In the afternoon we visited the site of the Garden Tomb and Skull Hill. Since 1894, the Garden Tomb, wine press and its surrounding gardens have been maintained as a place of Protestant worship. A local docent did an introduction to the area.

Excavated Wine Press

First Skull Hill: The four gospels all say that Jesus was crucified at “the place of the skull” (Matthew 27:33-35, Mark 15:22-24, Luke 23:33, John 19: 17-120) The  word skull is “calvary” in Latin and “golgotha” in Hebrew.

A Picture of the Wall Face Taken 100 Years Ago

Located just outside of Old Jerusalem’s northern wall, near the Damascus gate, is a rocky hill with small natural caves and a wall that resembles a skull. Today, considerable erosion has worn away the hill and the bridge of the nose is gone. The docent showed us photos of what the skull looked like years ago. What was jarring, and somewhat unsettling to us is that the location today is a bus station! What???

Our Picture Taken of the Skull

Nearby, is The Garden Tomb, a possible location of Jesus’ tomb and resurrection. Some say that archeological studies and the presence of a large cistern and wine press points to the existence of a garden at that time. We were allowed to go inside the tomb, believed by many to be the resting place of Jesus. However some archeologists question whether this is the correct location because typological features suggest the tomb was originally carved out during the 8th–7th centuries B.C. and was not a new tomb as stated in scripture.

This Tomb Opening Has Been Blocked Over the Years

The Tomb Inside

We have done quite a bit of research when writing this blog on the sites of Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb. It has been confusing and frustrating at times. Could it be the Church of the Holy Sepulcher? Was it located at Skull Hill and the Garden Tomb? Or neither place?

An excellent article we read when researching is:

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-4-no-1-2003/revisiting-golgotha-garden-tomb

I particularly like his conclusion that even though the correct site is not known, each of the sites provide an excellent peaceful, serene location to teach others about Jesus’ sacrifice so that we may have eternal life. 

Another interesting article is:

https://firmisrael.org/learn/where-is-the-tomb-of-jesus-holy-sepulchre-garden-tomb/

After visiting the Garden Tomb, our guide had reserved a place for us to have Holy Communion with our pastor. It was a solemn, reverent occasion, made even more so by Angie’s acapella singing of, “Were You There? ” 

select the image below to play the video

A beautiful end to our time in Jerusalem!

We finished the day at the Church of the Resurrection in Abu Ghosh, Israel a 12th century Crusaders church. The Crusaders associated the place to Emmaus, referred to in the Gospel of Luke.  (Luke 24: 13-35) On the road to Emmaus is where resurrected Jesus met two disciples who didn’t recognize him.  As they walked down the road, the disciples expressed sadness and hopelessness over the death of Jesus. When Jesus joined them for dinner, took bread, blessed it and gave it to them, they joyfully recognized him as the resurrected Christ.  Jesus had a LAST supper before his crucifixion, this was his FIRST supper as our resurrected Lord and Savior.

The Mosaics are Deteriorating

On our final trip to the hotel, I took some parting shots of the places and people of Jerusalem.

We Saw Many Mosques During the Week

That night after dinner we had a special presentation by Don Piper on his experiences documented in his book “90 Minutes in Heaven”. 

We then went back to our room to rest for a couple of hours. Our ride to the airport picked us up at midnight for a 5:00 AM flight. Lots of sitting and waiting followed by more sitting and waiting during our layover in Frankfurt, Germany. We were a little concerned about Frankfurt because of airport worker strikes there. Sure enough, when we landed in Frankfurt we sat on the tarmac waiting for them to bring the jetway out so we could disembark. Finally the captain came on and said no one was available so we would be exiting from the rear of the plane, down the steps and taking a shuttle to the gate. No problem for us but not convenient for those with mobility issues or small children and lots of carry on items. Fortunately the bus was there and we didn’t have to wait for it to show up. 

Long trip home, over 24 hours, but it was good to be home. 

Next: more exciting overseas travels coming up in May! 

On Day 7 we spent our second day in Jerusalem, which was also our last day of the tour. We began at an overlook on the top of Mount of Olives. What an amazing view of Jerusalem!
Even here you can take a camel ride!

