This Moment Matters: Pictures from Jerusalem

On Monday we experienced Jerusalem. Believe me when I say, it was a long day. Rather than group the pictures in the order of the sites we visited, I thought it would be better to share them grouped by subject. As you look at these first three pictures, they all relate to the Passion of Christ. The steps in the first picture lead up the hillside to the courtyard of the High Priest Caiaphas. This is where Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. Maybe I'll write a little more on that later, but what I want you to see are the steps. They rise about 75 feet, they are very steep and slippery, and the ARE the actual steps the soldiers led Jesus on. So use your minds eye and you can see Jesus flanked by soldiers, hands tied, beaten, tired, and knowing that he was about to face the worst moments of his life.

This is a closeup of Crown of Thorns tree. They are more like spikes than thorns, about 3 inches long...and very sharp! The crown the soldiers wove together and then jammed onto his head was made out of this.

But, this is what the Crown of Thorn tree really looks like. The spikes grow on the lower branches, but up on top are golden flowers that literally dazzle in the sunlight. This is why it is said that the soldiers made a crown of thorns for Jesus, but the tree mocked them because they really gave him a crown of gold!

These pictures are from the Israel museum. Much of the Dead Sea Scrolls are located here. In fact, the book of Isaiah is located in a room under the white onion shaped dome. They wouldn't let me take pictures of the scroll, but I thought the onion was pretty cool.

The museum also houses this massive model of Jerusalem from Jesus' day. I'm not sure of the scale, but this thing is huge. Here is the view of the Temple Mount from the east. As a point of reference, this is close to the view Jesus had when he made his triumphal entry. Except he didn't hav the buses, light towers, and other modern buildings in the background.

Here is a view of the Old City from the south. On the right hand side is the City of David and the Kidron Valley. Up on the hill to the left would be where the Upper Room was located along with the high priests house.

This view is of the Antonia Fortress where Pontius Pilate washed his hands. The spot your looking for is right at the top of the staircase in the center of the picture. See the two dark arches? That's the spot. Directly below those arches and on this side of the city wall is what many consider to be Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion.