Every Christian who visits Israel knows how special it is to be able to stand in the same places where Jesus stood, and even to stand before the place where he was crucified and kneel at the tomb from which he rose. And some tour guides perhaps massage the truth a little when they are leading a large church group always asking, “Was Jesus at this place?” (Just saying.) But it’s much more satisfying to go through these sites with an understanding of the Scripture and the historical events that have taken place since Jesus lived here. When we’re tracing the physical life of Jesus we need to read carefully the Bible’s geographical and chronological descriptions of his life. And we need to understand that so many people have lived in this region and have buried cities and built them up again and have sometimes erected churches and other buildings on top of the first-century places that we covet to visit. With that in mind, there was much to reflect upon yesterday as, with the text of the NT always before us, we endeavored to walk where Jesus walked in and around the city of Jerusalem.

After parking and making our way into the old city of Jerusalem with the ancient walls still standing, we made our way along the narrow streets to the wall known as the “Western Wall,” where many Jews were standing to pray. This is a familiar scene for anyone who has been in Jerusalem or even has seen pictures of this city. But it was heavily crowded with men fervently praying even at 10 in the morning, and we guessed that it had something to do with the present crisis. But we bypassed the Western Wall and received permission to go up a long ramp and onto the large area upon which the Jewish temple once stood. This area is called “the temple mount.” Nervously passing through security, where we had to promise one of the men guarding the site that we would not bow in prayer or read any Scripture while on the mount. Then we passed through a room full of experienced IDF soldiers with riot gear close at hand, should the occasion to use it arise. The temple mount is the third most important holy site to the Muslim people, but security is controlled by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).  Finally, we came out into the sunlight on the wide expanse of the temple mount.

I have to say, this is the first time that I have been up on the temple mount. I have seen it from a distance at various points around and outside Jerusalem, and I have seen pictures and have read a description of its dimensions. But my mind was not prepared for the vastness of this courtyard that is still the same proportion as it was when the Jewish temple was destroyed in AD 70. It is all of 37 acres, in fact. If you want to imagine 37 acres, a football field (which I will use as a measuring tool because I’m American) is only 1.32 acres. So imagine 28.5 football fields connected together. That’s how large King Herod the Great expanded this temple compound. (The “Western Wall” is not part of the temple, as some misunderstand; it was merely one of the retaining walls that Herod the Great erected on the western side of the temple courtyard in order to bring the courtyard to its current expanse up above it.) A single picture cannot do it all justice.

We first explored what the Bible refers to as “Solomon’s Portico,” which was so much larger than I had though it was. At least, it doesn’t seem as big as it was until you are standing there experiencing it. It was a vast courtyard expanse that was once full of large columns holding up a roof. This was the area where Jesus drove out the merchants who were haggling over prices of sacrificial animals, hoping to profit from those journeying here to sacrifice. Here Jesus taught the crowds who had gathered to hear him, shielded from the hot sun. This is where early Christians later gathered after the start of the church. And so on.

And so we went from place to place, imagining the events that happened there in this area involving Jesus or the early church. One of the events that we could fully imagine happened in Acts 3 and 4. Peter and John walked up the steps to a second temple mount through the gate that was named “Beautiful” at the time. This mount is an additional, raised area (about 3 or 4 football fields in area) where the actual temple stood. Today the gate is no longer named “Beautiful,” and the temple is, of course, was destroyed in AD 70. In its place is the famed Muslim holy site called “Dome of the Rock.” This is not a mosque. This is a dome covering a rock upon which is the top of Mount Moriah, the place where it is believed that Abraham built an altar to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen 22). According to the Muslims, Jews and infidels like us are not allowed to set eyes on this site, so we did not get to see this rock on the mountain top (although we did hang around one of the open doorways hoping to get a glimpse without being noticed).

Nevertheless, walking up the steps to what used to be the the central temple complex for the Jewish temple in the New Testament we could imagine a lame man begging on the side of the steps. When Peter and John saw him there, Peter made him look at them and said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6). When the lame man found he could use his legs, Acts 3 says that he was running all around Peter and John and leaping into the air for joy as they made their way onto the temple pavement.

This caused a real stir among the people, who gathered around to see what great man this was who could heal a lame man. But Peter said, “Don’t look at me! It was Jesus, whom you crucified, who rose again and has given this man his health!” And he preached the gospel to them. So the leaders of the Sanhedrin came over to investigate, and they arrested Peter and John for preaching about Jesus in that place. Looking over to our left we could see the place where the Sanhedrin would have met.

