Sunday, March 10, 2019

The Old City

We continued to explore the old city of Jerusalem. The
overview of the city and the Temple Mount is at the top
of the Mount of Olives and it was from there that we
walked down the path that Jesus took when he came into
Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey. When we were
at the top, Glen and I both saw a camel lying down. He
looked stuffed, but then I saw him blink. Glen is so thank-
ful he didn't kick him! We were looking at the city from
the east and between us and the city was a large number
of graves--all of them facing east in order to be the first
to resurrect when the Messiah arrived. Unfortunately, they
all missed Him...

On our way down we came to the gate of a garden called
Gethsemane. The olive trees are old. The Romans had cut
down all the trees in AD 70, but Olive trees grow from the
roots left and so the trees we saw were 2,000 years old. It is
interesting to me that within the Garden was an olive press
where the olives are crushed to make the oil. Our Savior
was crushed also, to give us life, eternal life. It was in this
garden that Jesus said to His Father,
"Not my will but Yours be done." 
The battle was won in that moment.

We spent some time overlooking a wall built by the Cru-
saders which is16 large stones above the foundation stones
of the temple wall. Jesus told his disciples that not one stone
of the Temple would be left intact. I have a picture of giant
stones, disconnected, and lying in a heap. You see, all of the
200 prophecies in the Old Testament regarding Jesus' first
coming were fulfilled, and so everything that Jesus spoke
about His Second Coming in Matt 24, will also be fulfilled.

Our last stop that day was at the steps where the Jews en-
tered with their lambs and goats, in their arms to be sacri-
ficed in a designated area of the Temple. It is on these steps
that the teachers of the law would sit so that people could
ask them questions. It is thought that this is where His par-
ents found Jesus at the age of twelve. These teachers
marveled at His wisdom. Great story in Luke 2:41-50!

Reader, in the next blog I will go into the Resurrection.

No comments: