Day 8
A popular spot for pilgrims and natives to visit is the Wailing Wall or
Western Wall. This is one of the
sections that still remain from the days of Jesus. This is a holy spot where many people come to
pray. Here men and women pray separately
and men have to cover their hair/head. A
lot of people leave written prayer requests in the eroded cracks within the
walls. The Wailing Wall was a key stop
for my journey. I was actually able to
visit the wall and pray twice on this day.
For those who sent me prayer requests, this is where I prayed and left
the petitions. In additional to the
Wailing Wall we continued touring different parts of the Temple complex. Underneath the complex is an elaborate tunnel
system with ongoing excavations where archeologists continue to make new
discoveries of life in ancient times. We
walked the tunnel towards another section of the Western Wall where we came
across the biggest rock on the Temple complex weighing over 500 tons! It boggles my mind to think how the laborers
moved such a rock without the power and hydraulics systems of modern
times. We then walked out the tunnel to
the traditional path of the Via Dolorosa, the trail Jesus walked holding the
cross on his way to Calvary to be crucified.
From here we walked towards one of the two suggested locations of
Golgotha (Calvary), where Jesus was crucified and buried. The Church of the
Holy Sepulcher sits on top of the 1st traditional location of
Golgotha. [Interesting Fact: Six churches hold claims to the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher: Catholic, Coptic, Armenian,
Ethiopian, and a few Orthodox.] Near the temple complex we came across ruins of
a few homes that may have been the homes of religious and political leader such
as Caiaphas. At our last stop we visited
a second traditional location of Golgotha.
A hill that fits the description of Golgotha in the Bible and a large tomb
cut into the rocks are located on this hill.
(Matthew 27:32-37) Could it be
the place where Jesus was buried? Possibly, but it doesn’t really matter,
because HE IS RISEN!
Español
Un lugar popular para los peregrinos y los nativos para visitar es el Muro de las Lamentaciones. Esta es una de las secciones que todavía quedan de la época de Jesús. Este es un lugar sagrado donde mucha gente viene a rezar. Aquí los hombres y las mujeres oren por separado y los hombres tienen que cubrirse el pelo / cabeza. Mucha gente deja las peticiones de oración por escrito en las grietas erosionadas dentro de las paredes. El Muro de las Lamentaciones fue una parada importante para mi viaje. Yo visitar el muro y orar dos veces en el día de hoy. Para aquellos que me envió peticiones de oración, aquí es donde yo oré y dejé las peticiones. En adicional al Muro de las Lamentaciones, continuamos recorriendo las diferentes partes del complejo del templo. Debajo del complejo es un sistema elaborado de túneles con las excavaciones en curso en donde los arqueólogos siguen haciendo nuevos descubrimientos de la vida en los tiempos antiguos. Caminamos por el túnel hacia otra sección del Muro de los Lamentos, donde nos encontramos con la roca más grande en el complejo del templo de peso de más de 500 toneladas! Se perturba mi mente para pensar cómo los trabajadores se trasladaron una roca tal sin las sistemas de poder y hidráulicos de los tiempos modernos. Luego salimos del túnel a la ruta tradicional de la Vía Dolorosa, el camino de Jesús caminaba sosteniendo la cruz en su camino al Calvario para ser crucificado. Desde aquí caminamos hacia una de las dos ubicaciones sugeridas del Gólgota (Calvario), donde Jesús fue crucificado y enterrado. La Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro se encuentra en la parte superior de la primera ubicación tradicional del Gólgota. [Dato curioso: Seis iglesias tienen pretensiones de la Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro:. Católica, copta, armenia, etíope, y algunos ortodoxos] Cerca del complejo del templo nos encontramos con las ruinas de algunas casas que pueden haber sido las casas de lídered religiosos y político, como Caifás. En nuestra última parada nos fuimos a un segundo lugar tradicional del Gólgota. Una colina que se ajuste a la descripción del Gólgota en la Biblia y un gran sepulcro excavado en la roca se encuentran en esta colina. (Mateo 27:32-37) ¿Podría ser el lugar donde fue enterrado Jesús? Es posible, pero en realidad, no importa, porque HA RESUCITADO!
Jeremiah 3:17
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
Matthew 27:33-35
And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.”
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| Wailing Wall (Western Wall) |
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| Inside the tunnel System underneath the Temple Mount. |
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| Inside the tunnel System underneath the Temple Mount. |
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| Western Wall from inside the Temple Tunnel System |
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| Western Wall. Location where many people pray. |
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| Western Wall. Location where many people pray. |
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| Via Dolorosa |
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| Walking the Via Dolorosa |
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| Church of Holy Sepulcre. Popular site for Catholic and Orthodox Christians. | |
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| Church of Holy Sepulcre. One of the traditional locations of Golgotha. |
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| Possible location of Caiaphas' house. Possible location of where the Sanhedrin met. |
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| Splitting up to pray at the Wailing Wall |
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| About to pray at the Wailing Wall. |
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| Another Traditional location of Golgotha. |
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| Communion and Testimonies at Golgotha. |
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| Possible location of the Jesus' tomb. |
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| View of modern day Jerusalem from the hotel room |
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