MamaCez: Jacob, Shiloh, and Olive

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance. Our tour guide, Tony continually reminded us that yes it's great to see the sights, touch the stones and envision what went on a long time ago but more importantly he encouraged us to try to meet Jesus, see Jesus and know that He is real to us.

We visited Jacob's Well, which had a church that was built over the ancient well, where Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water (Mark 4).

And yes it was still a working well.

We saw the ruins of Shiloh. Shiloh was the home of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant before the Temple was built in Jerusalem. It was a gathering place for all 12 tribes, where Joshua would divide the land.

Our Hannah was named after Hannah in the Bible for being a faithful woman of prayer.

It was also here that Hannah's prayers were answered when her son, Samuel was born, and she brought him back to Shiloh to serve under the high priest, Eli (1 Samuel 1-3).

A model of what the tabernacle would have looked like.

We visited Mt Scopus which was our first opportunity to see Jerusalem.

It was also our first opportunity to be pick pocketed! It happened twice on Mt Scopus. Fortunately both attempts were unsuccessful. That same evening, there was a successful attempt on the streets of Jerusalem. That one was Matthew who had his small camera taken from his backpack. In all three instances, the thief was a street vendor who took advantage of our trust.

For 3,000 years, Mt of Olives has been used as a Jewish cemetery.

There is a spiritual link between death and life emphasized by the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany. Burials need to be complete 12 hrs after death; traditionally caskets are not used; bodies are wrapped in linens and placed in the tomb; the memorial tombstone has a nook for a candle - an eternal flame signifying the soul is still alive; Jews believe in burial and not cremation; flowers are not left but instead, stones are placed on the tomb, signifying the lasting memory of the person's influence, and their eternal soul.

This mountain ridge lies east of Jerusalem and was frequented by Jesus. He taught his disciples here, and ascended to heaven from here (Matthew 24-25, Luke 21, Matthew 26, Acts 1). The Garden of Gethsemane lies at its base.

These now sealed gates were the gates that Jesus entered on the donkey on Palm Sunday. It is prophesied that when Jesus returns He will return through these gates once again.

Descending the Mt of Olives on the Palm Sunday road, we reached the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations.

We walked the path that Jesus took on the donkey. Roads were not as dusty as during his time.

The Church of All Nations is built around a rock where Jesus prayed on the night before he was crucified (Mark 14). The garden was the scene of Judas' betrayal of Jesus (Matthew 26, Mark 14).