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We begin our day at the Upper Room – or at least the site of where the room was. It is in the south part of Old Jerusalem on Mt. Zion, and is believed to be the traditional site where Jesus held the Last Supper with his disciples (Mark 14:15; Luke 22:12). This site is not completely accepted, but historical research shows it dates to the first century, built on top of a church-synagogue by the Jewish-Christian community of Jerusalem. Today this site has been built over with ornate designs and a recessed altar put in place by the Muslim community.

The Pool of Bethesda is a second pool in Jerusalem used for cleansing and purification, mainly before entering the Temple. This pool is also the site of the second of two of Jesus’ miracles in the city of Jerusalem (the first was the restoration of sight to the blind man performed at the pool of Siloam; John 9:1-12). Here, Jesus healed a lame man that could not make it into the pool himself. The healing also happened to be on the Sabbath, which caught the attention of the Jewish leaders (John 5). The pool has two large reservoirs that collected rainwater, with four porticoes around the sides and one opposite.

The Church of St. Anne is located next to the Pool of Bethesda, it was built in 100 A.D. on a Byzantine church. That Byzantine church was believed to have been built over the home of Joachim and Anne – parents of Mary, mother of Jesus.

The Via Dolorosa, or “Way of Sorrow”, is said to be the path that Jesus took carrying his cross between Pilate’s judgement and the site of the crucifixion, Golgotha. There are differing views on where the walk began – some say the judgement took place at the Antonia Fortress (adjacent to the Temple), others say that the judgement would have taken place at Herod’s Palace, assuming that would be where Pilate was residing during his time in Jerusalem. There are “Fourteen Stations of the Cross” along this route, each marking a memory. Along the route is the Convent of the Sisters of Zion on an alley named The Nun’s Ascent. This structure was built on top of a section of Hadrian’s Plaza. Underneath the Convent you can see where soldiers carved games into the rock there. This one, called the King’s Game, is where soldiers where gambling to acquire the clothing worn by Jesus as he went from judgement to his crucifixion site.

The last five Stations of the Cross are at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This is built on what was believed to be Calvary, or Golgotha. Within the church are preserved boxes showing rocks believed to be remnants of the Hill of Calvary. There is also a tomb inside the church, again, believed to be a possible tomb where Jesus was buried. Though the church is situated well inside the current city walls of Jerusalem, the location was outside the city walls of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time… but not that far.

Based on scripture and understanding, and on Jewish custom, it is required the dead be buried on the far edges of the city (not quite so close). “… he went out to the place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha)” (John 19:17). Scripture also states that the tomb was near a garden, and in the garden a new tomb (John 19:41). Below is a picture of the hill by this garden, and the tomb within the garden.

The southern portion of Mt. Zion, south of the Temple Mount, is the City of David. It is surrounded by valleys for good defense and at its base is a fresh water spring. At one time this was the resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.

Today there is a massive archaeological dig taking place to uncover the city. Some believe they have uncovered part of David’s palace.

King Hezekiah reigned from 715 to 687 B.C., at the time of the prophet Isaiah. The Gihon Spring was old Jerusalem’s main water source. To protect the water source for Jerusalem, Hezekiah had a huge tunnel built to run water away from enemies (II Kings 20:20).

Where does the tunnel end? The Pool of Siloam… this is where Jesus told the blind man to wash mud from his eyes. It was also a place of cleansing and purification before going to the Temple. This was only discovered as recently as 2004. Only part of the pool exists today – it was destroyed by Roman conquerors during the invasion of 70 A.D.

Bethlehem is in an area of Israel that is under Palestinian responsibility for civil affairs, internal security and public order. Since there is no IDF presence here, there can be no security for Israelis guaranteed, so Israeli citizens are not permitted in these areas. American citizens are, however, so this is our experience in Palestinian Bethlehem. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful open-air restaurant for a delicious Middle-Eastern lunch.

Remember the Christmas tune “The First Noel”? These are the fields where the shepherd’s were the night of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2). This is also where David raised his sheep. There is a beautiful chapel there now as a memorial.

There is a cave in the side of the mountain that was created for the sheep to seek shade from the sweltering heat and sun. The cave has been turned into a make-shift “stable” with a few scenes decorated with birth night memorabilia.

The actual site of Jesus’ birth is under a church in Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity. The decorations within it are very ornate – a combination of Orthodox-based appreciations to the Holy site. The line to the actual site of his birth was two hours long; unfortunately we were not able to make that. I hope to have a video up on this site soon that will show what is actually looks like.

Other areas of the church include an altar on the wall opposite Jesus’ birth location and a dedication to all of the boys that were killed by Herod in his attempt to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:16-18).

On the way back to Jerusalem that evening we had the privilege of stopping or a quick picture by the U. S. Embassy there!

With Shabbat starting at sundown, we had the privilege of ending the day back at the Western Wall to experience Shabbat there. It doesn’t last long since everyone returns home for a formal feast and celebration, but to witness this at the Holiest place in Jerusalem was an amazing experience. Pictures could not be taken on this evening, but to watch the prayers, celebration and singing was something I will treasure – it truly shows how much they love and worship God.

The Temple Mount is the site of the first and second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Currently this is the location of two major Muslim religious shrines, the Dome of the Rock (gold domed building from the view of Jerusalem) and Al-Aqsa Mosque. This is the holiest site in Judaism, the third holiest site in Islam, and has special significance in Christianity. This is also known as Mt. Moriah, and together with the City of David, both locations together are known as Mt. Zion.

The first Temple was completed by Solomon c. 950 B.C., stood for 410 years and was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The second Temple started after 70 years of exile in Babylon, and that one was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D. Only a small portion of the Western Wall remains.

In the picture above, the area at the very bottom of the picture is the female side. On the other side of the short wall (top of the picture) is the Male side. This is Thursday so there are Bar Mitzvah celebrations going on. The women are looking over the wall at family to see the boys reading the torah and throwing candy to them. The actual Western Wall is on the far right.

Every Israeli is required to serve in the military, with only very few exceptions or delays, right out of high school. Males serve three years and females serve two. These are some IDF soldiers serving at the Temple Mount.

Behind the Western Wall there are many tunnels that remain. While the accessible Western Wall is what remains of the exterior wall of the Temple, the tunnel behind that wall is on the interior… and a more precious location for prayer since it is closer to the original location of the Altar… the Holy of Holys. The tunnels run the length of the entire wall.

You won’t see any pictures of the Dome of the Rock here except this one. This is the far right fresco/ mural on the building as you come up the main steps (below).

Yad Vashem – this is the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. It is an extensive memorial to the six million who died during this awful massacre. The archive collection here is the largest and most comprehensive in the world. In the news recently (June, 2019), it was released that the Dutch Railway set up a committee to achnowledge their role during World War II. There is an open proposal on how to compensate survivors, victims, and their families.

Masada (means ‘fortress’) is the site of a fortress and palace complex built from 328 ft. to 1,476 ft. above the Dead Sea on a series of cliffs. Herod the Great had this built between 37 and 31 B.C. – for protection against his Jewish subjects should they revolt against him.

This guy works at the top of the mountain re-writing a copy of the Torah. His commute each day involves riding a tram uo and down the mountain…

Jerusalem! There is a lot of attention on this city right now, but there always has been around this most important city.

The Mt. Of Olives has an incredible view of the city of Jerusalem. Immediately at the bottom of the picture below is an immense cemetery. This is the oldest cemetery in Jerusalem, dating back to the first and second temple periods.

Leaving the Mount, we follow the Palm Sunday path toward town and stop at the Garden of Gethsemane (means ‘garden of the wine press’). This is where Jesus prayed before he was judged and sentenced to death (Matthew 26:36-46).

As we leave Tiberias, the topography quickly changes from lush and green around the Sea of Galilee to a dry, arid desert.

On the way to Masada, we stop at an oasis named Ein Gedi, fed by four springs olat the top: David Spring, Shulamit Spring, Ein Gedi Spring, and Ein Arugot Spring This oasis is where David sought refuge from Saul (1 Samuel 23:29-24:22).

The Dead Sea… nothing lives in it… it is the lowest place in the world at 1300 ft. below sea level. The floor of the sea is covered with salt crystals. If you try to go below the surface, you are instantly forced back up; you literally float on top of the water when you lay on your back.

Starting the day on the Sea of Galilee, our group sailed from Tiberius to Capernaum, or Caphernaum as it’s written on the sign outside. The lake and the view from it are beautiful.

