Israel- Garden of Gethsemane

Before heading off to church on Saturday (the sabbath in Israel) we stopped by the Garden of Gethsemane. It's at the foot of the Mount of Olives. There are two small gardens that are part of it. The first is a walled of section with some really old trees. The tress are approximately 2000 years old. They are all twisted. The other part of the garden is another walled of section that is a private garden. We actually got a few minutes to sit in that part of the garden and read the accounts from the scriptures and contemplate what took place there. It was hard not to feel the peace and spirit that was there. And to image the same spirit being there the night that Jesus suffered for the sins of the world. As I sat there I looked across the valley to the Dome of the Rock and the Temple Mount. The view that I could see was of the Golden Gate of the Temple Mount. It's said that when Jesus Christ returns to Jerusalem that will be the gate through which he enters the city. It was a wonderfully reminder that not only did Christ suffer and die for me (in the Garden), but that he lives and will return in glory. It was an absolutely amazing way to start the sabbath for me.