In September we had the unique opportunity to visit Israel and Palestine, the land where Jesus and the Prophets lived thousands of years ago. For us, this was a chance to broaden our understanding of Scripture and get a break from the pressures of ministry and our family. Both sets of our parents stayed with our children for the eight days we were gone. What can we say about our visit? For all of our lives we have studied Scripture without seeing its context with our own eyes. For example, thoughout the Old and New Testament, the Biblical authors speak of "going up" to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is
actually 3,800 feet above the Jordan River valley (1,300 feet below sea level) although it is only ten miles as the crow flies. That means to walk the 10 miles between Jerusalem and Jericho, as the Jewish pilgrims of the Biblical era often did, you must go up nearly 4,000 feet. It was amazing to walk into the Church of the Nativity (see top right), one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, and built over the supposed rocky grotto where Jesus was was born. Most of the "holy sites" of Israel and the West Bank have large and ornate Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches built over them, like the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (built over Jesus' supposed site of cru
cifixion and burial), etc. However, there are some interesting locations which look much as they have for millenia. A good example is the Wailing or Western Wall (see second picture from top), one of the holiest locations for practicing Jews. The Western Wall is a large stone retaining wall that once supported Herod's great temple, one of the ancient marvels of the world, and the temple where Jesus himself once worshiped. According to a placard as you enter the Western Wall compound, the "presence of God hovers above the wall" as it did when the Ark of the Covenant was lodged in Holy of Holies of Solomon's temple (the "first temple" destroyed in 586 BC). It was a moving experience to pray at the Wall and leave our prayers written in wadded up pieces of paper in between the great stones. It was also amazing to ascend onto the Temple Mount, called Mount Moriah by Jews and Muslims where currently the great mosque, the "Dome of the Rock," occupies the central platform. According to Muslims, the Prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven on the Temple Mount, which was considered the holiest site to Muslims until the construction of the massive mosque at Mecca. For both Jews and Muslims, Mount Moriah is where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac. According to the Old Testiment, it is also where David build an altar to the Lord to stay the hand of a destroying angel God had sent to punish David and Israel for its pride. For this reason, David gave the mount to Solomon for the construction of the beautiful first temple, of which nothing remains today. Later, a small temple was rebuilt by the exiles (reco
rded in Ezra-Nehemiah) and then majestically rebuilt by King Herod in the decades before Jesus' birth (we learned that Herod's temple was not officially completed until a few years before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. after a Jewish revolt). The Temple Mount is the most valuable religious real estate in the world, heavily fortified by Israeli soldiers and closely watched by Islamic clerics. For Protestant Christians such as ourselves, some of the most prayerful and spiritual experiences can be found at the sites that are much less "built up" and "heavily defended." At the Garden of Gethsemane (see fourth picture from top), you can still pray before the ancient olive trees which witnessed Jesus' last moments of pleading with his Father to "remove the cup" of his coming suffering. Another powerful experience is the
Garden Tomb and the Rock of Golgotha. Although not recognized by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches (which built the massive Church of the Holy Sepulchre inside the Jerusalem's city walls to mark the place of Jesus' death and resurrection) as the place of Jesus' crucifixion, many biblical scholars today believe that this site is much more likely the place of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Many Christians easily see the "skull" in the hillside (see bottom picture) resembling the Gospel accounts. Not far away, there is a unoccupied tomb resembling that which Joseph of Aramithea interred Jesus' body, complete with a ramp for the large stone that sealed the tomb's entrance (the stone is gone). Inside this small and unassuming tomb you will find a small but ancient cross carved into the wall. It was amazing to take communion in this place where Jesus likely took his last agonizing breath nailed to the cross. We give thanks to God for the opportunity to visit these sites where Jesus and the Prophets walked. We do not regard them as any more "holy" that anywhere else on this earth because Christ has died to make all places and people holy. Nevertheless, our visit has brought our faith and Scripture alive in our minds. We hope that this experience will renew us and encourage us as we teach Haitian leaders about Scripture written in Israel and Palestine so long ago.
In September we had the unique opportunity to visit Israel and Palestine, the land where Jesus and the Prophets lived thousands of years ago. For us, this was a chance to broaden our understanding of Scripture and get a break from the pressures of ministry and our family. Both sets of our parents stayed with our children for the eight days we were gone. What can we say about our visit? For all of our lives we have studied Scripture without seeing its context with our own eyes. For example, thoughout the Old and New Testament, the Biblical authors speak of "going up" to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is 
actually 3,800 feet above the Jordan River valley (1,300 feet below sea level) although it is only ten miles as the crow flies. That means to walk the 10 miles between Jerusalem and Jericho, as the Jewish pilgrims of the Biblical era often did, you must go up nearly 4,000 feet. It was amazing to walk into the Church of the Nativity (see top right), one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, and built over the supposed rocky grotto where Jesus was was born. Most of the "holy sites" of Israel and the West Bank have large and ornate Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches built over them, like the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (built over Jesus' supposed site of cru
cifixion and burial), etc. However, there are some interesting locations which look much as they have for millenia. A good example is the Wailing or Western Wall (see second picture from top), one of the holiest locations for practicing Jews. The Western Wall is a large stone retaining wall that once supported Herod's great temple, one of the ancient marvels of the world, and the temple where Jesus himself once worshiped. According to a placard as you enter the Western Wall compound, the "presence of God hovers above the wall" as it did when the Ark of the Covenant was lodged in Holy of Holies of Solomon's temple (the "first temple" destroyed in 586 BC). It was a moving experience to pray at the Wall and leave our prayers written in wadded up pieces of paper in between the great stones. It was also amazing to ascend onto the Temple Mount, called Mount Moriah by Jews and Muslims where currently the great mosque, the "Dome of the Rock," occupies the central platform. According to Muslims, the Prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven on the Temple Mount, which was considered the holiest site to Muslims until the construction of the massive mosque at Mecca. For both Jews and Muslims, Mount Moriah is where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac. According to the Old Testiment, it is also where David build an altar to the Lord to stay the hand of a destroying angel God had sent to punish David and Israel for its pride. For this reason, David gave the mount to Solomon for the construction of the beautiful first temple, of which nothing remains today. Later, a small temple was rebuilt by the exiles (reco
rded in Ezra-Nehemiah) and then majestically rebuilt by King Herod in the decades before Jesus' birth (we learned that Herod's temple was not officially completed until a few years before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. after a Jewish revolt). The Temple Mount is the most valuable religious real estate in the world, heavily fortified by Israeli soldiers and closely watched by Islamic clerics. For Protestant Christians such as ourselves, some of the most prayerful and spiritual experiences can be found at the sites that are much less "built up" and "heavily defended." At the Garden of Gethsemane (see fourth picture from top), you can still pray before the ancient olive trees which witnessed Jesus' last moments of pleading with his Father to "remove the cup" of his coming suffering. Another powerful experience is the 
Garden Tomb and the Rock of Golgotha. Although not recognized by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches (which built the massive Church of the Holy Sepulchre inside the Jerusalem's city walls to mark the place of Jesus' death and resurrection) as the place of Jesus' crucifixion, many biblical scholars today believe that this site is much more likely the place of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Many Christians easily see the "skull" in the hillside (see bottom picture) resembling the Gospel accounts. Not far away, there is a unoccupied tomb resembling that which Joseph of Aramithea interred Jesus' body, complete with a ramp for the large stone that sealed the tomb's entrance (the stone is gone). Inside this small and unassuming tomb you will find a small but ancient cross carved into the wall. It was amazing to take communion in this place where Jesus likely took his last agonizing breath nailed to the cross. We give thanks to God for the opportunity to visit these sites where Jesus and the Prophets walked. We do not regard them as any more "holy" that anywhere else on this earth because Christ has died to make all places and people holy. Nevertheless, our visit has brought our faith and Scripture alive in our minds. We hope that this experience will renew us and encourage us as we teach Haitian leaders about Scripture written in Israel and Palestine so long ago.
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