Jerusalem Field Studies

It is interesting how one can get adjusted to something foreign so quickly…and yet still feel completely out of their element. We have been here for 3 weeks now, and we feel both settled and not settled at the same time. It is getting very familiar to walk to school, to hear horns honking outside the library, and even to go to the grocery store on the weekends. On the other hand, though, there is always this incredulous thought of, “I live in the Middle East.” It’s a very strange package…

We had our first all day field study this past weekend! I think we walked for a total of about 13 hours that day, and by the time we got to the end, our brains were full and our legs were tired! A good combination, I guess. :0) The morning was spent looking at Old Testament sites and getting a feel for the layout of the land during the time of the Old Testament. In the afternoon, we focused on the city during the New Testament. We’ve posted a few pictures to take peeks of our highlights throughout the day, so you can see as well as read about some of these!

The main material remains that the observer must focus on to understand the city during a certain time is to pay attention to the walls. Over time, these walls are built and destroyed and built and destroyed…and as each group rebuilds, they often incorporate the styles of their day, allowing us to not only appreciate their hard work, but to also appreciate the hard work of the people they conquered, for they frequently built over what remains of the walls that were still standing. When you simply understand what the stones of the different periods looked like, you suddenly see the layers of history hidden in the Old City very clearly.

We traveled to the City of David (the original city that was thought to have been built by King David, which now exists outside the old city walls, along the Eastern Slope, which is a thin, narrow strip of land that descends into the Kidron and Hinnom Valleys) and had a panoramic view of the city. Looking out from the rooftop in the City of David, I came to the first realization of the day. It seems so simple to say that you can’t understand the Bible fully until you are here…but it is so true, and it takes me off guard every time I experience a new realization. The Old City of Jerusalem is located on a higher hill, but the City of David, where Jerusalem originally was located, on the Eastern hill, is not all that high. It is like an egg inside a nest, surrounded by higher mountains all around. It is not the perfect spot for an imposing kingdom, since attackers could easily surround the city and shoot their arrows into it, but it was a good spot for God to demonstrate himself with his people. He always calls for paradoxes in logic to make himself known and to force people to trust him. This hill, surrounded by the high mountains that can make a city vulnerable to attack and make those inside feel so small and unprotected, is a constant living reminder for the people. For it is on this small vulnerable hill that the people are led to remember that Adonai is the source of their strength, not the mountain, and he is their protection. And then, they can see the mountains around them not as an advantage for the enemy, but as a representation of God’s protection over them.

In the afternoon, we ended up at the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, and we worked our way around to where the front of Herod’s 2nd Temple would have stood, and quite possibly where Jesus would have had occasion to teach. Many of the words of the prophets and of Jesus can be understood in a much clearer light when you stand in the city or near the location they stood when they spoke. When Jesus taught the crowds and his disciples in Matthew 23, he most likely was on the southern stairs near the front of the temple (see pictures for the view :0). From there, the people could look out and see visuals of everything he spoke of: the Pharisees who sit in Moses’ seat and who struggle up the stairs bearing large loads on their backs; the markets nearby, the gates of the city, and the governmental buildings in front of the temple leading toward the modern City of David; they could see the gold lining on the temple; the white tombs in the Kidron valley and on the Mt. of Olives; and finally, they could look out and observe the Hinnom Valley, which collected the refuse of the city (which was subsequently burned) and which Jesus used to connect with the idea of hell.

One of our final stops for the day was the Pool of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church. A beautiful piece of architecture from the Crusader period, the church boasts of some of the most awe-inspiring acoustics that can be heard. The architecture is a bit flawed and inconsistent in some sections, but to the general observer, it is a masterpiece. As we ended our ten hours of academic exploration, we sat in the coolness of the church, and the group sang a few hymns, soaking in the majesty of the echoes. For a brief moment in the midst of all of our studies, we enjoyed the simplicity of worship. No books, no debates, no reasoning through why something happened or why we do what we do. It was a reminder once more of one of the reasons we are here, in Israel. Yes, we want to get degrees, and we have lofty dreams for future education. But, we also want this experience to shape who we are and what we will become. To be stretched in areas we couldn’t be stretched in the United States, so that we can know God better, and take that new knowledge of him into the future stories of our life.

We have been here less than a month, and we already feel this shaping keenly. Like the Davidic kingdom and its home on the Eastern Hill, we feel vulnerable and without sufficient resources. It doesn’t seem logically the best step that we moved here…we have very few ways of making money in order to finish. Our resources are dependant upon God’s provision alone. But, we know he has called us here and, like the ancient Israelites, we survey our new home and are reminded that he is the one who is taking care of us and providing what we need in order for us to stay.

Update
We just found out yesterday that our landlady has found a buyer for our apartment, and they do not want to rent to us. So, we have until November 15th to find a new home. Please pray that we will find somewhere soon, maybe that is cheaper and a little bit closer to the school. :0)

Thanks everyone for your comments, and for sharing with us updates from your own journeys! We look forward to hearing more. Until next time, Lahitrahot!