Jerusalem Day 2 - August 26th 2009

Today was our second day in the Holy City. Our morning started out with retracing some of the steps Christ took on the night before his death. We drove up to the Mount of Olives where we were taught by our tour guide, Mark. We learned exactly where Christ was and went that night. He traveled back and forth across about a mile of land from the time that he was arrested until he was taken to Caiaphas' house to await cruxifiction. Visiting the Mount of Olives was honestly not what I expected at all. We were on the same ground that Christ stood on, and yet today there are not all that many olive trees. So many Jews are buried on the land because it is where Christ is coming to once again. The Garden of Gethsemane was right beneath the Mount of Olives. There is now a church there shaped like a teardrop. It is to commemorate Christ's tears for Jerusalem from that hill. Being where Christ was and reading the passages in Matthew about him crying out for Jerusalem was amazing. We were looking at Jerusalem just as Jesus was all of those years ago. Later we went on and visited Caiaphas's house. It was interesting to see all of the rooms and prison rooms where so many people have been held while awaiting death. When we went into the pit where Jesus was held the night before his cruxifiction, you could almost feel the pressure in the air. We all crowded into the room and listened as Dr. Waddell explained that this was the most reliable choice for the actual place Jesus was before his death. We all stood in the darkness and sang together after having a moment of silence. Being where Jesus was while he was on this earth is my favorite part of this study program so far. Knowing that I am looking at what Christ looked at with his human eyes is truly incredible. Our afternoon was spent visiting David's tomb, the Upper Room, and a few more churches. The sights in Jerusalem are like none I have ever seen. There is so much history here; it's unbelievable....