Two things

So several days ago we had our first full day field study. This consisted of 11 hours of walking around the old city of Jerusalem in the extreme heat. Here is the reaction paper I wrote for it.

After today's field study I will remember that Jerusalem is not built on flat ground. It seemed like any time we moved we were either going up or down a hill. Because we were visiting the sites of the Old Testament first our group headed towards the City of David. As we walked through the Zion gate I could immediately feel and see us descending. Sitting atop the long Eastern Hill, the City of David is a interesting site. While it is the oldest part of the city of Jerusalem, it is not included in the walls of the modern “Old City”. The City of David is no longer part of the Old City but a national park full of excavations and tour groups. It is strange to think that at one point it was the only part of Jerusalem that existed.
From the spot where David's palace once stood I finally was able to attach a place with the place I had read about in the Bible. I could look around and see what the psalmist meant when he said, “I will lift my eyes up to the hills.” I understood the physical significance to calling God the “Most High”. For the city of Jerusalem the Temple literally was the highest point of the city. As we moved through the City of David we went down what is known as Warren's Shaft. At the end of this shaft is the spring that provided Jerusalem with water. This source of water was known as the spring of Gihon. This also was the site that Solomon was anointed as king over Israel. It was here where I began to think about how much history is everywhere you walk in the area of Jerusalem.
It seemed like every step I took had different historical significance. This is much different than America because it is such a young, yet large country. Even a sight of the smallest historical significance is marked by a sign or a plaque. In Jerusalem it is much different. Each historical sight is covered by layers and layers of debris, houses and people. Many of these places are lost because of the plethora of people and armies that used this land as a land bridge to move around in the Middle East. Still others are placed in a certain place by years and years of tradition but is clearly not the accurate location of the historical event. For instance the Bible clearly says that David was buried in the City of David in 1 Kings 2:10, but the traditional location of his tomb is outside of the City of David and on the hill next to where the city was.
After lunch we traveled to the sights with New Testament significance. We walked over to the base of the Temple Mount. When we got there we sat ourselves right next to Robinson's Arch and stared up at the majesty of a structure that no longer existed. Just imagining what the structure used to look like was incredible. It would be hard for modern technology and machinery to create a structure such as the one that now was strewn in pieces in front of our feet. Even today we still have no idea how people 2000 years ago created such a massive bridge and wall. We then moved to the other side of the wall to where the steps leading up to the Temple Mount were uncovered. As we sat on the steps I was able to read a teaching of Jesus that was quite possibly given on those very same steps. Being able to look out from those steps and see the same landscape that Jesus was looking at was a surreal moment for me. Looking up towards the doorway that led to the Temple, I imagined what Jesus would of felt during his last week on earth, climbing up these steps to preach to the people who would ultimately reject him, and still reject him to this day. Being where he stood gave me a new appreciation and awe of the sacrifice that he made for me in Jerusalem, 2000 years before I was even born.

The day after this I had 8 and a half hours in class. That night I learned what the psalmists were talking about when they spoke of the glory of Jerusalem and quite possibly what Song of Songs is about. I did not learn this in class but in my wanderings through Jerusalem that night. I stumbled upon the greatest thing ever created by man. Shawarma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma) It is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. If you come to Jerusalem, getting one of these should be the first thing you do. You will not regret it