Saturday Events

Saturday was full! We got an early start and "ran" where Jesus walked. When entered Jericho Gate and walked through the Old City. The primary path we followed was the stations of the cross that were established by the Crusaders. It was not the exact path that Jesus followed because the stations of the cross is an European creation. It as a fast and furious trip and it was exhausting to hear later about all the things that we did.

Some of the highlights for me include quite possibly seeing where Jesus body was laid. It is hard to pinpoint some of these sites because of a couple of things. One, the city was burned. I know it is hard to believe that a city of stone could be burned, but it is possible. The stone that was used is limestone which holds water. If the stone gets hot enough it would explode. So, the Roman army collected wood from all around the area, and set it on fire. The results were the heat of the fires did create enough heat to destroy the city. The location was not well kept until a couple hundred years later, so debris piled up and now people depend upon tradition and other sources to take an educated guess. Nevertheless there is something powerful about what has happened and what is happening as we speak.

Ok, back to highlights. I also touched the traditional spot in where the cross was placed into the hill. I didn't get to spend much time there because of the crowds of people who were gathering around and they too were attempting to see the same locations.

The Old City itself felt like walking around in tunnels and caves. Most everything is surrounded with stone including the ceilings. It is also dark because of the lack of sunlight. As we traveled around the city our guide (a formal army officer who was personally involved in the opening the city during the war) talked about his experience. It puts a very current human touch to the life of the city.

Overall the trip is going very fast and we are covering lots of material. It will take time to process everything.

Be well