HOLY WEEK IN JERUSALEM

Hello, my fellow pilgrims! I am most excited to share day 6 of our Holy Land pilgrimage with you as we commemorate these sacred days leading to Jesus’ death and resurrection, which are the foundation of our Christian faith. I continue to pray the places and scriptures come alive so you personally experience the fifth gospel. Try to take a few minutes to pause, think about, and answer the reflection questions you will find along the way. Enjoy the specialness of this week, my dear reader~

 

We journey to Jerusalem today as we walk in Jesus’ footsteps of His Passion and death. You can see a view of the city of Jerusalem Jesus saw as he approached the city on the first Palm Sunday. We have a quick stop at the chapel called Dominus Flevit, which means “The Lord Wept” located on the Mount of Olives. The Lord wept over Jerusalem because it failed to recognize the peace that comes from knowing who Jesus was. It was blinded in knowing that God was present with them through the person of Jesus.

 

Jerusalem

 

Dominus Flevit on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem

 

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” –Luke 19:41-44 (NIV)

Reflection: Have you wept for those you know who do not know the peace Christ gives us? Was there a time in your life you failed to recognize God’s presence?

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We travel next to the place believed to have been in the area of the Upper Room where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples on Holy Thursday. This is located in the oldest part of Jerusalem, known as the City of David or the City of Zion. It is also the location where the first Christian community gathered after Pentecost.

I find the passages of Holy Thursday particularly meaningful because of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet and celebrating the Eucharist with them. Jesus, King of the Jews, was a true humble servant in showing us that we are all equals. None of us should live thinking we are better than others. Take special note of the last sentence in the following Scripture. Jesus tells His disciples and us how we need to put our knowledge and love into action. We are to follow Jesus’ examples.

 

Golden Olive Tree in The Upper Room at The Last Supper Cenacle

 

The Upper Room

 

So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” –John 13:4-5, 12-17 (NLT)

Reflection: Do you live the humble life of a servant knowing you are equal with all of God’s children? Are you challenged to put into action your knowledge of Christ’s examples of being a disciple?

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We are on the road again! We have arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane, one place I was definitely excited to see in person. I failed to think that there would be a fence around the actual garden so we could not walk through it.  Next to the garden is a church that contains the rock where Jesus cried out to God in the following Scripture. It was a sacred moment to be praying at the rock where Jesus agonized in prayer.

We were fortunate on our pilgrimage to find freshly cut olive branches on the side of a building that we were able to take home with us. It was interesting to gaze upon these massive olive trees and to think of the parallels to what Jesus was going to endure in the next few days. Just as olives are picked, crushed, and pressed in order to make oil, Jesus was going to experience those same things in His life to set us free from our sins!

 

The Garden of Gethsemane

 

Olive trees

 

Overlooking the Garden of Gethsemane holding an olive branch

 

The rock where Jesus wept in the Garden of Gethsemane

 

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” –Mark 14:32-36 (NIV)

Reflection: When you are walking through the overwhelming times in life, do you share your feelings and pain in honesty with God? Eventually, are you able to say, “God, not what I will, but what you will be done?”

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Our next destination is The Church of Saint Peter in Gallincantu (a Latin word meaning cock’s-crow) on Mount Zion. It commemorates the place where Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, his repentance, and reconciliation with Jesus.

 

 

Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.” But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” “Man, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.” Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. –Luke 22:54-62 (NIV)

Reflection: In what ways do you deny knowing Jesus in your life? Do you see Jesus looking at you and seeing the forgiveness in His eyes, knowing His love is unconditional?

 

This spot is also believed to be where the High Priest Caiaphas’ palace was located. It was a special experience to be sitting alone, in solitude, in the dungeon that is believed to be the cell where Jesus was detained the night of his arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane. We read Psalm 88, which very well could be thoughts Jesus was thinking. It is the only Psalm that does not leave you encouraged by the end of it. If you have a few extra moments, feel free to read the Psalm. As I was thinking of Jesus sitting in the dungeon, I imagined Him saying this to me.

The Dark Night

Stone cold
No food
All alone in the dark dungeon
Enduring separation
Beatings to set you free!

Yes, I endured for you, my friend
I love you this much.

Solitude–loneliness
Separation
Doing the will of my Father
I was tortured to set you free.

Release your fear and anxiety
I came to set you free–
Free from sin and bondage
I took your sins upon me
So you don’t have to.

Peace, I have come to bring you
Peace no matter what happens in your life.

 

Hole in the ceiling where they would have lowered Jesus into the dungeon

 

The small dungeon space where Jesus was detained overnight

 

From Scripture, we know Jesus was then handed over to the Roman governor Pilate. Jesus, an innocent man, endured an agonizing Roman crucifixion. He was first bound and then took on His body 121 lashings. Seeing the place where Jesus suffered this torture and the items used was difficult to think about.

 

Where Jesus was bound and whipped

 

Side view of the area

 

The crown of thorns

 

Whips used in the Roman beatings

 

Nails used in the Roman crucifixion

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Our final stop today is at the Holy Sepulchre, the church that contains the two holiest sites in Christianity. One is Golgotha, also called Calvary, where Jesus was crucified and the other is the tomb where He was buried and resurrected. It was a little harder to visualize what the places were like when Jesus was there as they are located inside. It was powerful nonetheless.

 

The entrance of the Holy Sepulchre

 

At Calvary, you can kneel down and put your arm in the hole where Jesus’ cross was. Next to it, you see the Rock of Calvary. I had the honor of proclaiming Scripture in the Golgotha Chapel right near the site.

 

Touching the place where Jesus’ cross was

 

The hole where Jesus’ cross was at Calvary

 

The Rock of Calvary

Proclaiming Scripture at Golgotha Chapel

 

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. –John 19:17-18 (NIV)

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. –John 19:30 (NIV)

 

There are two little rooms where Jesus’ tomb is. The first is called the Angel’s Stone, which encases a piece of the stone that sealed Jesus’ tomb. The second room contains Jesus’ tomb. What a privilege it was to be able to touch Jesus’ tomb.

 

The outside of Jesus’ tomb area

 

 Angel’s stone

 

In honor of Jesus’ tomb

 

Touching Jesus’ tomb

 

Right inside the entrance of the Holy Sepulchre, there is the Stone of Anointing which has a lovely scent of roses. This is the place where Jesus’ body was laid after being removed from the crucifix and prepared for burial. It is also the spot where Mary, Jesus’ mother, and John, Jesus’ disciple charged with taking care of Mary, would have been standing watching Jesus take His last breath.

 

The Stone of Anointing

 

Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. –John 19:40-42 (NIV)

 

In researching and reading more books about the Holy Land while penning this pilgrimage, I see it did not occur to me while at the Holy Sepulchre the significance of standing in the place where Jesus rose from the dead, where He was resurrected! Wow! I was at the spot where the centrality of our faith occurred! What gratitude fills my heart.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. –John 20:11-18 (NIV)

Reflection: How do you share in carrying Jesus’ cross? In what ways do you see the Risen Christ daily in your life?

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As you reflect on our pilgrimage stops this week, be encouraged to remember to…

…seek the things in life that bring peace to your spirit.

…put Christ’s servant examples into action.

…say, “Let your will be done, God.”

…experience God’s unconditional love for you.

…let the Risen Christ shine in your life.

 

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”  –1 Peter 2:24  (NIV)

Have a blessed Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!