Grace Notes: Mount of Olives

I'm sorry it's taken me a couple day to get these post's going. When I got home from Israel I got the flu, so have been pretty much out of things for the last couple of day.

The Mount of Olives stands tall and overlooks the beautiful city of Jerusalem. This is where we started our journey. Three times a year as a child Jesus would have come to this Mount. It is on the Mount of Olives, a mount that overlooks the temple, that Jesus taught his diciples, propesied the destruction of Jerusalem and wept over the cities fate. It is where Jesus taught his diciples and it was on his path as he would have traveled from Bethany to the City.

Looking from the top of Mount of Olives Left.

Looking at the City, Old and New.
The Gold dome is the "Temple Mount"
It is believed by many that under this temple is Mount Moriah.
Mount Moriah is where Abraham would have gone to sacrafice Isaac.

Looking at the Beaufiful Gate, or Golden Gate.
This is where Jesus entered the city as he rode in that Palm Sunday moening.
This is where it is said Jesus will enter the city again with the second coming.

Of course, on the Mount of Olive, just like everywhere else there are venders trying to sell things. Here we see one of our guys who has tried on a "shawl" (looking good don't you think), a guy trying to give camel rides, (there are camels everywhere that you can ride) and another who would love to have us ride his donkey. He even wanted $1.00 to take his picture. Sorry he didn't get it.

After lots of learning and pictures we went to the oldest Jewish cemetary that there is. This cemetary dates from the time of Kind David. And it is still in use today. In this cemetary only the rich (today) are buried. In fact someplace here lies the body of Menachem Begin. Stones are place on top, as it is from dust we came, and to dust we will return. Also there is a place that families can put candles to burn - they are called "soul candles" and they simbalize the Spirit of God.

From here we headed down the road Jesus rode down on Palm Sunday. This is a very steep hill and I feel sorry for the young donkey. (Well at least my knees feel sorry for the young donkey.) As we walked down I could almost hear the crowds, and the rocks shouting praises.

Part of the way down the hill we took a right into the Dominus Flevit. Luke 19:41 reads:"And when he was come near he beheld the city and wept over it . . . " It is at Dominus Flevit that Christ wept over the city of Jerusalem. The view from here is beautiful. The chapel here is built in the shape of a tear.