Our last day of touring in Israel always brings a mournful emotion. The same one I have when my kids are leaving after being home for a holiday and I wonder if the Lord will let us be together again, this side of heaven.
Today was an emotional day as we retraced Jesus last day on this earth. It started with prayer at The Garden of Gethsemane! How amazing it is to pray in the same place that our Lord prayed. We went to an Upper room similar to one that Jesus would have had the Last Supper in and visited the tomb of King David. We walked to the house of Caiaphas. The ruins underneath the house are thought to be authentic from Jesus day. There is a pit that is believed to be the place where Jesus would have spent the last night of His life. There were rooms where Barabbas and the other two thieves would have been kept. We also heard the roosters crow outside the house as we stood in the same place where Peter denied Christ three times. A convicting experience.
From there we went to the place called Golgotha, or the place of the skull. Here stands a rock maybe 75' high that is surprising shaped like a skull. It sits right outside the city gates and is believed to be the place of the crucifixion. It is very close to a garden that scholars believe was owned by Joseph of Arimathaea. He was the rich man who came to take Jesus body. There is a tomb in this garden, and, it is empty.
Of course, it's empty, for HE IS RISEN!
While we don't know for sure that this is the Tomb in which Jesus was laid, we know it was a place very near to this one, and very much like this one. And I believe it's a good thing that we don't know for sure, as we would certainly start worshiping the place, instead of the Giver of all.
Today we had lunch down on Ben Yehuda street and had some fabulous ice cream and crepes. Dinner was at a restaurant called Pashas. They have the best lambs chops in Israel! A few awards were given for suburb performance throughout the week. Ryan won the award for the most psychology questions answered. Way to go Ryan!! Marilyn won the Energizer Bunny award! When everyone was exhausted, she stayed up a few hours later. (You did a great job leading the way). And only because Doug Sjoberg wasn't with us this trip, I won the most photos taken award!
I'm looking forward to our reunion dinner in a few weeks and the debut of the DVD I'll put together with 12,723 photo options!!!
We had a great group for this tour. The 16 sojourners from Maple Plain bonded with each other and 24 people from all over the Midwest. Everyone had their highlight of the trip. Some felt the Sea of Galilee was their favorite. Others felt the Lord speak truth to their souls through the young children that came to the birthplace of Jesus with the cutest little lamb. Still others were moved by what God still has left to do through Megiddo.
The most significant place for me this year was on the southern stairs of the old Temple. We climbed while reading the Psalms of Ascent. The steps here were created uneven as to cause the Israelite to think before each step was taken so they might not haphazardly approach the place of worship. The uneven steps would demand the Israelite approach the Temple with deliberate action and reverence of our Almighty God. I think today, at times, we can be so comfortable with our faith, thriving in the knowledge that God calls us "fiend" that we can forget that He is the almighty, all powerful, God of all and we approach the throne of Grace in a careless manner. Then, when I consider that the believer in Jesus Christ, IS, in fact, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, I am compelled to ask myself if I approach the Temple, my fellow believers, with the respect and reverence these Southern Stairs suggest adequate. This year, the Southern Stairs call me to put on the full Armor of God, run the race and sing the song that only I can with greater reverence and respect.
Heading home to the US always provokes a tear for me, but I know I will back in Jerusalem one day! If not the Old City, then the New Jerusalem! Hallelujah!
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