Day 14 Free Day in Jerusalem

Going Underground

During our last full day of our trip we had a free day in Jerusalem.  Some went shopping, others enjoyed museums like The Rockefeller or The Yad Vashem Museums. Pastors Gary Heintz and Mark Dressler tried something a little less conventional.  They went under the city of Jerusalem and explored Hezekiah's Tunnel.   This tunnel was build by King Hezekiah to divert water from the Gihon Spring into the city when the Assyrian army was approaching.  (2 Kings 20:20 and 2 Chron 32:30)  The idea was to prevent the Assyrians from having water, and to ensure the residents of Jerusalem a constant supply during the siege warfare.
Many biblical critics doubted that the tunnel ever existed but a few years ago it was discovered, and now it has  been opened to the public.  If you don't suffer from claustrophobia (and don't mind getting a bit wet) you can walk through this 1700 foot tunnel.

An ancient inscription was found in the tunnel that explains how the tunnel was created: because the Assyrians were coming and time was an issue, Hezekiah commissioned two teams to start digging, one at the source of the spring and the other at the destination pool.  The idea was that they would meet in the middle-and they did.  Without any GPS or sonar devices the teams managed to meet underground and complete the tunnel in time.  It is considered the greatest works of water engineering technology in the pre-Classical period and it is one of the few intact, 8th century BC structures in the world that the public can not only visit, but enter and walk through.

This sign marks the spot where the two teams met.

Throughout the tunnel you can see millions of pick marks from the tools they used to chip away the stone.  At times the tunnel is 30 feet high but the majority of the tunnel is only five to six feet high, and only two and a half feet wide.  At the start the water is about three feet deep, but the remainder of the tunnel it is only about a foot deep.

The tunnel exits at the pool of Siloam which is the pool where Jesus healed the blind man.  The pool is still there today, but is much smaller than it was in Jesus' day.

Entering Hezekiah's Tunnel

At this point the tunnel is only about 4.5 feet tall.

Day 14 Old Jerusalem

Where to Begin? 

Today we visited Old Jerusalem.  We saw so many things that it would be impossible to mention them all.  As we entered the city we first laid eyes on the Western Wall, which is also known as the Wailing Wall.  This is the holiest site in Judaism since it is the only accessible remnant of the Temple built by Herod the Great.  Notice the fence.  The men pray on left side and the women on the right.

Let Us Ever Walk With Jesus

After visiting the Temple Mount we then traveled the Via Dolorosa, the way of the Cross, that Jesus traveled after He was sentenced to death and was taken to Calvary.  The journey has several churches along the way commemorating the Stations of the Cross that the Roman Catholics observe.

The Crucifixion and Burial

The Way of the Cross ends at the Church of the Holy Seplechure, a church that tradition states was built on the site of the crucifixion and the burial of Jesus.  The picture above show the large dark chamber which is built above the place of the tomb.  This chamber is inside and immense rotunda.  The structure dates only to the 1800's but a church has been on this site since Emperor Constantine built one in the mid 300's A.D.

The Other Site

There are actually two potential sites for the death and burial of Jesus.  The first as listed above, and the second which is called the Garden Tomb.  This site has been undisturbed for years and is in it's natural state as it would have been in Jesus day.  There is definitely a "skull" in the hillside like the Gospel of Luke mentions, and there is a tomb very much like the one mentioned in the Gospels.

We were able to enter the tomb and spend a short bit of time in it.  Irregardless of whether this was the tomb of Jesus, this was a fascinating experience.

After visiting the tomb we gathered for a worship service.  We read from the crucifixion and resurrection account found in the Gospel of John and then were forgiven and strengthened in our faith through the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper.  And on that high note we ended the official part of our tour.  Tomorrow we have a free day in Jerusalem.  

There will be more pictures and video from that day, but it will not be posted until we return home as tonight is the last day with access to the internet.  

Day 13 Tabgha, Nazareth, and Caesarea

Where's the Loaf?

Today we began our journey where Jesus performed the miracle of feeding five thousand from two fishes and five loaves of bread (Mark 6).  Below the altar is to be the rock on which Jesus performed this miracle.