Each Time a Jewish Grave is Visited a Stone is Placed on the Top

Following Jesus’ steps on Palm Sunday, we walked down the steep hill to the Church of Dominus Flevit, the teardrop church. According to the Gospels, it is here that Jesus wept over Jerusalem. This occurred during Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday. Looking down on the city, Jesus wept over it as he prophesied its future destruction. (Luke 13: 13-34) (Luke 19: 37-44). Within 40 years, 70 A.D., Jesus’ prophesy was fulfilled. The Romans besieged Jerusalem, burned the Temple and destroyed the city.
An Italian architect designed the church, built in 1955. It was structured as a teardrop in the form of a cross to symbolize Jesus’ grief. The teardrop is surrounded by four vases because of the custom to collect one’s tears upon the death of a loved one. The church stands on the site of the ruins of a Byzantine church.

The altar of the church overlooks Jerusalem. The cross and chalice design focuses on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, believed to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb.

This is the Kind of Tree that Was Used to Make the Crown of Thorns

Our walk continued to the Garden of Gethsemane. The word “Gethsemane” means “olive press” and since it is almost impossible to kill an olive tree, the root systems of these trees could go back two thousand years. In the garden there are eight ancient olive trees.

Here we toured the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony. The church, built in 1924, is the third church built on this site. This church, as well as Byzantine and Crusader churches, were built over the Rock of Agony, associated with Jesus’ prayer of agony the night before he was crucified. (Matthew 26:36-46) (Mark 14: 32-42),(Luke 22:44-53).

The altar has a rock with a crown of thorns with birds in a posture of submission, willing to drink from the cup of Christ’s passion.
It is here that Jesus was arrested and betrayed by Judas. (Matthew 26: 47-56), (Mark 14: 43-50), (Luke 22: 47-53, (John 18: 1-12).
The architect wanted to portray the nighttime of the Agony by leaving the interior of the church in semi-darkness, with only natural light filtered through violet blue alabaster windows.
The starry night sky is recreated in the ceiling domes, with the stars surrounded by olive branches.
On the facade of the church is Christ as the mediator between God and mankind.

On right is a throng of humble, meek people in tears, looking to Christ for comfort and assurance. On the left, are those in power and the wise (like the Jewish priests) choosing not to recognize Jesus as Christ and the Gospel (one of them is holding a book with the word “ignorance” on it).

Next up: Part 2 of our final day in Israel

This is the second part of our first day in Jerusalem. With everything covered in part 1, it is hard to believe there is more. Remember, our guide told us this would be the most physically grueling day of the trip. 

Now would be a good time to describe the whispers. Back on our very first day in Israel, our guide gave us each a whisper which is a device you wear around your neck with an earpiece. Through the whisper we can hear everything our guide is saying. So when we go in a building or we are at the back of the line when walking, we can hear what he is saying. He can also let us know we are heading back to the bus or if there is something up ahead we need to watch out for such as a hole in the sidewalk or an unexpected step. It is only a one way transmitter, he can talk to us but we can’t talk to him. If we needed his attention we would have to do it the old fashioned way, by yelling. We charged our whispers at the hotel each night. 

If our guide told us once, he told us a hundred times, don’t walk and take pictures at the same time. There are too many uneven sidewalks. You will fall. But it is hard to heed those warnings. A few people did take a tumble here or there, but nothing serious. 

Now, back to part 2 of day 1 in Jerusalem. Next up was King David’s tomb, the burial site of King David (The tomb is empty and does not contain the bones of David). King David was the Old Testament king of Israel who is credited with composing many of the psalms. The tomb is located in the underground hall of Cenacle, an ancient Crusader church on Mount Zion in front of Zion Gate.

We Walked By Zion Gate

The long tomb is wrapped in a veil in a room with separate entrances for men and women, and men must cover their head. It should be noted that according to the Old Testament of the Bible, King David was buried in the City of David, which is near here. (1 Kings 2:10). 

King David Tomb

Also located upstairs in the Cenacle is the Upper Room, thought to be the location of the Last Supper.

