We got up early this morning and hurried to our pick up point, the Jaffa gate. We were scheduled to leave at 8:30 with a guided tour of Bethlehem. Bethlehem is in Palestinian area, so we could only go there on a tour. Our tour bus was an hour and a half late in picking us up.
Our first stop in Bethlehem was the shepherd’s field. It gave us an opportunity to see how shepherds lived in the Bethlehem area. If you have ever visited the “Holy Land”, or ever will, one thing you realize is that people have built church buildings on about every possible site, for just about every possible reason. Here is one of the shepherd’s caves.
From the shepherd’s field we went to the Church of the Nativity.
Then we went into the Milk Grotto. Apparently, there is some tradition that when Mary and Joseph were living in a cave (different from the one He was born in), a drop of her milk fell upon the floor and when it did, it turned the stone in the cave to white. Uh-huh.
Then we went up on a ridge from which we could see the Herodium.
We were dropped back off in Jerusalem at the Jaffa Gate. Jesse and I decided to do our own tour. We went to the Christian Information Center and obtained a few maps and some information. We had a cup of coffee together at a coffee shop and then began our tour. We went south down the Armenian Orthodox road, turned left at the City Wall and exited the old city at the Lion Gate. We walked by the Church of the Dormitian (where Mary is supposed to have entered her eternal rest) to David’s Tomb (reputedly). It was closed. So went to the Church of the Upper Room. There we read together the passage in John where Jesus shares His last supper with the disciples.
Not far downhill from there is St. Peter of the Gallicantu (cock crow). It is a church that is located in Caiaphas’ housing complex. In the complex is a dungeon where it seems reasonable that Jesus was kept until Pilate could be awakened. Somewhere in that vicinity Jesus was tried and Peter denied Him. We read passage in Scripture where Jesus was tried and Caiaphas’ house and Peter denied the Lord. It was very moving to think on how the Lord so lovingly restored Peter when he had so strongly denied Him. I am guilty of the same, yet the Lord also loves me the same.
In the courtyard, "I Tell you I don't know the man"
We continued our walk down to the Dung Gate. Interestingly enough there is a sewer station near the Dung Gate and at that point at the station, it smells like Dung. Entering back into the temple mount area through the Dung Gate, we walked, to the Western Wailing Wall.
Exiting the city through the Dung Gate we walked across the street to the City of David. The national park there was closed, but we got a little glimpse of the water works.
Moving back to the outside of the city wall we continued walking around the wall to the East side and the edge of the Kidron Valley. We walked to the Golden Gate and read the account of the Triumphal Entry. We sat and pondered what it would have been like at that time. We also wondered, when the millennium comes, “What will Jesus have us do with all of these buildings? We continued our walk on up to the Lion’s Gate and entered the city again. Shabbat had started, so we could not enter the Temple Mount area. So we headed up Herod’s Ascent and exited the city via Herod’s Gate. Finding ourselves on the north side of the city we continued our trek around the city singing:
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the City of our God, in the mountain of His holiness
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the North, the City of the great King!
Walking home in the dark, we got a little lost, but we eventually found our way.
Our first stop in Bethlehem was the shepherd’s field. It gave us an opportunity to see how shepherds lived in the Bethlehem area. If you have ever visited the “Holy Land”, or ever will, one thing you realize is that people have built church buildings on about every possible site, for just about every possible reason. Here is one of the shepherd’s caves.
From the shepherd’s field we went to the Church of the Nativity.
Then we went into the Milk Grotto. Apparently, there is some tradition that when Mary and Joseph were living in a cave (different from the one He was born in), a drop of her milk fell upon the floor and when it did, it turned the stone in the cave to white. Uh-huh.
Then we went up on a ridge from which we could see the Herodium.
We were dropped back off in Jerusalem at the Jaffa Gate. Jesse and I decided to do our own tour. We went to the Christian Information Center and obtained a few maps and some information. We had a cup of coffee together at a coffee shop and then began our tour. We went south down the Armenian Orthodox road, turned left at the City Wall and exited the old city at the Lion Gate. We walked by the Church of the Dormitian (where Mary is supposed to have entered her eternal rest) to David’s Tomb (reputedly). It was closed. So went to the Church of the Upper Room. There we read together the passage in John where Jesus shares His last supper with the disciples.
Not far downhill from there is St. Peter of the Gallicantu (cock crow). It is a church that is located in Caiaphas’ housing complex. In the complex is a dungeon where it seems reasonable that Jesus was kept until Pilate could be awakened. Somewhere in that vicinity Jesus was tried and Peter denied Him. We read passage in Scripture where Jesus was tried and Caiaphas’ house and Peter denied the Lord. It was very moving to think on how the Lord so lovingly restored Peter when he had so strongly denied Him. I am guilty of the same, yet the Lord also loves me the same.
In the courtyard, "I Tell you I don't know the man"
We continued our walk down to the Dung Gate. Interestingly enough there is a sewer station near the Dung Gate and at that point at the station, it smells like Dung. Entering back into the temple mount area through the Dung Gate, we walked, to the Western Wailing Wall.
Exiting the city through the Dung Gate we walked across the street to the City of David. The national park there was closed, but we got a little glimpse of the water works.
Moving back to the outside of the city wall we continued walking around the wall to the East side and the edge of the Kidron Valley. We walked to the Golden Gate and read the account of the Triumphal Entry. We sat and pondered what it would have been like at that time. We also wondered, when the millennium comes, “What will Jesus have us do with all of these buildings? We continued our walk on up to the Lion’s Gate and entered the city again. Shabbat had started, so we could not enter the Temple Mount area. So we headed up Herod’s Ascent and exited the city via Herod’s Gate. Finding ourselves on the north side of the city we continued our trek around the city singing:
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the City of our God, in the mountain of His holiness
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the North, the City of the great King!
Walking home in the dark, we got a little lost, but we eventually found our way.
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