Lent: Journey Through the Holy Land – Part 37

The morning of our first full day in Jerusalem we visited the southern side of the temple. There was a beautiful courtyard and you could see the Mount of Olives across the valley.

Mike, our tour guide, drew our attention to the stones that made up the temple walls. From a distance, the stones looked rather large. But then Mike sent several members of our group down a set of stairs to stand next to and lay hands on one stone in the southwestern corner.

WOW. These stones weren’t just rather large – they were massive! 

Afterwards we made our way through the courtyard to the Teaching Steps.

We each  sat down on the steps, facing south, taking in a moment of reflection. The view was beautiful. I pictured Jesus ascending the steps with his parents during Passover as told in Luke 2. I envisioned Jesus teaching here. 

It was a very unreal experience. Thinking about sitting and walking along the steps of the temple Jesus visited during Passover as a boy. Listening and praying at the steps where Jesus spoke.

The Holy Land is often referred to as the Fifth Gospel, and when you’re there in a place where Jesus would have walked or sat, it feels so real and tangible. You read the stories of the Bible, and believe them, and pray passages from them, and know in your heart that they are true. But then you experience the place where it happened. And there is context, and emotion, and history, and so much more than words on paper. 

Being in the Holy Land brings a new perspective to your faith. It changes you, your relationship with God, your understanding of the world around you. 

I keep thinking back to the large foundational stones of the temple walls and how insanely massive those stones are. Can you imagine the dedication, persistence, teamwork, loyalty and endurance it took to get one stone here? 

And they didn’t have modern technology, tools, and machinery like we do now! So can you imagine with the advancements we have today, what we can do for God’s people with that same amount of dedication, persistence, teamwork, loyalty and endurance? 

As our guide Mike would say, “Can you say wow?”

Lord, we have so many tools and technologies right at the tips of our fingers. We can connect with one another across a vast distance in a matter of seconds. We can share moments together instantaneously. It is absolutely incredible, and it is an absolutely incredible blessing. Lord, help us to use these tools and technologies to help Your people, to share Your word, to share Your love. Help us to come together and experience You. Amen.

Abbey Jo