While I might say it a thousand times more about several different Jerusalem experiences, one of the most memorable moments for me was at the Garden of Gethsemane. Talk about being able to see something as it might have been thousands of years ago, wow. There are not enough adjectives, enough words to convey the collision of spirit, mind and body that still fills me.
The Garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives, is of course where Jesus and the disciples prayed the night before His crucifixion. It was a place that Jesus and his team frequently went. This gives perspective as to why it was not difficult for Judas to orchestrate a betrayal there.
I went to the Garden as my final moment before I headed to Tel Aviv to catch my plane home. It was a fitting goodbye to Jerusalem. It was perhaps though the actual beginning of my deeper reflection on the overall experience. A little esoteric comment but that's what blogs are for. So there.
As I entered the Garden, I recalled that Jesus and His disciples had celebrated the Passover and then went to the Garden. Jesus asked Peter, James and John to pray with Him, but they fell asleep. Boy that resonates. How often does my mind wander, my eyes slowly close, my attention get distracted...
While I might have been a wee bit judgmental regarding the sleeping disciplines, being there in a place so lovely, so quiet...well I think I could relate on how that might have happened.
Twice Jesus woke them up to remind them to keep praying so they'd not fall into temptation. I don't know about others but I feel the swirl of temptation around me all the time. I could use reminders every two minutes, much less twice.
And further my experience went. I knew that Jesus moved away from his disciples; He was filled with agony about what was to come. He asked His own Father to consider removing the cup from which he was about to drink.
Standing in the knarled Garden, I knew I frequently called out to my Father for help for the trivial and the profound. I wondered what that moment was like for Jesus. He wasn't calling out for help with bills, health, relationships... what was it like to know the absolute horror that was ahead for Him that coming day. I shuddered. A different, deeper appreciation for grace washed over me.
I wondered what Jesus thought when God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him. If the angel felt like a prop, a strong arm, a shared tear. I imagined the soon coming soldiers and Judas' betrayal. The dust that must have rose from the dry soil as the soldiers, high priests and others crowded in to arrest Jesus. I could almost hear the din that must have come over the peace of the Garden, the rush of people and the panic.
Would I have been like Peter freaked out and sword waving in the moment... too late, too radical, to little. Would I have understood the power in the moment when Jesus, even in the midst of all that craziness, healed the cut off ear of the priest's servant. Would I have caught the humanity, the utter love? Or would I have missed it like the others did standing right there?
Overlooking the Garden, there is now the third church to occupy the spot - the Church of All Nations. This location was in and of itself a wonder with amazing tile work, crafted olive tree doors, stain glass and breath-taking art. The pews were filled with people from all walks of life, many nations and languages.
We walked into the church as a mass was in process. We took communion next to the rock where it is believed that Jesus prayed and wept. And then the service was coming to conclusion. When something so cool happened that as I think of it and type, my eyes are tearing up.
There was a moment when a choir of teens simply sang tones. I cannot do it justice, several harmonic sounds layered upon layer... the chord filling the church with such beauty and serenity. I thought this... this is what the choir of angels must sound like each day in praise to God. No words needed; just a reverant chord of awe.
The events that occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane reverberated through me... and still do. The willingness of the Christ to knowingly go forward. For me. There are no words.
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