Jerusalem

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.  -Psalm 125:2

As I sleep next to the Dead Sea my dreams are less vivid, but they come none the less.  My ex-wife haunts my dreams of late.  No matter how vivid the dreams are, I still cannot fully remember or grasp them when I awaken.  I recall bits and pieces.  In the dreams I am angry and she is crying.  In my dreams I am getting things off my chest.  I'm telling her things that need to be said, things that are hurtful to her, things I can't say to her in person.  These dreams are wracked with emotion mixed with a dash of closure.

We only stay on the Dead Sea one night.  Our group gathers our belongings and continues the journey.  Our pilgrimage is taking us to Zion, the Holy City, Jerusalem.

Masada

Before Jerusalem we make a stop at the fortress of Masada.  Herod the Great built Masada between 37 and 31 B.C.  You'll remember Herod the Great as the one in charge when Jesus was born.  Herod ordered Masada built as a back-up plan in case anyone turned against him, the "king of the Jews."  Masada rests a full 1500 feet above the Dead Sea.  It was completely self-sustained with gardens, store houses of food and weapons, and a system of aqueducts and cisterns for water.  The funny thing is that historians don't think Herod had ever been to Masada!  It was built as a "just in case."  It was manned by only 100 soldiers.

Cable Cars take you to the top of Masada, 1500 feet above the Dead Sea.

The ride is not for the claustrophobic or those scared of heights.

Can you see the cars on the road down below?

The Holy Land is intense.  I feel it in my stomach, especially at this height.  Israel seems to have very little flat land; we always seem to be walking up or walking down.  Sometimes in life we feel on top of the world!  Things are going great and the pigeons are singing.  Other times we are in the Valley of Megiddo fighting some battle.  For what seems like forever (but in reality has been a year and a half) I have been living in between two lives.  Since my baptism represented a fresh start, I must fully let go now.  And I will.  I brought something to Israel to help with that.

Like I mentioned before, there is something that I carry with me.  It's been in my back pack the whole time.  It's something that will not be going home with me.  This item is making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and there it will stay, inside the Wailing Wall.  I can no longer bare to have it.  I know He can bare it.

Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.  -Psalm 55:22

What is below the black line is original architecture and what is above is restored.	This is a miniature model of the Bath House of Masada. We had also seen a Bath House in Biet She'an.	Check out the original tapestry behind the Mikveh inside the bath house.
This sauna reminds me of the one we saw in Biet She'an.  Herod spared no expense.	This wall was once painted white to send a glare down to anyone who tried to spy up to the fortress.	In Masada's Synagogue a Jewish Scribe makes hand written copies of the Torah.

After Herod's death and during the Jewish Revolt, the Jews managed to sneak into Masada and kill off the 100 Roman guardians 1 or 2 at a time in stealth-like fashion.  Roman forces sought to take back Masada.  To do so, they built a ramp leading up to the fortress.  The process takes three years.

This is what is left of the Roman ramp up to Masada.

This is a miniature model of the ramp that the Romans built in its full glory.

When the Jews realize that the siege would soon end in their defeat they did something unthinkable.  To prevent their wives from being abused by Roman soldiers (who had not seen a woman in 3 years) they kill their wives.  They also kill their own children to prevent them from becoming slaves.  They then cast lots to kill each other, and the last warrior falls on his own sword.  These are freedom fighters; it's freedom or death.  Only 2 women and 2 children remain to tell the tale.

They do something else I find interesting: they hide their biblical scrolls in a secret place in the fortress.  However, they leave the scroll of Ezekiel in the Synagogue.  The Temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed, Masada is defeated, and their families are dead.  Yet, they held onto their faith.  I've been in some low places, but nothing like that.  To the very end they held true to the Lord.

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”  -Ezekiel 37:11-14

When it comes time to leave Masada, several of us want to take the Snake Path instead of riding the cable car back down.  The Snake Path is a 2.5 mile hike that snakes down the mountain along a thin path.  However, our guides do not let us hike it because of the heat.  Humph.  Next time...

Ein Gedi

This is the location where David spared Saul's life in 1 Samuel 24:1-22.  David could have killed Saul but he remained loyal to the Lord's anointed.

We are nearly to Jerusalem when we make a very short stop at Ein Gedi (Spring of the Young Goat).  Getting to see these places will forever change how I read my Bible.  Thank you God for unveiling these sights to me!

Ein Gedi means "Spring of the Young Goat."  Up on the hill we happened to spot a mother with her baby.

