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The Holy sites

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We went to a bunch of holy sites The dome of the rock, Muslim site.  The Western wall The southern wall, very possible site of Acts 2 baptisms, in the pools that could be used for ritual cleansing before entering the Temple. This is a picture of the blocked off gate, today it would take you under the dome of the rock. Upper room site, conveniently located directly above...  The tomb of King David  Church of the holy sepulchre, containing the final stations of the Cross, jointly run by several church denominations.  People kneeling to see where Jesus died.  Building inside the church covering the tomb of Jesus Look at this painting! Why is it almost completely black? It surely wasn't painted that way, right? The Christian sites were reminders both of the long history of faith and people caring about Jesus deeply, but also of the ways people can get distracted from our relationship with God. Our faith does rest on the work of J...
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The dead sea

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Today we went to Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, and the dead sea. Masada is a fortress on a mountain that is a site of great significance to Israel. It was the last stand of a Jewish sect against the Roman empire. The Roman army built a giant earth ramp to get up into the settlement. Ein Gedi if the site where King Saul went into a cave and David cut off part of his robe. This is one of the waterfalls along the stream.  Qumran is the site of a separation Jewish sect. It is most known for the fact that the dead sea scrolls were discovered in the caves outside this settlement. Then we had a float in the Dead Sea. You can't really swim in the Dead Sea because you have to be careful not to get the water on your face. The water is a little slimy and I didn't try the mud.
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The garden tomb

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The cornerstone of the Christian faith is a real Jesus, truly man and truly God, the son of God. He lived a real life and he died a real death. His death took the place of my death and paid the price for my sins. Soldiers took him to a place called the skull and killed him. A follower took him to a nearby tomb and buried him. Three days later he rose and left am empty tomb. The possible place of the skull, where Jesus was crucified. The possible tomb where the body of Jesus was placed. Nearby we had communion and remembered the death of Jesus. What an incredible day.
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Bethesda

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Jesus once healed a man who sat by the pool  where the spirit of God would stir the waters and heal people. He does this on the Sabbath, which upset the Jewish leaders. They were upset with the man for walking with his mat, and they were upset with Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus spoke of God's continued work in the world, how He would work as His father works, doing what He sees God do. He did the with of God here, at this pool.
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Garden of Gethsemane

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We were able to use a private garden in Gethsemane. We had some time to pay as the disciples prayed, all those years ago. The disciples fell asleep, but Jesus continued to pray. Jesus prayed that the cup would pass him by, that he would be shared the coming death that faced him, but above all that God's will would be done.
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Mount of Olives

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Starting at the mount of olives we saw a number of locations from the final days of the life of Jesus. This actually isn't too far from where I was the other day, but this was a more clear view and it was also extremely windy. I'm blaming the wind for how squinty I look. In this photo you can see a Jewish burial ground just behind me at the bottom, then the valley and the wall and the Temple mount with the dome of the rock.
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Bethlehem

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We got to go to Bethlehem and see the cave that is the traditional birth place of Jesus. There are a couple of churches over the cave, and one side had about to hours of waiting, so we went to the other side instead. This meant we didn't see the exact spot that was marked in the cave a free hundred years after Jesus was born, but just the other half of the cave. Here is a view in the cave. It was crowded on this side as well, but no wait. Of course it just looks like a cave with walls in it, but Jesus may have been born in this room, before the walls were there, and then put in the manger on the other side of one wall.
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