March 16, 2013 Sat Day 11

                                       Our last day in Israel.  The Sabbath or Shabbat:  Day of rest.

Shabbat is a festive day when Jews exercise their freedom from the regular labors of everyday life. It offers an opportunity to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and to spend time with family.

Shabbat:   Elevator/Lift – It is forbidden to press electrical switches and so calling and selecting a floor in a regular elevator is impossible. The solution is an elevator that travels automatically, from floor to floor stopping for a minute or so on each one. It can be a slow process and there is often a line to get in. Each hotel will typically have one or two Shabbat elevators and the rest will operate normally.

It is prohibited to cook fresh food on the Sabbath.  This impacts the menu with some traditional Sabbath foods.  At breakfast you will notice there are no fresh cooked eggs, toast etc.  As a result we had cold boiled eggs and cold egg omelets shaped into muffins.  Still a delicious breakfast with lots of fruit, cereals and veggies. 

Israel Museum.  
1:50 scale model of Jerusalem in the late Second Temple Period.

Herod's temple

These water pipe segments were part of the Roman water system that brought
water from Solomon's pools to Jerusalem.  

The Shrine of the Book 

is the home of several exceptional archaeological finds: the Dead Sea Scrolls and other rare ancient manuscripts. The dome covers a structure which is two-thirds below the ground, and is reflected in a pool of water that surrounds it.  Built in 1965. 

Inside the dome.
  Also on display from the Dead Sea find are the Psalms Scroll, the War Scroll, the Temple Scroll, the Manual of Discipline, and the 10th-century Aleppo Codex, which is not one of the Dead Sea Scrolls but the oldest complete Bible in Hebrew.

The uniquely designed building contains many of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in a cave in the Judean desert by Qumran in 1947.

 Directly beneath the dome is an imposing showcase (shaped like a wooden Torah rod) containing a
 replica of the Great Isaiah Scroll (written c. 100 BC), comprised of 66 chapters on a 7 m (23 ft) long, sewn-together piece of parchment. This find was extremely important, as it is 1,000 years older than the oldest biblical manuscript available before.

Much cuter than the statue. 

No pictures.
Herod's 3 palaces.  The architect is outstanding.
Ceiling fragments, figurative art, bathing rituals, silver and glass tableware, three stone sarcophagi, paintings just to name a few.  Some are copied, some restored.  

Burial in Judah took place mainly in rock-hewn family burial caves, which were used for several generations.  The bodies were laid to rest on benches carved along the walls.  When their flesh had decomposed, the bones and funerary gifts were removed to a repository pit dug in the floor of the room, leaving the benches free for the interment of new bodies.
Late 7th-6th century BC.

Pontius Pilate was the fifth Roman Procurator of Judea, serving in that capacity in 26-36 CE.  Sources describe him as a cruel and unsympathetic ruler who was insensitive to Jewish religious feelings.   According to the New Testament, he was the one who sentenced Jesus to be crucified.  The inscription presented here is the only object from his time that bears his name.  It was found reused in the staircase of the Roman theater of Caesarea, the provincial capital;  it was probably originally set into a temple built in the city in honor of Emperor Tiberius.  

                           
                             We went to a restaurant overlooking shepherd's fields of Bethlehem.
A buffet lunch served beef.  No dairy products, only meat.  Helped myself to a serving of "beef" only to find
                                     out it was beef tongue.  I decided to not eat it this time.
                               I tried it at another restaurant and it was like 'french-kissing a cow'.  

Back on the bus, Luke 22  Passover passage was read.

Room of the Last Supper. The site of the Last Supper is not known and the Gospel accounts provide few clues. It cannot be the present room, which was built in the 12th century. However, it is possible it stands over or near the original site of the Last Supper and/or Pentecost.

The Upper Room

Statue of King David.  David’s death at the end of his 40-year reign is recorded in 1 Kings 2:10: “Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.”
His tomb has not been found. 

We...Walk  
We heard Doron say this to us hundreds of times.  

Busy City of Jerusalem 

All the wiring just above the umbrella caught my eye. 

The Lion's Gate is located on the north-east walls of the old city of Jerusalem. 
On the right side are lions, and on the left side of the gate, are actually leopards. (One version)

 Leopards. 

When Jesus heals the paralytic in John 5:2-9, the Bethesda Pool is described as having five porticoes (a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building).—a puzzling feature suggesting an unusual five-sided pool, which most scholars dismissed as an unhistorical literary creation. Yet when this site was excavated, it revealed a rectangular pool with two basins separated by a wall—thus a five-sided pool—and each side had a portico.
Bethesda means "house of mercy".

This church was built in the 12th century. Don't know the name. 

Quite entertaining to watch the traffic. The huge van trying to get through! 

This is also where we walk. 

Inside busy streets of Old Jerusalem. 

The narrow streets are also hilly.
 The man hauling the cart stacked with sacks..how does he stop??
See the chain under the cart beside his left leg?  

Attached to the chain is a tire.  To stop, he steps on the tire by the looks of it.
Don't think he would step inside, that probably wouldn't end well! 
Picture is not clear, but definitely blog-worthy.