According to the Bible, the apostles continued to gather here after the Last Supper, and it is also where the Holy Spirit alighted upon the eleven apostles on Pentecost. This room is thought to be the site of the first Christian church. It is important to note that while this is thought to be the authentic site of the Last Supper, the site has been built over four times: the Roman floor, the Byzantine floor, the Crusader floor and the present floor. We have repeatedly seen this as we walked the streets of Jerusalem and visited many holy sites. Today this entire building is managed by the State of Israel Ministry of the Interior.

With its round sandstone tower and graceful Romanesque-style arches, the Dormition Church is one of Jerusalem’s most recognizable landmarks. Dormition Abbey is dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, and she is believed to have died here. (dormition means eternal sleep).

We then went to the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu (Latin for cock’s crow). This is also believed to be the site of the House of Caiaphas. On the roof of the church is a rooster on a black cross, a symbol of Peter’s denial of Christ before the cock crowed.

In the courtyard of the church is a statue that recalls the events of Peter’s denial of Jesus.

Jesus appeared before Caiaphas, the High Priest, after being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Matthew 26: 57-68) [we will visit garden tomorrow]

Great View

Great View

Mount Olive with 150,000 Jewish Graves

It is believed that Jesus spent the night in a cistern or dungeon at the House of Caiaphas before being taken to Pilate the next morning.

Once again, this site has been built over several times. We were able to walk down the stairs under the church into the dungeon. It is believed Jesus was lowered through the hole down into the pit.

We Were Able To Walk Down To The Floor of the Cistern

Next we went into the Church of Saint Peter.

And with that, we headed back to the hotel. As you can see, the traffic in Jerusalem was really heavy. We were told this is the busiest time of the year for tourists in Jerusalem, and the traffic certainly confirmed it.

Our guide, Mike, had warned us this was going to be a grueling day. And it was!

Next up: Second day in Jerusalem 

Day 6 found us touring the first of two days in Jerusalem. Our guide told us this would be the most physically grueling day of our tour. 

Our bus took us into the Old City, the old walled section of Jerusalem and we entered through the Lions’ Gate.

First place we visited was the Church of Saint Anne.

Built between 1131 and 1138, it is built over a grotto thought to be the childhood home of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. It is dedicated to Anne and Joachim, parents of Mary. The church is especially known for its excellent acoustics, bringing many groups here to sing.

Nearby is the Pool of Bethesda, known as the place where Jesus miraculously healed a paralyzed man as written in the Gospel of John. The area was discovered during excavations beginning in the 19th century. (John 5:13)

We then went to the Convent of the Sisters of Zion.

This Street Shows How they are Narrow and Sloping

During excavation while constructing the church, they discovered the remains of the Antonia Fortress and Temple. This citadel, or fortress, was built by Herod the Great to protect the Second Temple. Herod named it after his patron, Mark Antony. This is thought to be the beginning point of Jesus’ Via Dolorosa walk and the place where Jesus appeared before Pilate, was tried and condemned to death by crucifixion. In one area there are the Lithostrotos, or large flagstones, specially etched to prevent horses from slipping. The Lithostrotos is where Pilate brought Jesus. They placed on him a crown of thorns and purple robe, stood him before the people and Pilate announced “Behold the Man!”. (John 19:5)

See the Original Stone Pavement

Station Three: Jesus Falls for the First Time

Station Four: Jesus Meets His Mother

Station Five: Simon of Cyrene is Forced to Carry Cross

According to Christian tradition this hollow was an imprint made when Jesus stumbled and rested his hand upon the wall to keep his balance, and the touch of centuries of pilgrims has smoothed out the stone and made the depression deeper.

Station Six: Veronica Wipes the Sweat from Jesus’ Face

Station Seven: Jesus Falls for the Second Time

We continued down the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Station Nine: Jesus Falls for the Third Time. The Holy Sepulchre Roof is in the Background

The Holy Sepulchre Church Entrance

Station ten: Jesus is stripped of his garments.

Station eleven: Jesus is nailed to the cross.

There are many who believe this is the holiest place in Jerusalem and is the site of both the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus. The church was built over this site and has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The Rock of Calvary, where the crucifixion is believed to have occurred, is encased in glass, at the Altar of the Crucifixion.