There is a famous mosaic on the floor in front of the altar.  When you examine it you realize that there are only four loaves in the basket.  The reason for this is that the fifth loaf is on the altar as part of the Lord's Supper.

Do You Love Me?

Very close to the last site, and still on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, is the Primacy of Peter Church.  It is located on the place in John 21 where Jesus appears to His disciples after the resurrection.  They have been fishing and caught nothing, but He told them to cast their net on the other side and when they did they could not hall in the net, is was so full.  Jesus then reinstates Peter after asking him three times, "Do you love me?"

Rock shaped hearts have been sunk into the sand on the location where Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?"  When Peter answered, "Yes" Jesus told Him, "Feed my sheep."

Meet the 2000 Year Old Neighbours

We then spent some time at a place called "Nazareth Village."  Here they have tried to recreate what the village of Nazareth would have looked like during the time of Jesus.  They have characters role playing in costume.  Here the local carpenter and Pastor Dressler compare carving techniques.

We learned how to press olives to create oil.  The first press was given to God via the temple, the second was used for food, and the third was used for burning in oil lamps.

We also spent time in the synagogue, the place where Jesus read from the book of Isaiah about the Messiah, and then proclaims, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  (Luke 4)  This caused the people to want to through Him off a cliff, but He escapes them.
The synagogue was also a place where the children would be schooled in the scriptures.
More of Herod's Greatness

We ended the day by spending time viewing the ruins of Caesarea.  It was one of King Herod's greatest building projects with massive aqueducts (above) hippodrome, and a theatre.  While we were viewing the theatre a group of Japanese tourists sang here, and not to be outdone we responded with a chorus of "O Canada."
Tomorrow we tour Old Jerusalem.

Day 12 Sepphoris, Cana, Mt. Tabor

Tis Good Lord to be Here

Today, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, is the day that the Lutheran Church celebrates The Transfiguration of our Lord.  It was very fitting then for us to start our day on Mount Tabor; the traditional site of the Transfiguration of Jesus.  While Lutherans all around the world were reading the account of Jesus revealing His glory to His disciples, we were fortunate enough to be on the place where He did this, and when we sang the song "Tis Good Lord To Be Here," it took on special meaning.

The inside of the church is beautiful with a dome that is covered in gold to portray the light emitting from Jesus when He was transfigured before Peter, James, and John.

More Wine, Please

Once we descended the mount and returned to the plain we moved on to Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle.  Here he turned water into wine when the wine had run out at a wedding celebration (John 2).  In the church that has been built over the site of this miracle, you will notice 6 pottery jars above the altar.  They represent the 6 jars of wine from this miracle.  When you go into the basement of the church you can view the ruins of former churches that were built on this site centuries ago.

Blessed Are You

We then moved on to Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up.  We will be returning tomorrow, but for today we visited the Church of the Annunciation where the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and announce to her that she would bear the Christ Child.  This is a Roman Catholic church, and, not surprizingly, it is filled with images of Mary.

Jesus' Morning Commute

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but at that time it was a sleepy little village of about 300 people.  It is likely, therefore that Joseph and Jesus commuted to the booming nearby city of Sepphoris to gain employment as carpenters.  In this picture you can see the ruins of Sepphoris with the modern city of Nazareth in the background located in the top right of the photo.  The distance was not far.

Sepphoris is famous for its mosaics, as you can see in this detailed face on a floor found in one of the houses. We were also able to spend some time in the local synagogue where Jesus and Joseph likely also listened to the Word of God.
Tomorrow we return to Nazareth, visit Tabgah, and move on to Jerusalem.

Day 11

Upon This Rock

We began the day at Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" and Peter answered, "You are the Christ."  This event marks the first time that a human recognizes Jesus as the Christ.  This place, which was once a city, is now a national park with beautiful waters running through it.  Here Jesus told His disciples, "Upon this rock I will build my church." which is all the more interesting when you realize that this site was the centre for the cultic worship of the pagan god Pan.  Mythology has this playful god stealing the clothing of the ladies as they would bath in the waters.

