We began our day by gathering on the Mount of Olives. The view beyond our group is of the Temple Mount from the East. This “mount" is where Jesus wept over Jerusalem during his passion week (Luke 19:41-44) and where he prophesied regarding his Second Coming and the falling of the temple (Matthew 24-25).
The Garden of Gethsemane is famous for the prayer of Jesus the night before his crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-46) while the disciples slept. The trees pictured may not be the actual trees Jesus prayed beside; however, this was the location and many of them have roots dating back well over 2000 years.
Two words - “Yad Vashem.” This phrase literally means “a memorial and a name.” A visit to the Holocaust Museum of Jerusalem is nothing short of breathtaking and life-changing. The picture shown is of the “Hall of Names.” The pictures are of actual victims and the books on the shelves list all 6.5 million victims.
A trip to the Holy Land is not complete without seeing Bethlehem, the sight of Jesus’ birth. Though the city is much different today than 2,000 years ago the group gathered in an ancient cave representative of one Mary and Joseph might have utilized. The reading of Luke 2:8-20, the Christmas story, seemed most appropriate.