Altar of the Crucifixion

Whether this is the exact location has been hotly debated over the years. We did not visit the Tomb of Jesus inside the church because the line was too long. Wars, destruction and general confusion have altered the preservation of information. Tomorrow we will go to another possible location of the crucifixion and tomb.

There are Two Possible Places Outside The Wall for the Crucifixion and Tomb

Next we went to the Israel Museum, both an art and an archeological museum. It was built in 1965 and is Israel’s largest museum. Our time here was too short but we saw the original Dead Sea Scrolls (no photos allowed), artifacts of Masada and a huge outdoor model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period, 66 A.D. At that time war broke out with the Romans and in 70 A.D., after five years of fighting, the city was destroyed. There was so much more to see here, a full day is needed.

As we headed to lunch we saw groups of people protesting a change in government involving their Supreme Court.

Later in the day, back at our hotel, we saw scenes on TV of the protests escalating into violence in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. We were alarmed to find out that the Tel Aviv airport had closed. Our flight home was in two days!! A few hours later we saw that an agreement had been reached to delay the Court decision. This calmed the protesters and the airport reopened. Whew, that was close!! 

After lunch we went back to the southwest corner of the Old City of Jerusalem. 

You Can See where the Walls Have Been Rebuilt

We came to the Southern Steps, also called The Teaching Steps. The steps lead to the southern retaining wall of the Temple Mount. The massive staircase was excavated in 1967 and it is believed that Jesus, as a boy, would have ascended these steps to the Temple with his parents for Passover and other Jewish holidays. The steps are only 7 to 10 inches high and each step is 12 to 35 inches deep, forcing those climbing the steps to move in a slow, respectful manner. Millions of pilgrims would have climbed these steps on major festivals and holidays. The rabbis and teachers used these steps for teaching. Jesus used these temple steps for teaching as well. (Luke 21: 37-38)

The Romans destroyed Herod’s Temple, fulfilling Jesus’s prophecy (Matthew 24:2). However the western bottom of Herod’s retaining wall that surrounded the Temple survived as one of the holiest places in Jerusalem and is known as the Western Wall.

We were divided into men on one side and women on the other, we had to pass through tighter security here, emptying our pockets and placing our purses and backpacks to be x rayed. We had to walk through a metal detector similar to the airport.

It is often called “The Wailing Wall”, the most religious site in the world for Jewish people. It is the last remaining outer wall of the ancient Jewish temple. Traditionally Jewish people come to the wall to grieve the destruction of the Temple and city they consider holy. Christians and those of any faith may also pray at the Wailing Wall. Many people bring slips of paper with their prayers and slip them in the cracks of the wall. Over time these slips of paper may fall out of the cracks. Cleaners gather these slips of paper and they are buried on the Mount of Olives. Men had to have their heads covered and men went to the left side and women the right. We noticed the men’s side of the wall was longer. The wall is usually crowded with people. You wait for an opening to go up, touch the wall, and pray.

The Larger Side On the Left Were For Men

The Right Side Was for Women

This is a Closer View of the Women’s Side

Next up: We continue our day in Jerusalem 

Day 5 had us spending the day in Bethlehem, a place we had really been looking forward to visiting for obvious reasons. Along the way from the Dead Sea to Bethlehem, we saw shepherds in the countryside with their flock, along with wild camels and donkeys.

Wild Camels

Sadly we learned that Bethlehem is now part of Palestine and the West Bank. In 2002, Israel built a 26 foot, 440 mile concrete wall separating Bethlehem from Israel. Israel said it built the wall to protect its citizens from Palestinian suicide attacks. The wall has watchtowers and barbed wire and there are 84 gates located along the wall that are manned by the Israeli military. Not all gates are opened daily, usually only 9 or 10.

The Checkpoint

Many Palestinian homes, farmland and businesses were destroyed when the wall was built. Our guide said that many people in Bethlehem, once able to move freely to nearby cities like Jerusalem, now face restrictions in movement and must have permits by the Israeli military and have to endure checkpoints to leave the area. He said approximately 5,000 businesses had to close and people have fled Bethlehem rather than live behind a wall where they felt like they were living in a prison. Tourists can walk freely between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, just passing through a turnstile. 

