The Holy Land

Having just returned from the Holy Land, I must say a bit about the experience compared with Bible verses. It truly is amazing to see first hand the areas that I have for so long only imagined by reading the Bible. This was a once in a lifetime trip. I didn't see it all, but saw enough to get a feel for the geography.

The trip was run by two archeologists and thereto was the emphasis. We began in Egypt, seeing Cairo and Alexandria, as well as the Sinai Peninsula. We started where the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and followed the travels of the Israelites as God led them out of captivity (note Exodus 13). They were led by God to Mount Sinai where Moses met God on the mountain (Exodus 19 and 20). While we cannot be exactly sure of the location, we were quite close. We climbed up the mountain just as Moses did. It was all rock, no trees, with rarely a small bush.

The most amazing and informative view of the whole trip was my first time in Jerusalem. I had seen pictures, but seeing it in person made quite an impression. We stood at a spot, high on the Mount of Olives, looking west across the Mount of Olives, and the Garden of Gethsemane (which is low in the valley between the Mount of Olives and Old Jerusalem), to ancient Jerusalem itself. About 65% of the Bible occurs right in this small area; so to see it is to bring to life the verses that mention this area. Here is an example: In Mark 11, it talks about Jesus walking and teaching in the courtyard of the temple in Jerusalem. He spent a lot of time in this temple; it was a place where he could get an audience and where the truth needed to be heard. In Mark 13:1 it says, "Then as He went out of the temple......." And in 13:3, "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple..." He left the temple (right in the middle of the old, walled Jerusalem), walked down the hill, through the Garden of Gethsemane, and up the Mount of Olives. This might sound like a long hike, but actually was quite close. He could have done all of this in less than an hour, perhaps 30 minutes. The mountain, Mt. Moriah, upon which sits the city of old Jerusalem, is more like a large hill, rather steep on the sides. Jesus walking down this hill would be on rocky terrain with only a few trees and bushes. Then He would pass through the valley at the bottom of the hill, but the valley would be very narrow, likely less than 100 yards. He walked through the garden, which probably was rather thin like an orchard, and up on the Mount of Olives, which is, and likely was, rather thinly populated with trees and bushes.

These events followed the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey, and His driving out the money changers from the Temple. Perhaps one can see how much is going on right here in this one small area. And since I was there a couple of days ago, I wanted to share these thoughts with you. Perhaps a few more will be discussed in the next blog entry. Until then, have a blessed week.