Catching Up Continued

From Masada to the Dead Sea. Now I’m sitting on the terrace with a cool wind blowing—well, at least a wind—overlooking a beach where many of our group are experiencing the unusual properties of the Dead Sea. Yossi, our guide, cautioned them to be sure someone was close at hand to help them stand if they tried floating on their back. I gather it’s rather tricky! 

Now where did I end? After visiting the Southern Steps, we crossed the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives with the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations, so called because numerous nations contributed to the construction of the church. Directly across the valley from the church is the Golden Gate of the city walls. 

The olive trees in the garden are said to be very ancient, but not from the time of Christ. Yossi said at the time of Jesus the garden was a working olive garden where workers collected the olives and processed them in a press to produce olive oil. On the Sabbath and evening hours, the garden would be free of workers and a quiet place to resort.

Inside the church is the “rock of agony,” a large rock where tradition has it that Jesus sweat as it were great drops of blood and prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:42). Over the past thousand years and more, pilgrims chipped away pieces from the rock, and crusaders took pieces back home to sell. Now the rock is much lower from its original size. The garden is also, of course, the place where Judas betrayed Jesus.

Believer kneeling before the rock of agony.

We arrived at the church a few minutes before the church was scheduled to close, and therefore few tourists were in the garden, creating a favorable atmosphere to experience this holy place. Inside, college students, training in conservation and preservation, were working on the mosaic floor.

As we left the church, the bells in the church tower were ringing. It was 12 o’clock noon. Muslim men, carrying their prayer rugs, made their way to the Temple Mount to pray.

 

The Mount of Olives covers a large area. We drove on up the mountain, now covered in buildings, to a place overlooking the city of Jerusalem and surrounding valleys and hills. What a view!! A great history lesson could be given by simply pointing out all the landmarks, buildings, valleys, and hills. Vendors tried to sell postcards and books, and convince people to try a camel ride. One family persuaded their daughters to give it a try.

View of the Holy City. That is a cemetery in the foreground and Orthodox Jews paying homage to deceased family members.

Lyle and me in Jerusalem.

To be continued…….