Jerusalem: the Chosen City

I really wasn’t sure what to expect with Jerusalem; I’ve heard so many different things about it, which really isn’t surprising, as it has an extremely dualistic culture and atmosphere, which definitely sets a sense of tension immediately upon arrival, particularly for those who are sensitive to the spiritual. But let me tell you, Jerusalem is incredible and is unlike anywhere I have ever been to before. It was a great place to study the books of Kings I and II, and to read the Old Testament books of the same era, as well as the writings of John, the apostle.

The four quarters of the Old City right up against the modern, urban streets, says so much about Jerusalem, I think, full of history—a focal point of spiritual history for so many people, and still so full of prophesy and promise.

There was so much for me, as Jerusalem is such a significant city, Biblically, and it is hard to cover it all, so I will briefly go over what we did and what particularly stuck out to me.

During my time in Jerusalem, I had the chance to see and pray at the Wailing Wall (Western Wall), walk beneath the foundations of what once was the Jewish Temple, treading through the tunnel of King Hezekiah. I was able to walk on the steps of the Temple, and to see the traditional site of the Upper Room (don’t think it was the one, but cool to see, regardless). I visited both of the most accepted locations of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem, the Synagogue of Capernaum, where Jesus once preached, and the Sea of Galilee, which we actually had a lovely boat tour on. I also ate a lot of falafel and baklava, and I had a ton of fun with the incredible group of people that I’m traveling with.

On the first day, I went to the wailing wall, sort of by accident actually—I stumbled upon it while walking through the markets of Old City. I walked up to it, hearing the weeping of many around me, and was suddenly hit so hard by the spiritual weight of the place, and I really felt the Lord’s heart for the Jewish people in a way that I never have before. Looking at all of their prayers, written down, stuffed into the crevices of the wall, really touched me. It was on my mind and my heart for the rest of the day, which was actually really difficult, with all of the pain in Jewish history, but it gave me a better perspective, I think, for the rest of my time in Jerusalem.

The tunnel of Hezekiah was so incredible, and I learned that I had overcome my claustrophobia and just hadn’t even realized it. seeing something so purely historical—not rebuilt in any way, and having the chance to walk through the water, in the dark like that, just made the entire story of Hezekiah so real (if you don’t know it, look it up.) I was able to see the very oldest parts of the Western Wall, underground, and the hundreds of little scraps of paper with prayers written on them, even there. Seeing the remnants of the City of David and getting the rundown of what the boundaries of it were, gave me so much context and greater understanding of the Old Testament and the time of the Kings of Israel. I was also better able to map out the gospels and the ministry of Jesus; where he and his disciples walked within the city.

The Garden Tomb, which was located within about five minutes, walking distance, of our hostel, was possibly my favorite place. It actually has a fair amount of evidence pointing to it as the real site of the crucifixion of Christ at Golgotha and the place of his burial in the garden nearby. However, whether it is the real place or not, it is an amazing environment, spiritually; beautiful and serene in a way that is extremely rare. And it is a place that reminds me of the true weight and reality of the gospel—how incredible it is that during the days in which this man was in a tomb, such as this one, in this city, the entirety of the universe, as we knew it and as we could never know it, was completely and eternally changed. And in that moment that he opened his eyes, victorious, I think a peace was released into the earth and into the heavenly realm, unlike any other. Then he folded his burial garments, set them aside, and walked out. I went to the garden three times to feel that peace, which can be felt there, as it is a place dedicated to the celebration of it. Twice I read John 20, which is my favorite account of the resurrection of Jesus and his appearance to Mary Magdalene and the other disciples.

The view of the city from the Mount of Olives was gorgeous, and the Garden of Gethsemane was so quiet, with a silence louder than words. The church there is one I have wanted to see for a while, and it is literally the most beautiful church I have ever seen, despite not being the largest or grandest. It is in a place to commemorate Jesus’ last night of prayer in the Garden, crying out to the father, before he was arrested. The place is dark, with thick, purple windows that provide little light from outside. The entirety of the ceiling is covered in mosaic images of Olive Trees and the Night Sky, and it dips into columns throughout the room. It was a beautiful place to worship both the humanity and divinity of Christ.

Seeing Capernaum was a highlight for a lot of us. The white stones of the synagogue, from the second century A.D., were built over dark rocks, which were from the original synagogue where Jesus spoke. Walking through it, reading John 6, was surreal, and I could imagine, so clearly, walking by and hearing a new voice emanating from the synagogue—a gentle one, full of authority, then walking in and joining a crowd, standing around a man, who sits and speaks about the bread of life. After that, I walked down to the shore of the Sea of Galilee and read John 21, which is one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible, and I imagined the Son of God eating breakfast with his young disciples and turning to Peter to ask, “Do you love me?” The boat tour was so great, floating over the famous waters and pondering the concept of the faith to walk on water.

Throughout my time in Israel, I was really better able to grasp who God is and what it means to live in the Spirit. So many of the scriptures became so much more real to me. I continue to draw so much out of all that we are studying, and I continue to marvel each day at the reality of what I’m doing and how incredible this world is.

We arrived in Istanbul, today, and will be spending a total of twelve days in Turkey, which I am looking forward to living out and writing about.

Thank you for reading!

--Emily Kathey

#travel #israel #bible #spiritual #word #living