Garden Tomb and Bethesda

Interestingly, our room number at the Jerusalem Gardens Hotel was 711.  We like the number 7.  Then we moved to the 7 Kook Hotel (Seriously!) and the code to get in was 0711 so Anita began to look in into the Word and Psalm 71: 1 brought us to a very beautiful chapter that we've been enjoying.  The rental car password code ended in 711 as well.  Think God might be trying to say something.

And now our internet access code is 777.  Unfortunately it is working less than perfectly...

Today we moved up into the Old City, into the Christ Church Guesthouse.  The history here is amazing and basically we're sitting right on top of where King Herod's Palace was.  After enjoying hot drinks on the lovely little patio we went into the Museum and heard the most amazing talk on the history of the Old City with small models showing us where everything was and where the possible places of Jesus' death and burial were.

There are just so many layers of history under any place you walk around here.  In fact, there was a water cistern under the very room we were in that goes down about 75 feet.  A piece of glass covers it and it is lit up so that you can see right to the bottom.  I loved this little personal time of teaching with visual aids and it was somehow redeeming, because we weren't able to make it to the Israel Museum which had been on my "wish to do if possible" list.

Then we headed out the Jaffa Gate and went up around the wall to the Arab section of town.  We saw several of the other famous gates on our trip around the old city and there was a distinct cultural change as well.  Arabic signs, Moslem garb, and different sorts of stalls selling stuff.  We bumped along the cobble stones and found ourselves in the Garden Tomb.  It's a peaceful spot and there is the "possible" rock formation that could be Golgotha where Jesus was crucified.  The spot was very peaceful and the Tomb area was easily visible for me - I was happy enough not to have to venture down stairs to try to get a close up look.  Somehow it's enough for me to know I am in the general area where these amazing events occurred.

Hannah has been an incredible gift to us here and she took us around the rest of the city wall, pushing me tirelessly to another gate where we entered and found the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the man who had been infirm for many years and was laying and waiting for the waters to be stirred so he could get in.  The pools and other archaeological spots were quite far down and again I couldn't physically get down there but I was happy enough to have seen the area.

Then Hannah led us through the Arab part of the old city, up and down narrow lanes lit up by the setting sun, the rocks glowing warmly while people pressed alongside and around us.  There were passages leading off in a multitude of directions and sellers of wares in the many small stalls along the way.  There were so many sorts of foods and breads, candies, clothing, souvenirs, camel leather purses, scarves and clothing... it was endless.  We went on and on and on and I was once again mesmerized by the atmosphere and vibrant life that was filling every square inch of this place.  This has been going on here for centuries, in between wars and clashes and kingdoms that crash and rise again.

We finished with another fresh squeezed pomegranate juice and settled into our stone room in the Christ Church compound.  Anita has hit the hay early (7:30 pm) so I've got time to spare but unfortunately the internet is a little slow.