Above This Rock We Will Build a Church

We then traveled to Capernaum which was basically the headquarters of Jesus ministry.  (This may have something to do with the fact that His own people of Nazareth tried to throw Him off a cliff.)  Here is where Peter lived and where Jesus healed Peter's mother when she was sick.  They believe they have found the house where this happened and have built a church that hovers over top of the archeological ruins.  Here the group is looking under the church at the ruins.

Here the group is inside the church looking down through the glass dome at the ruins.

A Blessed Place

We then traveled to the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jeses preached the famous "Sermon on the Mount"  You can see the church in the background as Pastor Gary Heinz reads the Beatitudes from the beginning of Jesus sermon (Matt. 5-7)

Here's Looking at You

When you dine right next to the Sea of Galilee you can't help but order the local specialty; St. Peter Fish.  They serve the whole fish, head and all, and as you eat him he looks up at you and seems to smile.

No Storm to Calm

In chapters 8 and 14 St. Luke records Jesus and the disciples being on the Sea of Galilee.  One time Jesus calms the raging sea, and the other time He walks on water.  We had a beautiful and calm day as we made our way out onto the famous sea on a boat christened The Magdala.

Once we reached the centre of the sea the captain cut the engines and we gathered for a service as we drifted peacefully.  We read the accounts that took place on these waters and then sang a few hymns including that great naval hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save."

Tomorrow we travel to Sepphoris, Cana, and Mt. Tabor.

Day 10 Jericho, Beth Shean, The Belvior Castle

Little Man, Big Tree

Our day began in Jericho where Jesus met the wee little man by the name of Zacchaeus.  In Luke 19 we hear that Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so he climbed up into a sycamore tree to get above the crowd.  We read that passage from below the one sycamore tree in all of Jericho (they are not native to this area).  This is not the same tree that Jesus would have passed by since sycamore trees only live to be about 700-800 years.  Yes, a paltry 800 years.

Old Walls

We then moved on to see the ruins of Old Jericho.  After seeing the ruins of Jerash this site pales in comparison, but what makes it interesting is that Jericho is the oldest living city in the world, dating back to 9000 B.C. there has always been an active community living on this site.

Temptation Without the Cable Car

Very near Jericho is the place where Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and was tempted by the Devil.  The mountains in this area are very rugged and barren and would provide a perfect setting for one to be tempted.  These days Jesus wouldn't have had to walk up the mountain, He could have just taken the cable car.

Here's Something New

We have seen so many ruins that it doesn't make sense to post a picture of another theatre, no matter how impressive it is.  So here is something we haven't talked about yet: toilets.  These are Roman toilets.  How they worked was that you placed one cheek on a white marble slab and the other cheek on the slab next to it.  Between the slabs was a space to, well, ...you know.  Water would constantly flow under the marble slabs to take away the unpleasantries.Thus far our instruction on how to use a Roman toilet.

Sink or Swim?

We then moved on to the Belvoir Castle, a crusader fortress that has a breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley.  Equally impressive is the moat that was built around three of the four walls of this castle.  You get an idea of how big it is when you notice the person in the middle of the photo.

Double Dunk?

We ended the day on a rather disheartening note.  We stopped at a baptismal sight where many people come to get baptized in the Jordan River.  What is disheartening is that for the majority of the people this is not their first baptism; they are being re-baptized.  It is a very emotional experience for people and that is the draw of this place.  This is not a sacred place.  It is not where Jesus was baptized and where John the Baptist baptized.  Those locations are near Jericho and this is many miles upstream in the north of Israel.  These people have turned it into a "holy sight" by their actions, and the place is raking in a ton of money by renting baptismal gowns and selling all kinds of religious paraphernalia.  What is truly sad is that these people view baptism as something they are doing for God, instead of something God has done for us.  In our baptism God made us His own and promises never to leave us or forsake us.  It is His doing, and His Word is good.  What happens here is unnecessary and more commerce than religion, an unfortunate mix that is common in the Holy Land.

Tomorrow we ride the waves on the Sea of Galilee.

Movie Time!