In Capernaum (or Caphernaum), we visited what is left of a limestone Synagogue built on top of the remains of the Synagogue where Jesus taught (that one was built from basalt rock).

Out in front of the synagogue ruins is a current synagogue, but something was found beneath it… the oldest structure found was a small circular domicile, found complete with eating utensils and cooking tools, believed by some to be the house of Peter based on location. A synagogue was built on top of that (octagonal shape), followed by the current synagogue which remains today.

We also visited the site which was most likely the site where Jesus preached the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:3-10). Based on the location and agriculture, as well as this naturally formed “theater” on the side of the mountain. The acoustics would have allowed everyone to hear.

Magdala was a major port city on the Sea of Galilee in the first century. It is between Capernaum and Tiberius and was the home of Mary Magdalene. Archaeological discoveries in 2009 have allowed for the uncovering of an ancient Jewish community in Magdala that date to the time of Jesus.

The Duc In Altum commemorates the life of Jesus near the Sea of Galilee and in Magdala. The atrium (Women’s Atrium) as you walk in features eight pillars – seven representing the women in the Bible that followed Jesus; the eight honors women of the faith across all time.

There are several chapels within – the Boat Chapel commemorates Jesus preaching from the boat. You can see the port through the windows in this chapel.

The other chapels have room for 30 people, each with a mosaic depicting a biblical event near the Sea of Galilee. The Encounter Chapel is modeled after the structure of the Magdala First Century Synagogue. The mural on the wall here touched each of us in a very special way — the encounter between Jesus and the bleeding woman who had the faith to be healed if she could just touch a bit of his garment… (Mark 5:25-34)

The first tour day started in Caesarea, where Herod the Great had a “summer mansion”; one that took 12 years to complete. All that is left now is part of the driveway.

At least it was nice for awhile to have sports in your back yard… bloody chariot races…

Between Mt. Carmel and Mt. Arbel, we pass the plains by Mt. Megido… better known as Ar (mount) Megiddo… proposed location of the battle of Armageddon. Many battles have taken place here, the main reason being the road intersection adjacent to it. Two major trade routes intersect here, thus the potential conflict that can arise.

Nazareth is as far from expected as could be imagined…not much more to say there.

Just barely south of Nazareth is a place named Mt. Precipice. Significance of this place is around the teachings of the prophet Elijah and no prophet is accepted in his hometown. This is the cliff referred to in Luke 4:14-30.

Passing through Cana… the church where the first miracle was performed. For my friends from college that were asking… recipe is as follows:

Water + Jesus = Wine (highest quality)

Tel Dan is a source for an abundance of a very scarce resource in Israel… water. Water flows from snow melting in the Golan Heights into a tributary to the Jordan River.

There are several archeological sites here spoken about in the Old Testament.

1. The High Place of Jeroboam – where he constructed an altar for a golden calf idol (1 Kings 12:26-31)
2. Iron Age Gate – a stone gate which was the judicial center for the people. Remaining are low-walled gates, the king’s throne and a bench for the elders. Outside lies a fossilized tablet noting existence of the “House (or lineage) of David”.
3. Abraham’s Gate – a full standing gate built around 1800 B.C., around the time Lot was captured (Genesis 14:14)

Mt. Hermon is the southern tip of the anti-Lebanon mountain range, a portion of the mountain range is in Israeli territory, but most resides in Syria (Psalm 133). It is possible this is the mountain where the Transfiguration took place.

Where we were standing where we could see Hezbollah territory near Lebanon and Syria, where the controlled area only moved to Israel following the 6-day war in 1967.

We ate lunch at a restaurant owned and run by Syrian Druze near Banias; the Schnitzel is excellent!

These days are in the books. Though it only took 12 hours to get here, jumping ahead in time ate up 7 more.

We left Ben Gurion airport for dinner at the hotel. Since it is Friday evening, Shabbat begins at sunset. There’s a huge feast prepared… it’s like Thanksgiving on a weekly basis! Good thing we are walking a lot tomorrow…

 

These days are in the books. Though it only took 12 hours to get here, jumping ahead in time ate up 7 more.

We left Ben Gurion airport for dinner at the hotel. Since it is Friday evening, Shabbat begins at sunset. There’s a huge feast prepared… it’s like Thanksgiving on a weekly basis! Good thing we are walking a lot tomorrow…