Lower Gate of Damascus where Jesus walked through on his way to Golgotha carrying his cross

Upper and lower gates of Damascus

The  Place of the Skull or Golgotha, located at the site, has eroded badly in the last hundred years, but some maintain they can still see the eye sockets and the nose bridge. Regardless, it is noted that while the Bible locates the crucifixion at the "place of the skull," it never says that it was on a hill, nor that this place bore the resemblance of a skull. It also could be questioned as to if this hill which resembles a skull looked the same 2000 years ago.

Close up of the skull. 

We are standing on Mt. Moriah.  Golgotha.  (Where the buses are standing),  
the Jews were also stoned to death here, and it is where the crowd was yelling "crucify Jesus". 

The site that is today known as the Garden Tomb,
near the Damascus Gate, was unearthed in 1867 

Round stone to seal the tomb would lay here. 

First Century, Hebrew writing In Jesus' Tomb.
 'Alpha & Omega'   Meaning:  'Beginning and End'
 

This is probably where Jesus' body laid. 

A spot for another body on the left. 

Round stone to seal the tomb.

 Judas Tree (pink).  Popularly thought to be the kind of tree on which Judas hanged himself.  

Our group lining up to enter the tomb. 

Service and Communion in a quiet spot in the garden.
"To re-orient ourselves to this place.
That is what this journey was all about". 

"Power Of Love"

After communion, we sang  "Low in the Grave He Laid" (my suggestion)
Good thing there was one other person that knew the song. Thanks Linda, you sing beautifully.
 

1. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior, 
 waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord! 
Refrain:
 Up from the grave he arose; 
 with a mighty triumph o'er his foes; 
 he arose a victor from the dark domain, 
 and he lives forever, with his saints to reign. 
 He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

2. Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior, 
 vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord! 
 (Refrain) 

3. Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior; 
 he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord! 
 (Refrain) 

On our way home, back to the hotel, we gave Doran and Rami thank you cards.
We also sang a song for Doran, written by Ruth.

And he walks with us and he talks with us,
and he shows us which way to go.
And the joy we share as we follow Doron,
goes with us the rest of the day. 

Doron said that was the first time anyone ever wrote a song for him.

Back at the hotel, waiting for dinner.  
"I dare you to try this Maryann!"

That's what Maryann thinks of the $5. bottle of Mount Nebo wine she drank. 

Doron's birthday was the next day, so a cake was ordered from across town. lol

We enjoyed our last supper together at the hotel, and we all said goodbye to Jon, who was flying to England the next morning.  We boarded the bus for the last time, and Neil entertained us with a few Scottish songs.  At the airport, Doron met us to make sure all went well.    

A little more excitement.  Part of Stan's hearing aid broke off in his ear at the airport.
The paramedic to the rescue, got it out and is giving him a lift back. 

A long flight, surrounded by young children and babies who were blessed with strong lungs.
Arrived safely and said goodbye to our fellow travelers.
My sister Henny picked us up at the airport, stopped for coffee at Timmy's and we were on our way home.
Arrived home at 10:30 am.  In the afternoon, our daughter Teresa came over with her family to bring us this gorgeous cake she had made.   

Cards made by our granddaughter Erin. 

We started this trip with a group of strangers, which soon became friends.  We made some great memories together.  A close knit family looking after each other.  We loved to get to know each and everyone of you. Thanks for making this trip a memorable one.  Hope we can keep in touch by email or facebook. 

 We had a lot of highlights on this trip, but Marcel and I both agree that the highlight for us was the Sea of Galilee boat ride and communion, but there were many great outings.  

Thanks to our very experienced driver Rami.  It takes a lot of experience to drive in Israel.  He got us out of some very tight spots.  Nothing was impossible, he conquered all the obstacles on the roads. 

Doron:  Our awesome tour guide.  We never got tired of hearing, "We...Walk"  His knowledge, guidance, patience and endless information amazed us.  We were on overload a few times.  My head couldn't hold more information, so it started filling up the rest of me.  Definitely wasn't the 3 big meals I ate every day!  
Dale and Maryann:  We appreciated your spiritual guidance, and the love you showed for us all. Your prayers and many scripture readings  helped us understand more clearly our destinations.  Like you said, we will celebrate Easter with a different appreciation because of this trip and the memories.   
Your words of  love and peace at the communion services.  “Thank you, and God bless you both!” 
And, Oh yes.  And constantly waiting for me when I was lagging behind taking pictures. 
Dale's journal of our trip at www.holylandtrip.ca

Thanks to all our family and friends who prayed for our safety, journeyed with us through the blog and posted comments.

Above all, we thank God for guiding us safely and for His protection throughout our travels in Israel, Palestine and Jordan.  Even with the unrest and some stressful moments in Palestinian country, and border crossings, we were at peace.  

And as we look back, we will see
How God had been our guide
For it was God who was leading us
And directed us along the path
He was with us all the way
As we walked where Jesus walked
and learned that His love will stay
today and throughout all eternity

Blessing and Love to all of you.
Alida & Marcel