Israel Final Day - Jerusalem

We were able to be early at the Garden Tomb on our last official day in Jerusalem.  This is a spot within Jerusalem, founded in 1897 by the British, who strongly believed it to be the true site of Jesus' burial. A farmer had been digging for water, found the tomb, closed it up again, and sold the property. At least, that's what Shmulik told us. 

It was peaceful to sit in our own "private" part of the garden and share Communion. It was such a special spot, and it wasn't raining.

Tombs in Jesus' day were carved out of rock.
The disciples put Jesus' body into a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, a well-to-do Jew, who had prepared it for his own future burial.  After the body was wrapped in linen strips and laid into the tomb, the opening was sealed with a heavy circular rock that rolled in its own little groove.  Several men were required to roll it.  It's not surprising that the women who came to the tomb early in the morning after the Sabbath were amazed to see it rolled aside.
Shmulik explained that the small opening to the left of the door was so the soul could take flight after death.  According to Jewish tradition, the soul would hover for a time after a person died

This is Golgotha, the Place of the Skull.  You can see the holes in the rock that are the eyes, the nose is a bit broken, but the mouth is no longer visible because the level of the ground has come up due to urban build up.  Jewish executions used to take place here.  When the hill was higher, people would be thrown off the cliff to their death.  Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified was near the Garden Tomb.

We entered the tomb one by one, and had our own private look. The actual resting place, seen on the left, was smaller than I imagined.  It made me think of the manger, which was also supposed to have been carved out of rock, unlike the wooden one we always imagine. How appropriate, I thought, "From the manger to the grave."

Byzantine symbols from a later period in time were on the wall.  (They had been painted over to make them more visible)  The bottom two symbols are the alpha and omega of the Greek alphabet.  Jesus said, "I am the Alpha and the Omega. the beginning and the end."  Jesus was present at Creation, and will wrap up history at some point in the future.

 This is the Rabbinical Tunnel along the outside of the Western Wall.
Because this former irrigation system was visible to the enemy,
a new, hidden tunnel was built underground. Some of the group
including Terry, chose to walk through this dry tunnel. They had to
descend a long series of steps and then come up again.

                                                                 



I chose to walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel. This king had it built in 702 BC to bring water into the city of Jerusalem.  At first the water was up to the top of my thigh.  I hiked up my short shorts for a minute, and then the water was ankle deep.  For the rest of the way we held up flashlights as the tunnel twisted and turned for the next twenty minutes.  As well, I hung on tightly to my camera, photographing the legs of the person ahead of me, just to show how deep the water was.

This is a model of Jerusalem as it looked in Jesus' day, showing the second temple.  It would take me a long time to be able to figure out where all the important sites are, although it was explained to us.









The last place we visited was the Yad Vashem, the museum commemorating the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust.  Outside the actual museum is the Children's Memorial.  The names of children who died are read aloud continuously, as their names flash across the wall.  Very sobering.
I only really saw the first half of the museum because I was thoroughly reading the information on the background of anti-semitism, which I didn't really understand before. I would love to come back again and visit this museum and other spots in Israel.
The next day Terry and I had a tour of the Bridges for Peace, an organization that helps new immigrants and other people who need assisstance.  It's possible to volunteer with them for whatever length of time.  Something to think about.
Farewell, Israel!