Today, by rising and leaving early, we were among the first groups to visit the Temple Mount. This is the flattened top of Mount Moriah, whether the Dome of the Rock now sits. It is where the Temples of Israel were built. We talked about it yesterday when we saw it from the Mount of Olives. Because this area is now controlled by the Muslims, access is limited. We were able to see the opposite side of the Golden Gate, sealed for now, but Jesus will return thru that gate, with those believers who have died in Christ.

From there we visited the Garden Tomb, a location just outside the wall which holds a rock that appears like a skull, and an ancient tomb. While neither of these are probably actually the true places of Christ’s death and resurrection, it gives us the idea of what it might have been like. We sang hymns there and reflected on what Jesus did for us when he died and paid the price for our sins.

We went back to the Dung gate, where we entered the temple mound and entered to area of the wailing wall, at the western side of the temple mount. Since the Jews have returned, they have excavated underground and have exposed a lot of the western wall thru tunnels where the old road was.

We returned to the bus via the old city via Delarosa and traveled to a location near Bethlehem in the West Bank. We were in Palestinian territory. After a pita lunch with grilled chicken and lamb in a local restaurant, we visited a location there, just outside Bethlehem, which shows us what the life of a Shepard would have been like. We remembered all the mentions of Bethlehem in scripture, from Rachel, Ruth, Naomi and Boaz, to David’s family lineage right up to Jesus birth. All those ancestors worked the fields here, as farmers or shepards.

The local population of this small town is about 35% Christian, unlike Bethlehem, now just 10% believers. We skipped the church of the nativity, which may, or may not be on the accurate location. But this Shepard’s Fields location gives you a much better feel for what it was like!

Of course , there must be some shopping time, so we visited the wood carving business of the local Christian families. Their olive wood nativities, sculptures, and plaques were expertly done. We all like supporting local small business, and they were glad to see us.

Our photos from the day are here. https://susandemaggio.smugmug.com/Temple-Mount-and-Shepards-Field