around Jerusalem

Here is another one of my reaction papers that I wrote for my field study we took to the Mount of Olives, the Herodion, Bethlehem and others

As I stood on Mount Scopus, the place where millions of pilgrims and numerous armies stood, I wondered what it was about this city that made it such an historical landmark. Jerusalem laid before me, nestled between the hills around it. The walls surrounding the Old City were rather small and with mountains surrounding it, it appeared rather insignificant. Yet many conquers through the ages stood at the very same place I did and were ready to take the city to prove their power. I thought back to our first day of Archeology class where Dr. Barkay asked the class what made Jerusalem such an important city. It took us a while for us to answer this question. Many of us stated that it was a city that was significant to three religions. He explained that it was only after the city was important did it become a center for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. One of us finally answered that it was important because David made it the capital of Israel. Clearly this was the answer. No one would find any importance in a lone Jebusite city in the middle of Israel, but David's decision to make it the capital set off a chain reaction that ultimately led me to be standing on Mount Scopus, overlooking the small, hidden city of Jerusalem.
As we traversed down the Mount of Olives I could not help thinking about what Jesus felt as he crested the mountain and headed down towards Jerusalem. Knowing what awaited him in the city that he loved and wanted to take under his wing. As we entered the church to commemorate the place on the mountain where Jesus wept, the gravity of his decision began to hit me. All he needed to do was to hike up the Mount of Olives for about 20 minutes and he would be able to escape his fate in the Judean wilderness. Even though he knew his destiny he was not crying for himself, but for the people who lived in Jerusalem who he knew would never accept him. As I entered the Garden of Gethsemane, just a valley away from the eastern entrance of Jerusalem, I could see why he began to pray so intensely he sweat blood. Jerusalem so daunting before him, it was intimidating even to me who knew I was completely safe. The trip down the Mount of Olives really gave me a new appreciation for a man who denied himself so that we could all live.
In contrast to this was the Herodion. This landmark is a testimony to a man who was the exact opposite of Jesus. He spent his entire life trying to exalt himself and do things that would benefit him. The tomb of Herod, meant to be a beacon of his greatness, was now smashed to pieces with only the base still standing. His grand palace built for his pleasure and to display his power is nothing but a pile of stones on a mountain. As I looked down on the ruins of the Herodion I contrasted Herod's life to Jesus, who never exalted himself. The only thing left that Herod built was ruins, while almost everywhere that Jesus went a beautiful cathedral was built to commemorate the event. Not only this, but Jesus' legacy lives on in the millions who follow after him today. Herod is only remembered because of his interaction with Jesus, a homeless craftsman. This reminded me of the words of Jesus in Luke 14:11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

We also went hiking in north Galilee. It was a beautiful hike but unfortunately I forgot my camera :)
Thank you all for reading and for the positive feedback. For a while I thought my mom was my only reader :) (not that there is anything wrong with that)
Thanks again
Jason