29 follows:Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon* leap like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with bolts of lightning. The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.
We ended our visit to the Upper Room with a prayer for peace in Israel. As we left the Upper Room, we headed back down the hill, boarded the tour bus and headed to Caiaphas House.
Caiaphas House
As we have come to expect, Rimon, our tour guide, provided some information about Caiaphas. He was an important official in the city of Jerusalem, is mentioned nine times by name in the New Testament (Mt. 26:3,57; Lk. 3:2; Jn. 11:49; 18:13,14,24,28; Acts 4:6). Next to Pilate, the Roman governor, Caiaphas was the most powerful dignitary in Judea. He served for eighteen years (A.D. 18-36) as an appointee of the Roman government.
Caiaphas was a vicious enemy of Jesus. Following the resurrection of Lazarus, as some of the Jewish leaders began to sense the impact of Christ’s miracles, a council was convened. The fear was expressed that if the Lord was simply ignored the whole populous might be swept away with this mania, and that could bring the Romans down upon them (Jn. 11:47, 48). It was Caiaphas who suggested that there was a solution—put this man to death (49-53).
The scheme to kill Jesus was vigorously discussed in “the court of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas” (Mt. 26:3), and when the Lord was later arrested, he was led to Caiaphas’ house (26:57; cf. Jn. 18:24). It was he who fiercely interrogated Christ, charging the Savior with blasphemy. This fueled the crowd to a feverish pitch and ultimately brought about the Lord’s death (cf. Mt. 26:62ff).
We walked into the house of Caiaphas. For our first stop, we walked down into the prison where we could see the holes in the walls which anchored the chains that were attached to the prisoners. We then walked down more stairs and gathered in a cave-like jail where Pastor Rick read from the Bible. It must be customary for the tour groups, while in the cave-like jail, to turn the lights off to get a sense of just how dark it would have been when Christ was here. You could barely see your hand in front of your face. While the lights were off, another tour group in an adjacent cave-like jail began to sing:He is Lord, He is Lord He is risen from the dead and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, That Jesus Christ is Lord!
We joined in singing – another awesome experience. After the song was finished, the lights were turned on, and we walked up the stairs and out the back of the house. We walked back up the steps that Jesus would have walked down when he was here. We were encouraged to slowly walk up the steps and contemplate how much Jesus had to love us to suffer as he did for us. There was an ache in my heart as I thought about all the Jesus has done for someone so undeserving. What an awesome God!
This was the last stop of the day so we boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Back at the hotel, the girls bought some jewelry. Cathy and Shannon both bought gold and silver bands with inscriptions in Hebrew; Shannon’s inscriptions were ‘Because He Lives’ and Cathy’s was ‘Psalm 29 Peace’. They also bought necklace pendants with pieces of ancient Roman class. Shannon’s pendant was the Jerusalem Cross and Cathy’s was a circle. The girls had a blast shopping and the shop owners were very nice and enjoyed the girl’s enthusiasm. About 10:00 we headed up to the rooms. A big day is scheduled for tomorrow. We will be touring Masada, Jericho, Qumran and the Dead Sea. 
No comments:
Post a Comment