Jerusalem - Day 4

The sabbath, only we weren't going to rest! But it was an intentional day of worship. Before church we went to the Cenacle, a proposed site for the last supper. Of course, this wasn't really the place of the last supper, but it provides a place to think of the significance of what Jesus introduced to his disciples that day. The streets of Jerusalem were quiet, and we had the church to ourselves for about 5 minutes before a megaphone-wielding tour group came in. It was okay, we had to book it to church. The location was believable and worth our quick visit.

The outside of the church was beautiful too.

And the little streets around it felt ancient.

We attended church at the BYU Jerusalem Center. The chapel has a full wall of windows overlooking the old city. It is beautiful. Worshipping with the students spending a semester in the Holy Land was a treat. They are full of light. It felt good to be there and feel the peace of that place. We met so many kind people, some living there with their families and others passing through like us.

Next stop was Gethsemane, with the hope of finding something other than falafel for lunch (although none of us could think of what that would possibly be). After walking for what seemed like ten miles, and most definitely not the most direct route, we arrived at Gethsemane. The scenic route along the Mount of Olives really was scenic, though.

The Jewish cemetery.

The roads were so narrow that we had to hug the wall when a car came by!

We arrived to the olive grove at last. This little garden is not claimed to be the exact spot of Christ's suffering, but a few of the olive trees date back to the 1st century, so the small, fenced in grove represents a likeness to the olive groves common on this hill during Jesus' time. It really wasn't a far walk from Jerusalem itself. 

It was a relatively quiet place. We found a place to sit and sketch and/or write in our journals.

Next we made our way to the Garden Tomb. We passed through Palestinian neighborhoods outside of the old city. These streets are teeming with life!

The Garden Tomb is a private garden and beautifully kept. It was crowded and loud, but somehow still very peaceful. This particular tomb dates to the time of Jesus and would have been considered a rich man's tomb.

This represents some of the happiest news there is. Christ is risen, and because of it, we will rise and live again too! We spent a good deal of time there pondering this beautiful and hopeful truth.

This was the best sabbath day possible.