Day Six: Garden of Gethsamane, Mount of Olives, Garden Tomb, & Via Dolorosa

Wait...did I say day FIVE was my favorite day?  This one was pretty much my favorite too.  :)

We arrived on the hill at sunrise, which was yet again, an astounding beginning to another day in this land.

I have found myself longing to be standing in this place again since we've been back.

We began at the Mount of Olives, with a view of the valley below, and the eastern gates to the city. {I'm coming back to that in a minute.}

We also had a view of the vast Jewish cemetery, where many have been buried, some even being kings and important leaders.  

They chose this place because they want to be the first people raised from the dead when Jesus comes again to the city of Jerusalem and approaches from this very place on the Mount of Olives.  (This is based on the scripture from I Thessalonians 4:13-16 and Zechariah 14:4).

You can tell the Jewish cemeteries because every tomb has rocks and pebbles placed on top, as well as oil and candles.  

Naftali gave us a couple of different theories of why this tradition exists, and as I have searched since being home, I've found an even bigger variety of answers.  The explanations range from "showing the grave has been visited", to being the symbols of an altar, and the remembrance of Jerusalem falling stone upon stone.

You might notice another cemetery off in the distance, just in front of the city walls.

This is a Muslim cemetery, built by Suleiman, the leader of the Turks, who conquered Jerusalem in the 1500's.  He heard the prophecy that Jesus will enter through the eastern gate on His return, and decided to do all he could do to prevent it from happening.  He knew that no holy Jewish man would defile himself by entering the gate through a Muslim cemetery, so surely Jesus would not be able to come this way.  :)

He also sealed in the Eastern Gates with walls of stone, after he had rebuilt the entire outer walls of Jerusalem AND these very gates!  

I find this SO interesting.  Because if you don't believe Jesus is who He says He is, or that He will come back just as He says He will, then why seal the gates?  Why build a cemetery to prevent Him doing something you don't believe He can or will do?

Well, little did Suleiman or the Muslims who followed him know, but this was a prophecy of God through Ezekiel 1,000 years before they did it, as He took Ezekiel on a supernatural tour of the future Temple which will be erected when Christ comes back again.  Suleiman was doing just what God had willed to happen.  And, as usual, this was no surprise to God, or His people.

"Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut.  The Lord said to me, "This gate is to remain shut.  It must not be opened; not one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it...He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way."  Ezekiel 44:1-3

Since being back home, I've read some amazing reports of attempted openings of this gate by the Turks and Muslims in the last 400 years.  And, all three times this attempt was made, they were not successful in opening them.  SO incredible.

What the Lord has said (that the gates must stay shut, and that only Jesus will enter them), will occur in God's own way and in His own time, and no one has power to stop His perfect plans of redemption for this earth and its people.

Did you know that Zechariah's prophecy is that this very place where we stood this day will be split in two when Jesus returns?!  (This was yet another prophecy I was not aware of before we came to Israel---I have quite a bit of studying to do now in all of these books.).

"On that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south..then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him."  Zechariah 14:4-5

And--as Naftali also informed us as we stood on this hill--this entire valley where these Muslim tombs have been placed to block Jesus' way?  They will be washed away, purifying the area with Living Water.

"On that day, living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter."

In both directions, those who have made attempts to stop His power from coming, will witness the overflow of living water, as He cleanses the earth, and washes the enemy's attempts away, splitting the mountain in two and filling the valley with water!

This trip has literally brought the Bible alive to me, and parts of the books of prophecy that I skim over not knowing what it all means, now has fresh and new meaning!  It's so exciting to think of what lies ahead for those who are following Christ.

After this, we walked down part of the road that Jesus would have traveled on Palm Sunday, as He first entered Jerusalem for the week that would change the world. 

This is where the people tore off their cloaks, laid them down, and shouted "Hosanna, Save us!"  This is where they thought their earthly king would rescue them.  And, this is where Jesus wept, as He looked out over Jerusalem and saw the entire city, knowing it would be destroyed, and the people--in only a few days--would reject the king they now praised.

We then entered the Garden of Gethsamane.  Although the garden has certainly changed from the day of Jesus, and (of course) a church now stands in the place, 

It was so beautiful and peaceful...

...and still has olive trees, some of which date to 2000 years ago!

This is the oldest tree in the garden, which means it was likely standing that night when Jesus prayed in this very place.

The church that is built on this site, The Church of Agony, commemorates the events of that evening, with mosaics of Judas betraying Jesus, 

Jesus praying and crying on the rock in the garden,

and Jesus' disciples falling asleep as they waited...

(This sign really hit me.  I wonder if Jesus would ask me the same question...not because I'm literally asleep, but because so often I am spiritually asleep in the most important hours.)

They have actually built the church around the large rock they found in the garden, as a remembrance of the place Jesus prayed and wept for what He would soon experience on our behalf.

We took time to sit and pray alone in this place, and I was once again overcome.

