The Temple Mount

Day 13

Today was our last day in Israel. Part of me is sad to leave, and part of me is ready to be in my own home. But, before we headed to the airport,  we had a whole day of exploring to do. We began bright and early and headed to the Temple Mount.

After the Six-Day War, Israel officially took over the Temple Mount for the first time in centuries. A day later, they gave the control of the Mount, their holiest location, back to the Jordanians in order to keep things as peaceful as possible. Today it is still used as a religious site for Muslims, and Jews are not allowed up there except as tourists. Israeli guards are on site to help enforce this, and most people in Israel view it as the best way to keep a tense situation stable. But it is still strained on top of the Temple Mount. 

I don't know how to describe what it felt like once going through the gates to the Mount. Definitely not comfortable. One of the unarmed Jordan security men became upset with Uri for using the term "Temple Mount" as he was giving the history of the location because the Muslims there don't believe there was anything on the Mount before the Dome of the Rock (the mosque built on the foundation stone where Isaac was to be sacrificed and where the Temple was). At least that was the understanding I got from the interaction. I could be wrong on that. As I have said before, everything is very complicated here with many layers to it. It's hard to keep up.

The entire complex of the Temple that Harod built is massive--14 football fields wide. Mind blowing. The Temple itself in the 1st century was quite small in comparison (built to the standards God originally instructed). The complex was likely the most magnificent religious site in its time. And then the Romans destroyed it.

On top

Hundreds of years after the destruction, the Dome of the Rock was built there in the 600's after the Muslims took over Jerusalem. Some of the marble from Harod's Temple was used in the construction, which is still there today. In the 1000's, the Crusaders took over and built a church on the complex, which has since been turned into a mosque. The experience on the Temple Mount may have been strange because of the politics, but it is also something I wouldn't have wanted to miss.

We walked off the Mount into the area it is relatively accepted as the spot where Jesus was mocked and flogged by the Roman guards. Pontius Pilate was, until 6 months ago, believed to be housed in the Roman garrison, which would have made the location for the flogging and mocking that we visited an obvious choice as the correct location. However, a recent archaeological finding in the site if Harod's Jerusalem home makes it seem more likely that Pilate lived there instead of the garrison. It is currently up for discussion.

At multiple spots in Jerusalem, there is a "game" sketched on rocks for a Roman guard activity called the "Festival of the Kings." We stopped at one of these sites. During the "Festival of the Kings," which was a four-day event that took place at the end of December, the guards would choose a slave and make him a "king." They then clothed the slave in a purple robe and placed a crown of thorns on his head, after which they ridiculed and beat him. Whoever won the game got to slay the "king." Sound familiar? It's the same thing they did to Jesus. They were such pleasant people.

We stopped next at the Pool of Bethesda. There is no water in the pool anymore, but there were some cool ruins that I explored. I've missed all the archaeological digs from last week! Back when the pool was functioning, there were dams that would be opened to fill the pool for livestock to drink out of. When the water became low, the dams would be opened again and as the water flowed in, the waters would stir. For people who didn't know the workings of the city, it would look like the waters were miraculously moving in the pool. Hence the belief that an angel was stirring them and the waters would bring healing (John 5:1-14).

Ruins of the pool

As we were leaving the area of the pool, I entered the right arch pictured here, which goes into the stone street.

Just before I stepped out, I stopped right in the doorway. A fast-moving tractor whizzed by about 12 inches away.  Yep, I almost got run over by a tractor in Jerusalem.  Val, who was right behind me, grabbed my shoulders as it passed.  I felt so protected by her...until she informed me that she almost bumped into me and sent me into the path of the tractor.  Thanks, Val.

Uri treated us to another destination that wasn't on our itinerary:  the location that is believed to be Caiaphas' house (the high priest...John 18).  There was a church on top of the home, but underneath it archaeologists have found multiple levels of dungeons. I don't know why, but I never thought of the fact that Jesus was probably placed in a dungeon at some point while awaiting trial.  It was a grim area, and would have been very dark during Jesus' time (we had the benefit of floodlights).

1st century stairs up to Caiaphas' home

After lunch, we headed to what is known as the Garden Tomb, another possible site for Jesus' death and burial . Our guide there (not Uri) was an entertaining older British man who made the story come alive for us.  He explained that no one knows for certain the location of the events, but this particular site has a hill that looks like a skull and tombs from the 1st century.

Possible site of Golgotha (I took a picture of a picture)

Perhaps what is most compelling is that discoveries there revealed an area that would have been a garden.  They found a 1st century wine press, the only one from that time-frame ever located. Regardless of whether or not it is the actual site, though, I much preferred this place over the one we saw yesterday because I could visualize what it must have looked like back in Jesus' time!  It isn't covered up by buildings like the other.

1st century wine press

possible tomb of Jesus

Something I also never realized was how close in proximity the tomb was to where Jesus was killed.  I always envisioned Jesus' body being carried a distance to the tomb, but at both sites we visited there was only a couple of hundred yards between them.  I just read John 19:41, though, which says, "At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid."  There it is.  I missed that somehow over the years. Huh.

The Garden Tomb was the last place we visited.  We went back to our hotels, packed up, and headed to the airport.  Then the sad part:  saying goodbye to Uri. Who knows if we will ever see him again!  He said goodbye everyone, and when he got to me, he hugged me and told me that I made this trip for him. Well, I think we all felt that he did the same for us.  

Our visit to Israel may be over, but there are a couple of things I took away:
1) My understanding of the Bible has been greatly increased.
2) I will never read the Bible or think of the stories in it the same.
3) The word "complicated" isn't strong enough to explain the conflict and politics in that area.  It is overwhelming.  But, as Uri told us, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  So that's what I'll do. 
4) I'm so thankful for the people who helped me go on this trip.
5) Israel is a pretty amazing place.