Pool of Bethesda: Where Jesus healed the lame man!

When I first went to the Pool of Bethesda on my trip in 2017, we weren't there very long. It was like a pit stop on a cloudy day, and we didn't walk around it. I don't even know if I got pictures! Wow, that's unthinkable.

Since then, I've tried to go twice, but because of covid, the hours changed and it was always closed when I went (it was hard to find the hours online). 

But finally, in the spring I got to go!

As I've learned since being back in Israel, there is SO MUCH MORE to every place we went to on the tour. There just wasn't enough time to do it all.

And, just like every place associated with Jesus, there's a church.

But that wasn't the first church built there, because the brochure the place gave me says that in 422-458 AD, a church was built to commemorate the healing of the paralytic. It extended over the medicinal baths and part of the pools. Some of that basilica still remains today.

So all these ruins inside the pool weren't there in Jesus' day. Last night I watched this message from Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia, and it was SO GOOD! I 100% recommend watching it. 

In it, he says that the pool was bigger than an Olympic pool and at places was 42 feet deep! He also pointed out that John 5 uses the word "multitude" to describe the amount of the people around it, and while that isn't a definite number, the world "multitude" was also used in Mark and Luke to describe the 4,000+ and 5,000+ (respectively) that Jesus fed by multiplying bread and fish. So, it's fair to picture this GIGANTIC pool with thousands lying beside it, waiting for the water to stir so they can be healed. 

Which brings up the idea of Jesus walking through the multitude to find that one man and heal him. Seriously, if you like watching theologically-sound messages, please take the time to watch this one!

By the time of the Persian invasion, around 614, everything was destroyed and left mostly abandoned through the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphs. It wasn't until the Crusades in 1140 that a small monastery was built on the ruins of the 7th century chapel.

Then, the property changed hands again in 1192 after the conquest of Saladin. It became a school for Islamic law until it was abandoned under Ottoman rule and then given as a gift to France after the Crimean War (as Napoleon III helped the Ottomans). And it was given to the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) founded in 1878... and has remained in that ownership until this day. 

So that's a lot of history, and most of it, I don't care about a lot... but I do care about 1 thing: Jesus was here, and He healed here! There is where He healed the paralytic in John 5!!!

As I've talked about before, I am a BIG fan of The Chosen, and I love that this show featured this story in Season 2! It's extra cool watching the episode after having been here... you can literally 'see' it! If you haven't watched the episode, go do it now! And the rest of the show because it is AWESOME!

Building on the Past—Literally! (Part 3 of 3)

The thing about Israel, is that there is SO MUCH HISTORY literally everywhere that it's many-layered and multi-faceted.

I just spent 2 weeks talking about sites specific to the 2nd Temple, which also are the very places that things happened in the time of the 1st Temple.

We know this because in Israel, you build on top of the past. It's very practical... the materials are already there. If the foundation is solid, why not? Now, it's also done in the name of historical preservation. 

This means, if you dug deeper, you'd find remains from the 1st Temple.

But we're actually going to move forward in history now:

I want to say again that I am a student of Israel and have soooooooo much to learn. I'm still learning all the different time periods and things. That's significant, because the rest of the structures in Jerusalem Archeological Park that I want to feature are from the Umayyad Caliphate (638 AD). A palace was actually constructed in the 8th century using the fallen rocks from the Temple Mount walls. Can you imagine? But it's practical- the materials are right there. Work smarter, not harder, and all that.

Then, a Byzantine building was constructed over where the palace had been. The building in the photo is a reconstruction based on their materials and techniques.

Which is why I'm going to end the series with this picture, because it shows this perfectly:

It was early afternoon when I took this, so I know the shadows are severe. But hopefully you can see it, either in the structure or in the sign. Basically, this building here is an example of 3 different time periods built on each other. Can you see the differences in the stone wall directly across from the sign, and how they differ from the one on the side?

I love this stuff! So cool!

What was your favorite part about this series on Jerusalem Archeological Park? Let me know in the comments below!

Is this where Jesus overturned the tables? (Part 2 of 3)

After leaving the ancient steps, I went to a place that took my breath away.

There, along the Wall, an ancient street. And rubble. Massive rock piled up on top of each other as if they’d been flipped and left with no stone on top of the other: remains from the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70.

It was too much for me; I had to sit down.

Down that street, Yeshua and thousands of others- millions even- would have walked, passing vendors in the market stalls (that are partially still there!). This, right here, evidence of stone cold, recorded history.

Is this where Yeshua overturned the tables of the money changers?

These stones are bigger than I can describe. They reached above my head, and had to weigh literal tons. And, they are only a small portion of the original walls. When Roman soldiers destroyed everything in AD 70, they literally left no stone unturned (sounds like Matthew 24 here?). That's because fire would first of all weaken the limestone and make it like dust. It also would melt the gold filigree and any gold between the stones—and the Romans wanted to take it ALL.

According to Josephus, they spared the Western Wall so that the soldiers could rest there. Everything else was destroyed.

Streets where Yeshua walked.

Steps that millions climbed to go to worship.

Can you see it? All at the foot of the Mount of Olives, in the heart of Jerusalem.

But, we're not done with Jersualem Archeological Park yet! Come back next week for Part 3 of this series!

Jesus walked up these steps! (Part 1 of 3)

What if you could walk exactly where Jesus did? While in Jerusalem in March, I did just that.

Jerusalem Archeological Park sits directly above the City of David (ancient Jerusalem). I didn't have a tour guide while there, just a brochure and the signs posted around the park, but I was able to listen in as a tour guide explained in English to 2 men about this place. He especially pointed out the steps and the straight line they formed down to the City of David.

As you can see in the picture above, there's a (now blocked) triple gate, and a double gate (the arche above one is only partially visible. Travelers to the city would walk up through the city and up to the Hulda gates to worship.

You can see where the original stones still stand and where others were added on later to make the mosque. These are the original stones!

Take a look at these steps! As pilgrims ascended, reciting the prayer of ascents, the steps themselves provided almost a rhythm in how they were arranged, adding to the event.

Beside and below the steps are the remains of the ancient mikvot used for cleansing before Jews entered the Temple. There was so much there that I wanted to learn… my brochure made me wish I’d had a guide. But, I was lucky, because we'd learned about mikvot in my Hebrew class that very week! I walked around giggling, experiencing my new knowledge firsthand!

I walked all through this maze of mikvot (as the paths allowed). It was a beautiful, warm day, and tourists were just returning to Israel at this point, so I basically had it all to myself. How incredible to imagine David, Solomon, the disciples, Yeshua—EVERYONE!—walking up to the 2nd Temple to worship on this very route.

And, let's not forget the spectacular view of the Mount of Olives!

That's it for now, but not the end you'll see of this incredible place. This is only part 1 of 3 about my visit to this park. Stay tuned for part 2 next Monday!