30Nov2010 Day 8

30Nov2010 Day 8
We went to the Temple Mount today. We were told that we could not bring our bibles, crosses or anything Christian into the grounds of the Temple Mount. Next to us, also queuing up for security checks, was a long line of pretty teenage girls. They told us that they were soldiers. Jenny told them that they were too pretty to be soldiers! They were quite friendly. Near the entrance was a metal plaque engraved with these words:
‘Dear Visitors,
You are approaching the holy site of the Western Wall where the Divine Presence always rests. Please make sure you are appropriately and modestly dressed so as not to cause harm to this holy place or to the feelings of the worshippers.
Sincerely,
The Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites’

The Temple Mount is run by the Muslims. Therefore no excavations are allowed here. They actually don’t like the name Temple Mount. They call it the Dome of the Rock. Muslims believe that this is where Mohammed received revelations from the angel. The Dome of the Rock covers a slab of stone on which it is said that Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son. The roof of the Dome actually had a full moon spire, instead of the crescent moon spires we often see back home in Singapore. There is a building here that was built by the Crusaders. Its cross has been broken off, and the statues were knocked off the buildings and replaced with Quranic verses. As Rev Niam did her explanations, two soldiers in full gear were standing just next to our group. We saw a special stone set into the ground. It had a small pavilion built over it, perhaps for protection. Nee said that this stone, being so different from those of its surroundings, poses the question of whether it was the original site of the Holy of Holies. The speculation arose also because the stone is in line with the Gate.

We walked to the Antonia Fortress, where a school was in progress. Hence we didn’t poke around that area. Instead, we walked on and entered through King Faisal’s Gate, which led to the stations of the cross. The Via Dolorosa or “Way of Sorrow” winds along narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City. Along this route are the 14 stations of the cross, with each station marking an event of sacred memory.
  1. 1st station of the cross: Jesus is condemned to death. (John 18:28). This was at Antonia Tower/Fortress. We couldn’t start there as the school was in progress.
  2. 2nd station of the cross: Jesus takes up the cross (John 19:1, 16). Chapels of the Franciscans.
  3. 3rd station of the cross: Jesus falls under the cross for the first time (Lam 1:16). Polish Chapel.
  4. 4th station of the cross: Jesus meets His mother (Lam 1:12). Armenian Catholic Chapel.
  5. 5th station of the cross: Mk 15:21. Marked by a Franciscan oratory. From here, the path ascends steeply to Golgotha.
  6. 6th station of the cross: Veronica wipes the sweat from Jesus’ face (Num 6:25). Chapel of the convent of the Little Sisters of Jesus.
  7. 7th station of the cross: Jesus falls for the second time (Isa 63:9). Franciscan Chapel.
  8. 8th station of the cross: Jesus consoles the daughters of Jerusalem (Luke 23:28). Greek monastery.
  9. 9th station of the cross: Jesus falls for the third time (Psa 40:8). Holy Sepulchre Basilica, built around 335 AD.
  10. 10th station of the cross: Jesus is stripped of His garments (Isa 1:6).
  11. 11th stations of the cross: Jesus is nailed to the cross (Psa 22, John 19:17).
  12. 12th station of the cross: Jesus dies on the cross (Matt 27:50).
  13. 13th station of the cross: Jesus is taken down from the cross (Luke 25:53).
  14. 14th station of the cross: Jesus is laid in the tomb (Matt 27:59).
The stations were along narrow cobbled streets, with a lot of shops lining the sides of the streets. In fact, next to the 4th station’s entrance was an Armenian Restaurant selling pizzas and steaks!

One street vendor took me by surprise when he asked if he could exchange pens with me. He said that he loved pens from other countries! For a few seconds I actually wondered if he was passing me a dud. But I was wrong. His pen worked.

We went pass the Jaffa Gate as well as David’s Town.



We had a Passover lunch simulation (a meal called the Seder) at a restaurant. We went through the Hagada, which was reconstructed from the ancient written sources from the first century, and which tells the exodus story. For the meal, we had the bread (a piece of matza), and the wine (we had grape juice for most people, with a few taking the wine). We had to dip the vegetables in a salt solution as well as the Harosset. We had a roast chicken instead of the roast lamb. We also had a very aromatic lamb stew, a vegetable of barley and something small, round and black, carrot strips, chopped tomatoes with melon, roasted garlic wholes and whole onions.  The actual manner in which they originally ate the meal was at an inclined angle, with the body half lying. Seems to be a really awkward position to hold for such a long time! The actual Seder plate holds 6 symbolic foods, each with a special significance to the exodus story. We were told that we should serve one another with the food and drinks, and to say (each time), “It is my honour to serve you.” It was quite hilarious.

We were brought to Skull Hill, also called Golgotha. There we were taken on a tour of the Garden Tomb by a volunteer Christian guide, an elderly British man called Roy. He was very chirpy and has been doing such work for 3 years, flying into Israel each time for a period of 3-4 months. He lives in Britain, so his commitment level is really high! On the door of the Garden Tomb are the words “HE IS NOT HERE – FOR HE IS RISEN.” We sang hymns and had Holy Communion at a quiet place there. The communion cup (made of olive wood) was given to us as a memento. We were advised by Nee to not wash our cups as the wood would not dry out sufficiently and may rot before we reach Singapore.

We met Gabriel, the owner of the Guiding Star Travel Agency. He had been waiting for us for quite a while, along a road. According to Nee, her boss likes to meet up with all those groups that take his company’s tours. He was a rather sweet elderly Christian man. He gave pastors a handwritten copy of the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic. He also gave us each a unique necklace (he designed it based on the 5 loaves and 2 fish)  and a Pilgrim Certificate (signed by the Minister of Tourism and the Mayor of Jerusalem). He designed the unique cross pendant as he had wanted to give to all the pilgrims who go on his tours, something that they would not be able to buy from the shops there. The pastors gave us the items at vesper time in a kind of ceremony, by calling our names out one at a time.
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