Jerusalem: Our last days in Israel were spent in Jerusalem with an emphasis on sites directly linked to the life and passion of Jesus.
After visiting the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City, we walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested. Here Brian offered another inspiring devotion.
Mount Zion: including the Upper Room, believed to be the site of Last Supper, the House of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest and president of the Sanhedrin who accused Jesus of blasphemy, and Dormition Abbey, a Catholic Benedictine monastery where it is believed that Mary, the mother of Jesus, died.
We visited St Anne’s Church and then walked the Via Dolorosa, the route through the Old City of Jerusalem believed to be the route where Jesus carried his cross to the place of his crucifixion. There are 14 “stations of the cross”.
Two spots we visited claim to be the site of Jesus’s Crucifixion and his Tomb: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb.
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Since the fourth century, this was believed to be the site of Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, and the site of his tomb. The building itself is huge and includes churches and chapels for six Christian denominations: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic, Coptic Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Ethiopian Orthodox. All share in control of the Church.
- The Garden Tomb: More recently discovered, in 1876, some believe this to be the tomb that Joseph of Arimathea built for himself, the site of Jesus’s burial and resurrection. In a small chapel here, Brian offered another devotion, and we all took part in a communion ceremony.
Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem. This beautiful and powerful museum presents the history of the Holocaust in Europe and Israel. We had only an hour and a half to explore this, far too little time to fully appreciate the wealth of history presented here.
The Western Wall: Today the Western Wall of Temple Mount is the holiest place where Jerusalem’s Jews come to pray. Since the Temple Mount houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock today, it is overseen by Muslims who restrict access, preventing Jews from worshipping here. Of the four retaining walls, the western one is considered closest to the former Holy of Holies, making it the most sacred site recognized by Judaism outside the previous Temple Mount platform.
Temple Mount: A large platform in the old section of Jerusalem is sacred for all three of the monotheistic, western religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. On it stand the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Other than our visit to the Western Wall, it was not on our tour agenda, largely because access is quite restrictive for non-Muslims. Nevertheless, on our free time, a group of us visited the platform even if we were not allowed to enter either of these buildings sacred to Muslims.
In history, Temple Mount was the site of the First Temple, built by Solomon, son of David, in 957 BCE. It housed the Ark of the Covenant and was considered the “Holy of Holies,” the most sacred place on Earth, and therefore the closest to God. That temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586/7. A Second Temple, built under Zerubbabel in 516 BCE, was no doubt the Temple where Jesus confronted the moneychangers. But the Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE. Orthodox Jewish tradition maintains that the third and final Temple will be built here when the Messiah comes.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque goes back to the seventh century when Muslims established control of Jerusalem. It was destroyed in earthquakes and rebuilt, taken over as a palace by Crusaders and then as a headquarters by the Knights Templar, before the area was recaptured by Saladin in 1187, and it became a mosque again. It’s been rebuilt, renovated and expanded over the many years since.
The Dome of the Rock, with its octagonal design and brilliant golden dome, is one of the oldest and most stunning works of Islamic architecture going back to the seventh century. It was built over the “Foundation Stone,” or Rock which is significant to all the Abrahamic religions. Some believe this is where God created the world; where Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, Isaac; where the First and Second Temples stood; where the Ark of the Covenant stood; where Jesus scolded merchants in the Temple. Muslims also link this to the creation of the world, and to the “Night Journey” of Muhammad, believed to have begun on the rock. Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, it has been called “Jerusalem’s most recognizable landmark.” It’s a beautiful structure, well worth visiting even if you cannot visit inside.
Gehenna: On our final day, Brian invited interested pilgrims to join him on a walk down to Gehenna. English Bibles translate Gehenna with the word “Hell.” But the common image of Hell today is quite different from the Gehenna of Jesus‘s day. Gehenna, the Valley of Hinnom, was a dump, where people threw their garbage, a place historically where even child sacrifices had been held and the dead disposed of, and a place full of garbage, fires and noxious smells. It was a nasty, burning dump for sure, but not a place of eternal punishment. As we walked down to Gehenna with Brian on a lovely summer day, we saw only a beautiful park with green grass, lovely walkways, a few trees, a small fountain and stream. This Hell is today a lovely urban park. Needless to say, this provoked many questions about the meaning of Hell. We were all glad to have stopped by for a visit.
Sara’s Summary: We didn’t know what to expect when we signed up for Brian and Peri Zahnd’s Holy Land Pilgrimage. All I can say is “Wow!” What an experience it has been in so many ways. We met fantastic people I now call friends. We experienced the New Testament stories of Jesus by literally walking his path. We were inspired by the words of Brian and Peri along the way, which added meaning and depth to the experience. The country and the history of Israel is fascinating and very complicated. It reminds me to be open, to listen to all sides of the story because we may find truth in different experiences. Israel is also a beautiful country with mesmerizing deserts, green mountains and beautiful seacoasts. Here are photos from our final few days walking the streets in Jerusalem after our tour was over.