Our first stop was at Shepherds Field. This is the place where the angels appeared to the shepherds, announcing Christ’s birth. (Luke 2: 8-14)

The main point to be taken from this is that the shepherds, considered to be the lowliest of the people with a boring, despised job no one else wanted, were the first to hear the announcement of Jesus’ birth. This was a sign that the “Good News” was available to all, from the lowliest shepherd to the noblest of kings. 

At Shepherds’ Field, excavations found caves with evidence of human habitation where the shepherds tended their flock. Built above a large cave is the Chapel of the Shepherds’ Field, a Roman Catholic Church administered by the Franciscans, built in 1953.

The church has five recesses in the ceiling and 10 walls that incline inward that give it the appearance of a nomadic tent. The words of the angel to the shepherds are inscribed in gold. The dome is made of concrete and glass that allows light to penetrate it to resemble the divine light revealed to the shepherds.

We went into a nearby cave that dated back thousands of years and was thought to be like the cave where the angel announced the Lord’s birth.

Livestock Food Was Stored Here in the Cave Wall

Livestock Food Was Stored Here in the Cave Wall

Shepherds’ View of the City

Next up was lunch in Bethlehem. Breakfast and dinner each day were provided at the hotels where we stayed. Lunch locations were selected ahead of time each day by our guide so reservations could be made. Lunch today was at a small family owned restaurant where they had a specialty entree, an upside down chicken and rice dish. Lunch was usually pita bread with hummus and a mixture of fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Main dish was usually chicken and rice or chicken and french fries, sometimes fish. I don’t know whether it was because we were American, but we ate a lot of french fries at lunch and dinner. We were all really tired of french fries by the end of the trip.

After lunch we headed to the Church of the Nativity, the site where Jesus was born. This ended up being one of the most frustrating and disappointing stops of the week.

The Far End is the Small Entrance

The church, or basilica, is the oldest church in daily use in the Holy Land.  Under the church is where the actual cave is preserved, that is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.

Resurrected Jesus with the Disciples

To enter the church you have to stoop low, the entrance being slightly less than four feet high. Inside, the church has no pews but columns and wall mosaics from the 12th century. Clear trapdoors in the floor showed ancient mosaic floors from 339 AD. Today the church is a Greek Orthodox place of worship.

In the 16th century, to prevent people from entering the church with horses and cattle, the main entrance was walled up and transformed into a four feet high door, known as the “Door of Humility”, since visitors are forced to bend down to go through it.

You Can See How The Opening Has Been Reduced

When we entered the church through the small door, we were in the interior of the church, packed with tourists waiting to descend some narrow steps into the cave.

There was a line winding its way along the walls of the church. Our group was all together but really rude people kept trying to break into our line. Our guide kept telling us to stay close together, to lock arms if necessary. We stayed like this, jostled, pushed, shoved and crammed together for an hour and a half. Finally we knew the cave entrance was close. But then our guide yelled for us to push even closer together because security was getting ready to close off the last door before the descent to the cave because a worship service was due to start. Anyone in our group not inside the door would be left behind and it would be an hour before the door opened again. By this time our group was melded together with two other groups. Just when we thought we couldn’t crowd any closer, we did.

The Steep Stairs to the Cave/Grotto

Finally we reached the stairs to the cave which were dark and narrow. We reached the room where you could kneel and touch a star on the ground where Jesus was born.

Close by, lit with candles was the manger.

Our Picture of the Manger Location

This Picture Was From 1900

You were not supposed to stop and take pictures and you had to quickly kneel, touch and immediately leave. The really disappointing and frustrating thing was waiting all that time and not being allowed to take the time to say a prayer and take in the reverence of the moment. I think most everyone in the group felt the same way. It had been crowded all week but today was the worst.

We Saw This Sign As We Got Close to Jerusalem

After that experience we were more than ready to head to the bus and our hotel in Jerusalem for the next three nights. 

Next up: Jerusalem, part 1