DAY 5: ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN JERUSALEM

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you!  How often would I have gathered you children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! (Matthew 23:37).

Sometimes my notes are a little sketchy about the events of a day.  I never carry a note book with me during the day to record the events of the day as they happen, rather, I rely on my keen memory.  In the evening I write down the events that readily come to mind, my reasoning being that the events that readily come to mind are the events that impressed me and interested me the most and they are the ones that should be recorded.  For some unknown reason, day 5 is really sketchy and we covered some of the most interesting ground of the trip.

We started the day on the Mount of Olives, located across the Kidron Valley, east of Jerusalem.  Jesus was sitting on Olivet when he spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the last days--he had a perfect view of the Temple and the city from there (see Matthew 24).  The Mount of Olives is where the Lord will return, so it seemed logical to ask one of our co-pilgrims to take our picture there with the Dome of the Rock in the background.

We descended the Mount to the Church of All Nations, which is in Gethsemane.  It was in Gethsemane that Jesus spent his last free hours before his betrayal, arrest and crucifixion in prayer.  Olive trees never really die.  It is alleged that a couple of those very old trees in Gethsemane came from the very roots of the trees that were there in the time of Jesus.  Most likely, the Romans cut all the trees out of Gethsemane in 70 a.d..

We next walked into the old city of Jerusalem and walked the Via Dolorosa, the way of sorrows, the route Jesus carried the cross from the place of trial to Golgotha, the place of crucifixion.  There is more tradition than history in this route, but as old and narrow as the streets are, it gives one a strong sense of reality.  The way of sorrows ends at the Church of Golgotha and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  I care not for the old churches but I do care about the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  There is more history associated with these sites, than the other site that seems more plausible to me.  We next walked to the Garden Tomb.  To me it seems much more likely that this where the crucifixion and resurrection took place, but it does not have the weight of nearly 2,000 years of tradition on its side.

Supper time found us eating supper with a couple of Israeli soldiers, a young man and a young woman.  These soldiers were called "Lone Soldiers" because they have come from abroad, without their families, to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces.  I hope we were good company for them.  The young woman was Shara from Philadelphia.  She said her service in the IDF made her appreciate history more, especially American history.  She doesn't take the Fourth of July for granted any more.  The young man was Philip from New York.  He wanted Americans to understand that Israel is not all about military and defense, it is about culture and Americans should make an attempt to understand Israeli culture.  Both these soldiers were bright, articulate and unafraid.  I was glad we had the opportunity to share some time with them--I hope they were rewarded as much as we were!  I would say Israel is in good hands.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

Helen and I are standing on the Mount of Olives, the Dome of the Rock and old Jerusalem being in the background.  This was about where Jesus was when he spoke to his disciples Matthew chapter 24.  Notice, I did wear green for St. Patrick's day.