Journey to Jerusalem

Exactly five weeks ago today, I was in Jerusalem.  I'll share why I was in Israel next time. In this post, I want to share pictures and some thoughts on Holy Week after actually being there. 

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. We went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (a possible and even probable site of Christ's crucifixion and burial). The tomb is still empty. Christ is risen!

Church of the Holy Sepulcher - He is not here; He is risen! 

Since Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys, you always travel *up* to Jerusalem, but that doesn't mean Jerusalem is the highest point. The Mount of Olives is actually higher, which means as Jesus approached Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives on Palm Sunday and wept over the city (Luke 19:41) he was looking down across the Kidron valley and could see the whole city in front of him. Jesus didn't cry over buildings and walls, but over the people in the city who had rejected him.  It's about people.

Mount of Olives - Overlooking Jerusalem

Jerusalem in Jesus' time really wasn't that big. You can walk from one section to another in a matter of minutes. All of the events from the Last Supper to Gethsemane to the high priest's house to Pilate's Praetorium to Golgotha happened in a relatively small area.

Close Proximity  
Gray Dome (Left) - Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Gold Dome (Right) - Temple Mount 

My faith is based purely on God's Word, and I don't need archeology to prove the validity of God's Word for me. Yet being on site and seeing archeological discoveries helped me visualize, understand and appreciate God's Word even more.

Wishing you a joyous Easter celebration. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. He is risen indeed!