 |
| Garden of Gethsemane |
Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover but stayed
outside the city wall near the Garden of Gethsemane, the olive
press. Here he came to pray and was betrayed by Judas. We visited the olive trees
and the modern
church designed by Antonio Barluzzi. The mosaic in the interior is faithful
to the mosaic from the Byzantine church of 800 years ago. The mosaic above the
door shows Christ’s second coming. The deer above represents Psalm 42: As the deer pants for
streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
 |
| Modern Church in the Garden |
Then we
visited the archeological site of the City of David. Jerusalem was originally a Jacobite city 4000
years ago. It was founded below today’s walled city because the Gihon water spring
was here. In Egypt a letter was found where the Canaan leader is complaining to
the pharaoh that the Hebrews are preparing to invade. David built his Palace
near the top of this walled city. We know because a seal was found where his
administrator was named.
 |
| Capital from David's Palace |
Our
final adventure was to wander Machaneh Yehuda market with vendors selling food, spices, baked goods,
and housewares. It’s a Friday, the start of the weekend, and the day before the
Sabbath. The marketplace was packed with people. The neighborhoods around the
market were built in the mid 19th century, the first to be built
outside the city walls. We sampled juices, lotions, baked goods and some nut
treats. We also experienced a variety of people dressed in a range of outfits.
Music was blaring around us. In particular, we were lectured by a weirdly
dressed musician, who tried to convince us about something. Never understood
what it was, but then he played a song for us on his guitar. It was an
experience.
It's
difficult to summarize this trip. We encountered three different countries that
are at peace these days after three wars, but with different beliefs and
political systems. It was a good mix of stories, history, sights, and
incredible food. Our eight family members spent more time together than we had
in years, we ate together everyday and feel closer than ever. Our group of
twenty each day were both curious about the countries and on time, and no one
got sick from either covid or a cold. Our guides throughout this journey provided
lots of opportunities to learn about the culture and answer our every question.
Great trip. A video about this trip is available on youtube.
 |
| OAT Yellow Group |
No comments:
Post a Comment