A spring of water pours down in front of the entrance to the cave where David "cut off a corner of Saul’s robe."

Before entering Jerusalem, our guide Juda introduces us to an Israeli merchant whom he allows onto the bus.  He is selling hand crafted jewelry.  I had been thinking about getting a new ring to replace my wedding band and had even looked at a couple back in the United States.  But, I had never settled on one.  I made the decision to buy a sterling silver ring with the Hebrew inscription "Where you go I will follow."  This will serve as a reminder for me to stay on God's path.  I will have to wait a couple of days for the ring to be made.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.    -Psalm 119:105

The Mount of Olives

Our bus bursts out of the tunnel and there sits Jerusalem to our left.  Wow.  I can't believe I'm in Jerusalem.  I can't help but think of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11).  Everyone on the bus is straining to see out of the windows.  This is the city where King David reigned over all Israel for 33 years.

Our bus parks and we get out and take a group photo with the cityscape in the background.  We are standing on the Mount of Olives.  I think most people think about the past when they think about the Mount of Olives.  I tend to lean toward thinking about the future.  One day, Jesus will return and step down on this mountain, splitting it in half.  Perhaps I'm thinking more about the future these days in general.

And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.

-Zechariah 14:4

The view of the East Wall of the Temple Mount as seen from the Mount of Olives.

The Garden of Gethsemane

Our group walks from the Mount of Olives to the Garden where Jesus was arrested.


He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”  -Luke 22:41-46

Our guide speaks about the history of this place and Pastor Mike gives a teaching moment.  After that, we have some time to ourselves to walk the garden.  I find an olive tree and sit under it.  I have time to myself just like Jesus did when he prayed to the Father from this place.  Can I ever truly grasp the extent of Jesus' suffering?  But he suffered it, and made me right with God.  Am I living up to that calling?  Sometimes instead of prayer I find it easier to write letters to God.  I did this in the garden under the olive tree.  Below is what I wrote.

Where do I stand with you, Father?  Has your grace fully found me?  Love like this I've never known.  I know you prefer obedience over sacrifice, but I brought something with me to Jerusalem, something to lay at your feet.  Tomorrow I will lay it down and never again will I hold it.  It's not only a sacrifice to you but a burden I have been carrying for a long while.  I pray that you may accept my sacrifice at the Wailing Wall, and please, take my burden with it.  You are mighty to carry it.  I, on the other hand, am tired of bearing it.  Thank you for your grace my Lord.  Where you go I will follow.

When I finish the letter I'm shaking and in tears.  This has been such an emotional trip.  Jesus bore a burden far greater than mine.  I praise Him for taking on our burdens and healing our hearts!  Tomorrow I will lay my burden at His feet; tomorrow I will leave my wedding ring in the Wailing Wall.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  -Matthew 11:28-30

King Solomon Hotel

We check into the King Solomon hotel.  That night, several of us meet a friend of Kenric's in the hotel lobby.  His name is Yossi, a Jewish man who lives in Jerusalem.  Yossi had been very excited ever since he found out that Kenric was coming to his city.  Yossi proves to be a wealth of knowledge about the history and political situation in Israel.  He also speaks lovingly of his children, including two sons that are serving in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and his daughter who is a medic.  His sons are specially trained to work with dogs with cameras strapped to their heads to make sure that buildings and spaces are clear before anyone enters.  Sadly, I'm too exhausted to stay the whole time with Yossi and quietly slip away for a quick bite to eat followed by crashing into my pillow.

Mark and I both agree that the window should be open as we get some sleep.  The sounds of Jerusalem drift loudly into our 11th floor room.  It's awesome.

As I fall asleep the sounds of Jerusalem meld into my dream, guiding it.  I'm in my house.  It's night and the lights are off.  I hear rain falling on the roof.  My ex-wife is in the house somewhere.  The house is dark and I can't find her.  I reach for a light switch and my hand gets wet from something on the wall.  In the dim light I see water pouring down the wall and over my hand.  The rain is leaking into the house.  The light switch does not work; the water must have caused a short.  My wife is somewhere in the house, but I can't find her.  The water washes over me.  I awaken.  It's not raining in Jerusalem, the pulse of sound through the window had in my mind become drops of rain.  I go back to sleep and I have no more dreams this night.

Tomorrow I will give God my wedding ring at the Wailing Wall.

I never want to forget this view of Jerusalem from our hotel room window.