I have been feeling the need to say this on every blog I've written about this trip.  But, being here in this place, standing where He stood, I felt His "realness".  Even as a follower of Jesus most all of my life, there are always times when it seems like such a distant story.  And, it's hard to grasp or be convinced that everything really happened.  Not that I didn't believe.  It just didn't always sink in so deeply that my life was then transformed because of its truth.

Does that even make sense?  

"Jesus, I sit in this place, and in my mind, I can literally see you praying here in agony.  Knowing all you would endure but also all the ways your people would reject you and deny you and try to live life without you for years and years to come.  Lord Jesus, You are the light of this world.  And even on this dark night, in this dark valley, You shined your selfless glory over the world.  The world didn't know it yet.  But, now we know.  And, I praise You Jesus for Your love.  Coming here has brought your sacrifice to life in my heart.  Oh, forgive me for taking this gift of sacrifice lightly.  You gave up everything so I could have everything.  

Lord Jesus, come quickly.  Restore what is broken here.  I know You are sovereign over all of this that I see---and that in Your perfect time, in Your perfect way, You will reveal Yourself to all people.  Thank you for already finishing what you started and redeeming what has been lost.  May I live like I know what happened here and believe it with everything in me."

From here, we traveled on to the site of the Garden Tomb.  Although the traditional place thought of as the site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial has been The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was built in 330 AD by the mother of Emperor Constantine, this Garden Tomb was discovered in the late 1800's by German theologians.

I won't get into all the history here, but if you have the time, THIS describes what they found in this place over 100 years ago.

I have to say I was pretty convinced by the evidence, although I know there are reasons for both sites to be "it".  This garden was discovered with an original deep cistern, wine press, and archaeological evidence that showed it was a working garden, likely belonging to a rich man like Joseph of Arimathea. (his story is found in Matthew 27:57---and all of the other gospels!)

This garden also contained an original Jewish tomb, dug out of the rock wall, again indicating a wealthy owner who prepared it in advance.  It has two rooms, one of which would be used for "wailing" or mourning, as well as preparing the body.  And, the inner room would have been where the body would have been left for burial.

How do you put words to a moment like this?  To stand at the door of a tomb from Jesus' day, and quite possibly the tomb that Jesus Himself laid in?

I absolutely loved the guides who led us through the Garden Tomb area, who are volunteers from all over the world, coming to share their faith for 8-12 weeks at a time.  They do this because they believe that no matter where the tomb was originally, the most important thing that all men know is this:

The tomb now lies empty! 

The stone was rolled away!

Again and again, our guide from Ireland reminded us of this fact.  That with all the touring and debating over what belongs to who and what has been proven or not about archaological sites, that the Truth still remains:  

1)  The tomb is empty and Jesus has won the victory!

2)  God has revealed just what He wants us to know.  And, He wouldn't want any of us worshipping a certain place rather than the One who was there and is there no longer.

The other significant evidence for The Garden Tomb site is this rock cliff:

Can you see the skull in this picture of an older picture?  

As it says in the Bible, Jesus was crucified right outside a major gate of Jerusalem, on a busy thoroughfare, where people could see him and shame him.  It was called Golgotha (The Place of the Skull). 

And, it wasn't "on a hill far away", as our songs might sing.  :)

As he showed us the area, our guide explained that only half of the cliff face can now be seen.  Because it is in Arab territory and has now become a bus parking lot.

And, right above the bus lot, were these signs, inscribed for all to read.  In Arabic, these say "There is no god but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet."

I think at this point, we had seen this one too many times.  Because our entire group just gasped and muttered and shook our heads.

It was shocking to see the very place Jesus quite possibly died, defamed and dishonored in such a blatant way.

As I was standing there, silently praying...the Holy Spirit nudged me with this thought:  

Nothing is allowed that does not first pass through God's Hand.  He has allowed this to happen in almost every significant place in Jerusalem for a reason.

And He will reveal Himself someday and every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth.

But not yet.  He is still calling all people unto Him.  He is still hoping that the Good News of Jesus will reach more ears and more hearts and more families. 

And, we are the way God planned for that to happen.  

Bus lots and signs about Allah aren't enough to stop God's power.  He isn't concerned with Golgotha still looking like Golgotha.   Or, with every person on earth agreeing on where the actual burial site was.

Because He made Jesus ALIVE AGAIN and He EMPTIED THAT TOMB.  And, that is the only thing that matters.

During our time at The Garden Tomb, we had the wonderful opportunity to take communion together as a group, spending time worshipping and praising God for this ultimate miracle that gave us all new life and eternal hope!

Max shared an excellent message about the hope that changed the world---not just on the cross---but in a garden like this one, as the tomb was discovered empty.  Everything had changed from that Friday on the cross.  "Then, there was darkness, silent angels, and mocking soldiers.  Now, on Sunday, there is blinding light, speaking angels, and silenced scared soldiers, who appeared dead at the very time Jesus was risen."

