Modern Day Time Travel to the Old City

It's tough to not have a great day when you can stand and look at over 4500 years of history and walk the same streets where Jesus and so many people before and after him did. What an amazing place to imagine what it was like to those first settlers in Jerusalem who began building this incredible city and the impact it had and is still having on those people that visit here everyday.

The toughest part about our journey today is figuring out where to begin explaining this unique place. It really is difficult to put into words but I'll do my best and start from the beginning. One of the primary reasons Jerusalem is so important today is that it is the spiritual headquarters of the world. I guess one way to describe it would be to say it is the Grand Central Station of salvation. Millions of pilgrims from all religions visit here every year to participate in this spiritual journey, each with his or her own purpose.

So why is this place so holy? According to Jewish heritage, God made the rock currently underneath the Temple Mount the foundation of all the earth. According to this tradition, this was the site of the Garden of Eden. It was at this place where God sent Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, 4,000 years ago. God told Abraham to start his journey and he would let Abraham know when to stop and sacrifice his son. After 3 days hiking, Abraham saw the hill in Jerusalem and swas told by God that this was the place to sacrifice his son. When Abraham took his son to this rock to sacrifice him he proved his loyalty and thanks to this act God spared Abraham's son and Mt. Moriah became the most holy place on earth and the place for the worship of God. However, no one gets access into the Temple Mount to see the rock or what is contained within it. However, from what we were told the rock exists as it did in the Biblical times. Under the rock is a tunnel and steps which lead to a cave. From the cave a tunnel leads off to the east. However it is blocked by a door of stone. It is thought that behind the door there is a tunnel which leads to a secret chamber where the Ark of the Covenant was once or is still hidden. The Ark of the Covenant is purported to hold the second set of the 10 commandments (Moses destroyed the first set after seeing his people worshiping a pagan god) and holds the only record of God's written word provided directly to man (Moses is the only person to have ever seen God). It was the site of the two holy temples which were destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans when the Jews were exiled out of this Holy Land and the Ark of Covenant was purportedly stolen (it's location is still debated to this day). As of today, a mosque (Temple Dome) now stands where the two holy temples had previously stood and the Jews wish that one day soon they will be able to build the 3rd temple and return to worshiping at the holy of holies. Until then they pray at the Western Wall which is the closest accessible point (this is the reason they don't pray at the other walls which they could) to the holy of holies, location of Abraham's rock and Ark of the Covenant. Obviously these events hold significant relevance to all religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity and hence the constant tension in the Old City until this day.

While I could go on and on about the history and building of this city my ambien is starting to kick in so here's a quick rundown of where we've been and what we've seen in Jerusalem today:

- Mt. Olives: Mountain ridge in East Jerusalem that overlooks the Old City (incredible views) and the burial site for over 150,000 of the most important citizens from the period of the biblical Kings. This site is also mentioned throughout the Bible at the location where Jesus would preach to his disciples and the people of Jerusalem.

- Garden of Gethsemane: located at the base of Mt. Olives this is the Garden where according to the Bible Jesus wept tears of blood before his crucifixion and where Judas hugged Jesus while the Romans watched so they could identify and arrest him.

- Burial Tomb of the Virgin Mary: Beautiful tomb sits right at the bottom of Mt. Olives and next to the Garden of Gethsemane

- Western Wall: The most significant place for worship in Judaism as it is as close as you can get to the Holy of Holies. This wall dates back over 2000 years to when Herod the Great built the city of Jerusalem. You can't help but wonder what people must have though when they set eyes on this city for the first time. Some of the stones used to build these walls weigh over 500 tons and there isn't a crane in Israel that could pick it up.

- City of David: Remnants from the time when King David began to build this city (Herod ruled later and built Jerusalem into the great city it became) in 1000 BC (continued by his son King Solomon)

- Old City: Visited the Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Armenian Quarters located within this vibrant, historic city

- Stations of the Cross: the 14 stations of the cross and the purported sites where Jesus carried the cross, fell down three times, the stone where his hand touched when he fell, and was given his crown of thorns proclaiming him as the King of the Jews. Aside: Also learned the story about the local merchant that came out of the crowd to help Jesus carry the cross. According to tradition, this person was a local merchant and after helping Jesus carry the cross part of the way up the path (we walked this as well) he went back to his store and the eggs he was selling had all turned beautiful colors. This is the reason behind the tradition for colored Easter eggs.

- The burial tomb of Jesus (there are two possible sites disputing Jesus' burial tomb)but we visited both sites and saw the resting place where Jesus' body was laid and rose from the dead

- King David's Tomb: the first builder of the city of Jerusalem who's son Solomon ruled and continued building this holy city (later completed by Herod the Great)

- Last Supper: we visited Mt. Zion and the room where Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover before he walked to the Garden of Gethsemane.

- Church of the Nativity: this is the undisputed location of Jesus' birth. Interestingly, this church actually contains 3 churches inside the Church of the Nativity. There is a Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian church all inside. The church sits on top of the both the birth place and Inn where Mary gave birth to Jesus (the exact location is marked) and where the Holy Family spent the first few months before their Exodus to Egypt. Refresher: Joseph was visited by an angel warning that King Herod (the great builder of Jerusalem) had heard that the newborn King of the Jews was born in Bethlehem. The 3 Wise Men had marched to Jerusalem and asked King Herod where they could find this special newborn. King Herod was a very paranoid about losing power and therefore ordered that all newborn males under 2 be murdered. Archaeologists have since excavated the area and found 10 bodies (carbon dated to the birth of Christ) at this Inn location murdered by King Herod's soldiers in the search for Jesus.

- Holocaust Memorial: really an incredible tribute to the Jewish people that suffered under an unbelievable tragedy in our human history. Helps to further explain the Jewish desire to settle in a homeland and protect their heritage and future as a people.

- Dead Sea Scrolls: too tired to describe this so you gonna have to Google this yourself.

There's a lot more to share but it will have to wait until I get back. Until then...Shalom!

Ryan