Because it was late in the day, they put John and Peter in prison, which would have been below where were standing. The next day they brought them out to answer for their preaching. But Peter, no longer a denier of Jesus but restored by Jesus and emboldened by the Holy Spirit, declared, “This Jesus the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). On this occasion they ended up charging them strongly that they cannot preach or teach in the name of Jesus anymore. So, in a real sense, this temple mount is still occupied today by those who stand against the good news of Jesus and charge others not to preach or teach there (or even pray or read the Scripture). 

The Muslim people were coming up to the temple complex now for their time of prayer, and we were told we had to be gone before that time. So we made our way from the temple to the pool of Bethesda. This is the pool where Jesus heals the paralyzed man who did not have anyone to help him in. If you were to visit this pool you would be confused at first because it does not look like a little pool. It is actually a layer of various pools that have been built and destroyed through various centuries depending on who occupied the city.

The Pool of Bethesda was on the first century layer, having been discovered underneath a Roman layer and a church that had been built upon the site after they had filled it in. So you have to go several feet down to be at the first-century level where Jesus healed the paralyzed man. But that didn’t stop Bryan from uncharacteristically going around the barrier and climbing down on a ladder that he found. But in his defense, someone had left a safety gate open and there were no warning signs that we could see.

So, of course, I had to join him. I don’t think this was supposed to be on the tour, if you know what I mean. But at least we got to stand in the actual first-century Pool of Bethesda and discuss which stone steps Jesus stood on when he healed the paralyzed man. Plus we got to meet a nice priest from the East African country of Malawi was in charge of the site who said, “Yeah, you really shouldn’t have done that.”

After this, we embarked on a very reflective and prayerful experience that everyone should have who comes to Israel, namely following Christ through the various stages of his passion, walking with him from the place where he was flogged, to where he stood before Pilate, to the place where Simon carried his cross, and so forth, all the way to the cross and to the tomb. The cross and the tomb sites are enshrined by Catholic churches, and protestants have sought to discredit them, arguing for different locations. But we were able to consider the evidence for the traditional cross and tomb locations of Jesus and they are actually quite persuasive. Ask me about it sometime when we’re back.

We visited the Israel National Museum after that and spent way too much time in there. But they have the exhibits arranged so that you can move through the artifacts of Israel and the surrounding nations during various time periods. Wayyyyyy too much to start talking about in this post but we saw some really cool stuff and some of it belonging to people mentioned in the Bible. But we ended up at part of the museum called the “Shrine of the Book,” a place where they display the full Isaiah scroll that they discovered at Qumran. We thought we’d take a quick look, but instead we took time to read the scroll by hunting for various verses in Isaiah (in Hebrew, of course). It was a lot of fun, but they made us leave because they were closing.

After that we went up to the Mount of Olives to overlook the city. Judah knew of this place near the crest of the mountain that isn’t on the regular list of sites. Some underground catacombs or series of cave tombs that were said to contain the graves of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. It was a locked gate when we found it, but a man came out whose name was Jamil. And “for a small donation” (which I ended up paying because I was the only one among us who had any Shekels), Jamil agreed to lead us down into the cave so we could see the tombs. This is the think I like about being here with just a few of us with a strong interest in history. We get to find discoveries that are off the beaten path–and this truly was one of them. Bryan said it was for sure one of the highlights of the trip.

Jamil led us down this long stairway into a deep cave. The map below does not show that there is also another entrance to the cave. But it is not in use anymore because the mountain has grown up over the old entrance. That’s why we had to go down in elevation–to get to the BC level.

Jamil turned out to be a fascinating guide. He used to work for the UN or something like that and he said that his family had had control over these tombs for a few generations. He used to play hide-and-seek in the dark with his friends down here when he was a boy. (That would seriously freak me out.) But he explained burial customs and told us all kinds of stories and showed us what is believed to be the tombs I mentioned. All of the tombs have been cleared out by now, of course–that always happens if people think something valuable is here. And in the tombs of the three prophets I mentioned were all kinds of paper. Through the years, people would write prayers on these pieces of paper and put them into the tombs of the prophets so that they can be assured the prayers will be answered.

There was one more significant stop we made. We went up to the Mount of Olives once more and overlooked the city in the fading light.

Looking at the city of Jerusalem and seeing from a distance the path that the Lord took on his way to crucifixion, we remembered one of Jesus’s final prayers before that hour, his heart broken for his own people in the city. So we read Matthew 23:37–39: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! ³⁸ See, your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” 

I should end here but I have to say we went to this really great little restaurant before heading back to Be’et Sheva. Judah said Steve Pettit took him here when they met up last year. And it was indeed amazing. We were overlooking the city of Jerusalem. And besides that …

Best. Hummus. Ever.