This was my favorite quote from Max:

"If the proclamation of the angel that day is really true---"He is not here, for He is risen"---then everything changes!  Death is conquered and life forever is possible.  And, this doesn't mean He is only alive in our memories or in our hearts---He is physically and totally alive!  The angel gives an invitation "Come and see!"  And, Jesus always invites us to look further---to prove His authority."  

"The stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out, but to let the disciples in! The stone was rolled away not so He could leave, but that we would believe."

AMEN!

Another interesting God-moment happened for me in the garden.  I have mentioned multiple times the disparity between the Jewish/Christian areas and the Arab/Muslim areas of town.  This Garden Tomb is nestled in the midst of an absolute Arab area.  And, the noise outside was loud, before we entered in.  As I told you, a bus lot was right beside us.  And, the busyness of the city surrounded us.

However, as Max was speaking and we were singing, it was so overwhelmingly loud, that I was distracted.  NOT by the noise of the Arab city outside, but by the sound of birds singing inside!

It was the loudest chirping I had ever heard, and it sounded heavenly.  I know that sounds crazy, but it was surreal.  And, it was as if God whispered to my heart again, "There is nothing here to fear.  There is nothing here that I don't allow.  And, I will show my glory in the midst of this."  The birds were like angels, offering constant unending praise, silencing the voice of the enemy and the noise of the world outside.

It was such a beautiful place!  

And I could have stayed all day.  

Especially with the sweet people God had joined us with for the week.  This is one of our "bus captains", Joan, who served us tirelessly, made us laugh constantly, and pointed to God every moment she got.  She is Max Lucado's older sister and gave us great stories about growing up with him as well.  :)  Her daughter, Dana, also served as our bus captain, and I will share more about her on my next post!

Unfortunately, we had to leave the quiet garden bliss together, and rejoin the noise.  (Isn't that what God always calls us to do?  Be lifted up in Him, strengthened by the Truth and His presence, only to go and share it with the world around us.)

And, boy, did we rejoin the noise.

We set out on the Via Dolarosa, the street that has been celebrated as the street Jesus walked to the cross.  Now, of course, there is no hard evidence of this, and in fact, this has been argued over for centuries among various denominations and religions.  (And, isn't that just like us, to make the details more important than the One we are celebrating?)  

It now has multiple numbered stations to stop and remember the occurrences of the day, as Jesus carried His cross to Calvary.

Now, I am not only an introvert, but also one who is a wee bit sensitive to noise and chaos.  So, this was NOT my favorite part of this journey.

Although it was amazing to be walking on original roads of Jesus' day for some of the walk, it was so incredibly packed with people, vendors, and shops.  Small, narrow pathways and tons of people pilgrimaging to the Church at the end of the path.  And, many, many people who had no interest whatsoever in Jesus, but were hoping to make a buck or two on those who did.  I honestly felt like I just wanted to run away.

It reminded me many times of Jesus clearing the temple, because you couldn't walk an inch without being surrounded by people selling touristy junk or pushing their way past you to get where they were going quickly.  (And, maybe I was also tired.  That always affects these experiences for me.  :) )

We arrived at the end of the road at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 

And, my feelings really didn't change much once we were inside.

I won't share all my feelings here, because I think it was tough for me personally to go from the quiet garden to a busy ornate church.  But, I am glad we saw it.  

And, I can at least appreciate the history of a place like this, where hundreds of thousands of people have come from literally all over the world to stand in this place.  As Naftali reminded me, "Everyone here is just searching for the truth, and we must celebrate that they're looking!"

On our way back through the noisy, busy streets, Naftali turned a corner and led us through a door.  We went down some stairs and all of a sudden, we're back in quiet tranquility again.

As we sit down and rest, he shared with us that we are standing on the remains of the Antonia Fortress porch, where Pilate would have conducted Jesus' trial and released Barrabus to the people.  It has obviously been buried under debris and protected from the streets right above.

This was a beautiful reminder once again that He gives us calm in the storm, and "green valleys" to stop and catch our breath in this crazy world.  That's what these moments underground felt like to me.

As people from our bus family began sharing thoughts about Jesus and what He did for us in this place, we sang songs and praised Him for standing on these stones, bearing the shame He never deserved.

We ended our day at the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the paralytic (John 5:2-9) and many people sought healing from the waters.  You can still see all the remains of the various pools that were used as Jewish purification baths at the time.  Since then, many churches and chapels have been built right on top of the original pools, which makes it hard to tell what is what in these ruins!

There is now a medieval church standing, Church of St. Anne, run by a French group.  It was a simple, beautiful place to worship.  We sang Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art in the gorgeous chapel with great acoustics.  

Again, tears flowed as I thought back on our day and all the ways God is showing Himself in this place, even in the midst of chaos.

The fact is, the chaos won't be ending anytime soon.  There are many conflicts ahead before Jesus takes His place as Lord of All.  But, even as we wait for His return, we have no time to waste in telling the world the hope they can have in Jesus.  And, we can walk with strength and confidence, anchored in the hope we have of eternal life with Him.

Because "He is risen just as He said"!