Exploration of the Old City

Oh what a difference of good night of sleep makes! This morning we woke up to a beautiful day in the Old City of Jerusalem. We are staying in a charming “old world” style hotel called the Gloria. It is located just inside the Jaffa Gate.

 

Our Jerusalem University Campus is just a short walk down the street. After a brief orientation and a tour of the campus, our Western Seminary Professor Carl Laney began to instruct us on the geography of the surrounding land and the history of the Old City. It’s amazing to finally study something on paper that will become a 3D experience in just a matter of hours.

We spent our first full afternoon exploring around the city of Jerusalem. It’s surreal to be here and to finally experience the sights and smells of the land where so much of the biblical history played out. While the name Jerusalem means “peace” indeed, it is a place of great division. There are four quarters of the city each marked by a passionate religious affiliation: the Christian Quarter, Muslim Quarter, Jewish Quarter and Armenian Quarter. As we walked between these distinct areas, I couldn’t help but feel that I was back at Disney’s Epcot Center wandering through the various “small worlds”. The Muslim quarter is frenetic with narrow alleys filled with pushing crowds and agressive merchants. The Jewish Quarter is peaceful and orderly with families walking together through the wider streets and enjoying pizza and ice cream near the central square. It’s interesting to observe how a particular religious world view affects the daily experience of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most profound, was our visit to the Western Wailing wall. The men and women are separated for this time of prayer and worship. The Jews view this as the most holy site on the planet and it was deeply moving to kneel before the wall and worship the Lord Jesus. I was surrounded by Jewish women who were praying in their native language and crying out to God. As I knelt before the wall I was compelled to praise God for His Son, my Savior Whom I know personally and in Whom I experience salvation. The experience brought me to tears and I felt the yearning and pain of the other women who were begging for their savior to come. I praised God for the blessing of knowing Him and I prayed for those who were around me to meet Him personally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was especially touched by the reverence that the women displayed for this Holy site even as they walked backward away from the wall in an attempt not to turn their backs on God. Once again I was struck by the foolishness of our culture in our relentless pursuit to remake God into our own image. We have much to learn from the Jews and the Muslims about holiness and reverence. They also have much to learn from us about the personal love and compassion of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.