by Pastor Patrick Cho

It is hard to believe that we have been in Israel for about a week now. It’s strange how in some ways it feels like time is flying by, and in some ways it feels like we have been here forever. This morning, we began the day at the Menachem Begin Center. We didn’t look around too much, but this was a helpful stop because the museum has examples of First Temple period tombs. This would have been the way well-to-do people were buried in the days of David and Solomon. These would be different than the Second Temple period kind of tomb that Jesus was buried in, but there are some similarities and it was still fascinating. There were a group of tombs that were discovered and (pretty carelessly) dug up that we could examine. Some of our team members even took turns lying where the deceased would have been laid. It made for some fun(?) pictures.

From the Menachem Begin Center, we took the bus to Bethlehem. It was interesting crossing over the Green Line into the Palestinian city. Of course in Bethlehem you can visit the Church of the Nativity, and that was the main reason why we went. The door to the church, called the Door of Humility, was designed very low so that you have to stoop to enter. Inside, the place looked like a typical Catholic Church with all its decorations and gilded furniture. I believe three different religious groups help run the church, so that explains why it seemed like there were three times as many decorations in the apse. We walked through the church quickly, but didn’t take the time to wait in line to visit the “navel of the earth.” There is a hole that you can put your hand in to touch the air in the recesses below the church where Jesus was supposedly born.

After the Church of the Nativity, we drove over to the Herodium, which is also very close to Bethlehem. This was a very impressive fortress/palace built by Herod the Great, and it is also the place where he was laid to rest. From afar, we could see that the Herodium was constructed on a hilltop. After the building was complete, Herod had servants bring up mounds of dirt to cover the outside walls so that as someone would approach, it would look like a normal hill. There is a giant swimming pool and race track at the base of the hill, and the palace itself was pretty amazing. As much as Herod was not liked during his time (and even to today), you have to admit that he was an ingenious designer/builder. Not only did he build these impressive palaces, of course he also rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem.

We left Bethlehem and then headed over to Hebron to visit Ma’arat HaMachpela, or “The Tomb of the Cave.” This is the location where Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and Leah are buried (Rachel is buried in northern Bethlehem). Because of historical tradition, we are pretty sure this is the actual location. It is an interesting place because it is a Jewish synagogue and Muslim mosque in one building. Because of the history of the politics, the Jews maintain the half of the building over which Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and Leah are buried. The Muslims maintain the half of the building over which Isaac or Ishmael was buried (we don’t really know for sure who is on the Muslim side, though they claim it is Ishmael). We were not allowed into the Muslim side of the building so we only saw the Jewish side. There were four rooms dedicated to each of the patriarchs and matriarchs, and several Jews walked the corridors reading the Scriptures or Talmud as they passed by.

It was sad to see how people had thrown money or written prayers into the rooms. The Jews are a very superstitious people who believe that God’s blessing is greater at these kinds of holy sites. How awesome it is to consider that God is ever with us and that we don’t have to make pilgrimages to holy places to get any nearer to Him. He meets with us where we are and we can draw near to Him.

After Hebron, we headed back to the hotel and are going to enjoy a free day tomorrow. After the free day, we are going to pack up and leave for the Negev. I’m not sure what the internet situation is going to be, but I will try to update this journal as often as I can while we are down there. I really miss the my family and the church, and can’t wait to be back to share more stories and fill in some of the blanks that I have deliberately skipped in this journal for the sake of keeping the length short.