Today was a walking day, through the Old City. We spent the morning by the Western (wailing) Wall. We were allowed to walk right up to the wall with the rest of the Jewish community. It was neat being able to touch something that so many other people have touched and that has such a history. Another major stop of the morning was the Temple Mount. We were not allowed to go into the Dome of the Rock because we are not Muslim. But we were allowed to walk up to it and take pictures and everything. Mark gave us a speech about Islam and its background and everything. We reviewed the five pillars of Islam as well as its origin and importance. We also saw the Eastern Gate of the city. This was the gate that was closed up by the Muslims so that the Messiah could not come through.
Then we had a change in plans. We were supposed to go on a tour through the Western Wall tunnels (build by Herod) this evening. But instead our appointment got moved up and we did that tour this morning. It was really cool to walk through all of the tunnels that went directly under the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock. It is crazy to imagine that so many years ago there were people that used those streets and rooms on a daily basis. The tunnels were probably the highlight of the day in my opinion. The stones in the tunnels and on the outer side of the wall are absolutely amazing. The smallest ones still weigh over 2 tons!
After a lunch of falafel, we had one more stop. We went to the synagogue where Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers and threw them out. (Matthew 21:12) I loved sitting on the stairs leading up to the temple and knowing that Jesus feet had hit those exact stones so many years before. The entire day was full of sites and experiences I have only imagined I would ever see. Reading the Bible is like a whole new world to me now, having seen all of the places that are talked about. The Temple Mount is a truly sensational place on earth.
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