Tonight we are staying in a hotel in Jericho that seems to have faster internet connections, so this is a good time to post a few short videos.

Here Rhianne is singing for us in the Amphitheater in Gadara.

This video of us enjoying some Bedouin Hospitality in one of their tents.

Here is a video of just part of the city of Petra.

A view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

Our visit to the Jordan River.

Day 9 Qumran, Masada, and The Dead Sea

Qumran

Earlier in the trip we were able to see the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Qumran is the place they were found.  The scrolls were hidden in the many caves in the Judean Hills.  The Essenes were the community that wrote these scrolls that date back to the days of Jesus.

A big part of the Essene life was ritual bathing and throughout the community there were ritual bathing sites like this one.  Notice how the stairs are separated with the remains of a partition.  The unclean would enter the  waters below on one site of the steps and acend on the other side.  The partition ensured the unclean would not defile the clean.

Highest to the Lowest: Part 2

From Qumran we allowed ourselves to be crammed into a cable car to make the ascent to Masada.  It was one big sardine can, but fortunately the ride only lasted a few minutes before we reached the summit.

Masada was built by Herod the Great.  In fact, Masada was one of the reasons Herod earned the title "Great."  He created massive building projects throughout the Promised Land and Masada is as impressive as any of them.  It is a fortress, built on the top of a mountain, but it had all the luxuries one would expect from Herod.

Pastor Dressler and Pastor Heintz sit in the synagogue located on the top of Masada.

The Dead Sea

While the little fish in the Madaba Map might have swam away from the Dead Sea, we flocked to it.  It was about 30 degrees Celsius at the lowest point on earth, a good time to float in the waters that are 35% salt.  One drop in your mouth on your eye and you know you are at the Dead Sea.

They also say that the mud is full of healing properties, but the truth is its just plain fun to smear it all over yourself.  Where else are you encouraged to play in the mud?  Tomorrow we see ancient Jericho and then head north to the region of Galilee.

Day 8 Madaba, Mt. Nebo, The Jordan River

Which way to go?

While the events of the last few days were fascinating, what we really came here for was to trace the steps of the people of the Bible and experience firsthand the land in which they lived.  Today we truly did that.  We started the day by doing something that everyone that begins a journey should do: we consulted a map.  This map, however dates back to about 500 A.D. and it has been used by pilgrims to the Holy Land for centuries. The picture above is just a small section of the map that shows the Jordan River flowing into the Dead Sea.  The fish on the right is swimming back upstream to get away from the sea that is so salty that nothing can live in it.  Each tile in this map is no larger than the finger nail on your little finger.

The Madaba Map is a mosaic on the floor of St. Georges Church in Madaba, Jordan.  It is very beaten up and has endured earthquakes, but one is still able to make out all of the holy places in the middle east located on the remains of this map.  The church is filled with modern mosaics (which the town members now famously construct) like this one showing Christ raising Lazarus from the dead.

Mt. Nebo

Because Moses "struck the stone" in the wilderness when God had commanded him to speak to it, he was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land.  God did, however, take Moses to the top of the highest mountain in the area, Mt. Nebo, so that he could see with his own eyes the place which the people he had lead for 40 year would now inherit.  While it was a bit hazy when we were there one could just make out the Jordan river which the people of Israel will cross to enter into the Promised Land.

From the lookout point on the mountain Pastor Dressler read the account of the the Israelites crossing the Jordan river from the book of Joshua chapters 3 and 4, and then read the last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy which describes how Moses looked out on this mountain before he died and was buried by God.

From the Highest to the Lowest

From the top of Mt. Nebo we decended down a harrowing set of switchbacks into the lowest place on earth.  The area where Israelites crossed the Jordan is not far at all from the Dead Sea, some 400m below sea level.  This is also the place where John the Baptist was baptized in the river when Jesus came by and asked to be baptized.  We read from this account in Matthew chapter three at the traditional site of the Baptism of Jesus, and then moved on to the present location of the Jordan River.  (It has relocated itsef a few hundred meters in the past 2000 years due, in part, to earthquakes.)  Here is a short video of us hanging out on the banks of the Jordan River: