I am writing to you on a beautiful sunny afternoon in Jerusalem. Dad is asleep in his bed, snoozing away and although I am tempted to do the same, I want to make sure that I get this post published before I forget all the things we've done in the past 48 hours!
Yesterday, we went to the "Stations of the Cross" which included The Mount of Olives, The Garden of Gethsemane, Via Dolorosa, and the location of Jesus' eventual crucifixion and death. Essentially, we walked the same route Jesus walked before His crucifixion and had a chance to look at the places where He was nailed to the cross, crucified, and buried. Similar to my experience in Bethlehem looking at the place Jesus was born, I knew it would look very different from the way it looked thousands of years ago. However, I tried to ignore the distractions of present day Jerusalem and enter a state of reflection, focusing on Jesus' last moments before His death.
We started at the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is mentioned many times in the Bible- in both the Old and New Testament. In the days leading up to His death, Jesus went up to the Mount of Olives three times. Firstly, to answer questions from His disciples about the future and to give them warning about false prophets. Secondly, when he triumphantly entered the area of Bethpage and Bethany (on the east side of the Mount of Olives) to crowds rejoicing in all the miracles they had seen (this is also when looked at Jerusalem across from Him and wept over it). Finally, just hours before His death, He prayed with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane (located on the western slope of the Mount of Olives). The Mount of Olives is located across the Kidron valley, providing a beautiful view of the city of Jerusalem. This is where we started before we began walking to the different stations of the cross.
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| Overlooking Jerusalem from the top of The Mount of Olives |
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On our way down to the Garden of Gethsemane.  |
After walking down the hill, we eventually made it to the Garden of Gethsemane. This was by far the most powerful "station" as it looks the most similar to what it would've looked like during Jesus' time. Obviously, there weren't stone paths or gates around the Garden 2,000 years ago, but the vegetation itself is the same. In fact, the olive trees themselves are thousands of years old. Scientists conducted research which proved that some of the olive trees in the garden were over 2,000 years old. As a result, they have been named the "silent witnesses" to Jesus' arrest the night he was betrayed. Whether or not all historians believe Jesus was the Son of God, they DO agree that the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of a man named Jesus who claimed to be Christ was a historical event that occurred in this area and in these places (to an extent). This fact alone makes it incredible to be standing where it all happened. Obviously, these places mean much more to me as a Christian because I believe these events led to a resurrection. However, it is satisfying to simply see these places that still exist today, knowing that these events in Jesus' life were not a made up story, but were historically proven to have happened.
In the Garden of Gethsemane (Gethsemane literally meaning the place where oil is pressed), Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow and prayed three times, asking that the cup of suffering would be taken from Him. Nevertheless, he prayed, "Not my will, but thy will be done". His disciples could not stay awake while He prayed. After waking them up, while still speaking to them, His betrayer (Judas Iscariot) came with the chief priests and the elders of the people and arrested Him.
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| An olive tree that is over 2,000 years old, still sprouting new branches |
Although we had now entered the bustling, touristy old city, I tried to ignore the shop sellers and the constant noise and imagine what it was like to be there the night Jesus was crucified. We began walking down Via Dolorosa, the famous street He walked while carrying His cross. Certain places such as the place where Jesus fell for the first time, the place where Simon of Cyrene was forced by the Romans to carry the cross, and the spot where Jesus saw his mother, Mary in the crowd of onlookers. Some of these particular moments are mentioned in the Bible (although not their exact whereabouts), others are not. However, I don't think it's necessarily important that everything happened exactly where tradition (and now guide books) say so. Did Jesus really see His mother in that exact spot? I don't know. Did he really fall right there on that particular stone? I don't know. But I don't believe these details are what are important. Instead, they simply allow one to paint a picture of what that night was like beyond the main events.
Walking down Via Dolorosa was interesting because a large part of the path lies in the Muslim quarter of the old city. As we were walking down the path, the Muslim Call To Prayer came on the speaker. Not only was it jarring (because it is so loud), but it also highlights the differences that have occurred in the past 2,000 years. We walked down Via Dolorosa once during the day but we also walked it during the evening. Both times were very different. During the day, we were able to experience the noise and the crowd that Jesus would have faced as He walked through. At night, however, I was able to enter a much more relaxed, almost meditative state allowing for greater reflection due to the silence and abandoned street.
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| A portion of Via Dolorosa mid-day |
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| Via Dolorosa in the evening |
Down the Vía Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary
He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death
Down the Vía Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of
His love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
Our final destination was the Church Of The Holy Sepulchre (I still can't pronounce it correctly). This place has been identified as the place of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified at Golgotha "the place of the skull" which has been identified as an area of stone quarries that was located out of the city walls at that time. About ten years after the crucifixion, a third wall was built that enclosed this area within the city (which explains why the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is inside the city walls of Jerusalem today). It was packed with people and since different churches (Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox etc.) have control over the different sites, they were each decorated according to the denomination's preferences. We were able to touch the bedrock where the cross was supposedly placed as well as the tomb that was discovered that is said to have belonged to Jesus. Dad and I don't know if these sites are really the exact places where all of these important events occurred, but the Church Of The Holy Sepulchre has been a pilgrimage site for Christians all over the world for over a thousand years. Lots of people were burning incense, kissing the stone, taking relics home for family members, but I was actually quite unemotional. In fact, I was annoyed again with all the people around me taking pictures. Again, I think it's less important to touch physical objects that may or may not have been touched by Jesus, and instead, use the experience as a chance to walk in the steps of Jesus if only for a brief period of time on the streets, and in the city where it happened. As a Christian, believing that Jesus was the Son of God sometimes makes it difficult to imagine him as a human. However, walking through the stations of the cross and imagining the suffering Jesus experienced not only reminded me of His humanity, but also makes the resurrection so much sweeter and victorious! I think it's great that I got to experience this during the season of Lent: a time of mourning and reflection. I can't wait to celebrate Easter when I get home!!!
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| Mosaic art above the place where Jesus was said to have been nailed to the cross (Roman Catholic Style) |
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| An artistic representation of where the cross stood (Russian Orthodox Style) |
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| I can't get over these people with their ipads |
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| Lutheran Church Of The Redeemer |
Afterwards, Dad and I went to the Citadel of David. Over thousands of years, it has served many different purposes, and now it is a historical museum that explains Jerusalem's very complicated history. We were in there for a few hours and I learned a lot! Afterwards, we went for a coffee and a pastry (let's be honest, I ordered the coffee and the pastries and Dad picked off of my plate like a little bird).
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| Citadel Of David Museum |
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| View from the top of Old Jerusalem |
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| View from the top overlooking New Jerusalem |
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Today, we had another reflective and emotional day as we went to the Holocaust Museum. We were planning on spending an hour or two there and then seeing the Israel Museum. However, the museum was so well done and so interesting that Dad and I spent four hours inside! I have always been fascinated by WWII and the Holocaust, specifically. I have read a lot on such events and been to many museums that discuss them, but this museum was particularly amazing. The museum's aim is to honor the victims of the Holocaust (one of its ongoing projects is to find the names of all 6 million Jewish victims and honor them at the memorial as most of the did not have a proper burial). In addition to the many exhibits documenting the history of WWII and how such events affected the Jewish population in Europe, there were various monuments including the Hall of Remembrance (where the ashes of the dead are buried and an eternal flame burns in commemoration), The Children's Memorial (commemorating the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered), The Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations (over 2,000 trees were planted in honor of non-Jews who endangered their own lives to rescue Jews from the Nazis) and many more exhibits that allow visitors to learn about the personal stories of victims and survivors.
It is difficult to learn about an event in history that is so heartbreaking and difficult to understand. Throughout my time in the museum, I became very emotional while watching Jewish survivors tel their stories. I also became angry reading about the behavior of the Nazis, informers, bystanders, and the rest of the world during that period of history. I just kept thinking "How could this have happened?", "Where was our humanity?", "How could anyone stand by and watch this unfold?". It certainly caused me to think (and reflect...I've done a lot of reflecting these days) about what role I would've played had I been there. I would like to think I would've done everything in my power to help the people who were suffering, but I'm sure it's easier said than done. However, memorials and museums such as this one are important because they remind us of what humans are capable of (both good and evil) and although it is a painful history to revisit, it is necessary for the prevention of similar events in the future.
“Remember only that I was innocent and, just like you, mortal on that day, I, too, had had a face marked by rage, by pity and joy, quite simply, a human face!”
Benjamin Fondane (Murdered in Auschwitz, 1944 )
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| View from the Museum |
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| The market |
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| Coffee Date With Myself...And Bill Evans. :) |
Love,
Annika
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