Saying goodbye to Jerusalem

Before we leave Jerusalem

 there are some place I must show you.

 

 

This is one of the walkways in Old Jerusalem. When you think of Jesus, if you ever picture him walking on a flat surface, your visual is probably off, unless He is on the Temple mount. Everything in Israel seemed to be on a slant.

 

 

And this slant is truly extreme. Here we are headed down into Hezekiah's tunnel, under the city.

 

And down we go.

 

This Tunnel was built during the reign of King Hezekiah. The Assyrians were on there way to besiege Jerusalem. While Jerusalem was well placed to avoid capture, it had no water within the city walls. The Tunnel connects the Gihon Spring (outside the walls) to a man-made pool (Pool of Siloam) inside the walls.

 

 

The curving tunnel is 1748 feet long. It took us about 45 minutes to walk through it. The tunnel still has water running through it.

We got soaked from our legs down. 

We walked hunched over in some places,

 while other places would have allowed us to walk on stilts. 

An extremely tight fit in many spots.

This walk is not for the claustrophobic.

The reason for the variations fascinates me.

The Assyrian army, notorious for their brutality and lack of mercy, would be arriving far faster than King Hezekiah wanted. The only way to get the tunnel completed in time was by digging from both ends and meeting in the middle somewhere. Amazing. Also please note: these walls are not dirt, but solid rock. This tunnel was not easily built.

 

 This statue of King David sets outside his false tomb. Craziness. His real tomb hasn't been found so for now "Let's just fake it."

This lie is considered a holy place to the Jews. Men must cover their heads and women must go to a separate entrance.

Sad, exalting a lie and making it holy.  

Yet, unfortunately, sounds all too familiar.

 

 

 

Through this walkway you can see the church, which stands where the "upper room" once stood.

Church tradition is fairly united on this place. This is also believed to be the place where Jesus washed the apostles' feet.

 

 

Acts chapter 2 happened in this very location. Different building but same place. The room could easily hold 120 people waiting for the gift Jesus promised.

 

 

This was a weighty experience.
 Traveling back over 2000 years.
 Imagining the conversations.
 Their questions.
Their arguments.
Their guesses as to what this gift might mean for them.

The church was birthed from this place.

 Nothing spectacular.

But the Holy Spirit doesn't need spectacular,

He simply needs people waiting and willing.

 

Our final look today is an overview of Jerusalem.

 

This is model of Jerusalem from the time of Jesus.

You are looking at the city from what would be the Mount of Olives!

The large structure right in front is the Temple Mount.

Our guide showed us possible routes taken as Jesus made his triumphant entry.

And the possible path of the cross.

I envisioned so many scenes unfolding in this city as we walked around the walls.

 

But what astounded me the most was the size of the Temple.

 It could be clearly seen from any place in the city.

Can't you just see Jesus driving merchants out with a whip, furious with the condition of his Father's house.

But I can also picture Jesus sitting on the Mount of Olives weeping for this city and the people he so dearly loved.

Jerusalem, a city full of history, where God showed his immense love over and over again. And finally demonstrated the full extent of his love by allowing his son's crucifixion right outside the walls.

I'll never fully grasp this, but being in this city brought improved understanding and a deeper appreciation.

 

Stay tuned... from here we travel to Bethlehem!