Easter in Jerusalem

Israel's diversity also impacts the calendar.  Western Christian churches celebrate Easter and Christmas at a different time than Eastern Christians.  Easter for the Eastern Church is not until early May.  So in Nazareth they follow the Eastern Easter date and the Western Christmas date.  But in Jerusalem they followed the Western Easter date.  SO we were in Jerusalem for Easter!

There are two traditional sites for the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  In the current Old City of Jerusalem is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  The first church on this site was built by Emperor Constantine between 326 and 335 A. D. It has been renovated, expanded and updated off and on for centuries, but then in 1808 it was severely damaged by fire and in 1927 an earthquake further damaged the church which led to extensive repairs and renovations that you see today.

The entire site of the crucifixion and burial of Christ is covered by the Church.  The stone outcropping above covered in glass is part of Golgotha.  The burial tomb is under a shrine under the rotunda.

As you enter the Church there is a marble slab , the stone of unction, where it is reported that Jesus' body was prepared for burial.

Another interesting tradition in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the Chapel of Adam., located directly below  the Golgotha chapel.  It is believed that the cross of Christ was directly above the place where Adam's skull was buried.  You can also see in the photo above where the stone was cracked paralleling the account in Matthew 27:51

With all of the building, altars and chapels it is difficult to get a good perspective of the location.  There is a small chapel to the rear of the rotunda that some believe is the actual location of Christ's Tomb.

But for this Easter morning Lynda and I joined thousands at a sunrise service at the Garden Tomb, which is located outside the Old City in East Jerusalem.

So we left our apartment in Jerusalem and caught a cab at 5:00 in the morning and arrived to join the waiting crowd about 5:15 a. m.  They opened the gate and we scurried to a seat.  It turned out that we had great seats and a clear view of the entire service.  We also discovered that the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) was broadcasting the service live and we were directly in front of one of camera men!  If you would like to view the entire one hour and fifteen minute service (and see Lynda and me) check out this link 

http://new.livestream.com/kkcj/sunrise-service-2013/videos/15159789

It was an incredibly moving service with praise, scripture, prayer, powerful Easter message and communion.  A truly unforgettable experience.  An incredible sense of the agony of the cross and the power of the Resurrection.  Lynda and I are still in awe that we had this opportunity.

Note that here the Garden Tomb is very open, carved out of a stone hillside.  It sits in a beautiful garden area.  There is evidence as well that this may be the actual site of the burial.

Here is a view of the interior of the tomb noting the area where Christ's body was placed.

To the rear of the Garden is stone outcropping that closely resembles a skull, Golgotha..

But whether the actual location was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or at the Garden Tomb really isn't that important.  The declaration that He is Risen! is the important message.  Lynda and I had a thrilling experience celebrating Easter at sunrise at the Garden Tomb!

We then headed down to the Old City to visit some more of Jerusalem.  The Old City is divided into sections:  the Muslim Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and the Christian and Armenian Quarter.  We headed to the Jewish Quarter.

The Cardo is the ruins of a major commerce and trade area in the Jewish Quarter dating back to the Byzantine era.  We made our way to the Hurva Square to sit and relax.  Families had gathered throughout the area and a musician was playing the classical guitar.  A wonderfully relaxing and tranquil setting.  All of a sudden a young Jewish boy came up to us and offered us a cup of mango juice.  He was joined by his father and four siblings to greet us and to welcome us to Jerusalem.  They offered Passover cookies as well.  We had a wonderful visit and then he asked if we could have a photo together.

So Joseph and his kids gathered around Lynda and posed for a photo.  A truly memorable encounter in Jerusalem!

We then headed to the Western Wall and the Archaeological Park.  The Western Wall is probably the holiest site for Jews.  It is part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount dating back to the time of Herod the Great.  With the destruction of the Temple in A. D. 70 and the building of the Dome of the Rock and the El Aqsa Mosque in the late 600's to early 700's A. D.on the Temple Mount,  this wall has become the focal point for Jews to come and pray and lament the destruction of the Temple---hence, the Wailing Wall.

Note that the area is divided in two parts: the men on the left and the women on the right.

Here is the men's section where groups gather and recite part of the Torah in groups, individually as well as pray and place pieces of paper with their prayers into the crevices of the stones in the wall.

Here a young boy is celebrating his Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall and reading from the Torah Scroll.

Adjacent to the Western Wall is the Jerusalem Archaeological Park.

Here is a stone that was toppled off the pinnacle of the Temple Mount during the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70 by Emperor Titus.  The inscription indicates that this was the spot where the trumpeter would stand and announce the beginning and ending of the Sabbath.

One of the temptations of Christ was when Satan took Christ to the peak of the Temple and challenged Him to jump down and let the angels rescue Him (Matthew 4:5-7).  It would have been from a stone parapet like this one!

This street named Herodian dates back to the time of Christ.and would have been lined with shops in His time.

What an incredible way to spend Easter!  We were truly overwhelmed about the events of the day and so grateful to have spent this time in Jerusalem.