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Last Day in Israel: Herodium, Israel Museum, Garden Tomb & More

All good things must come to an end and this pilgrimage to the Holy Land has been a great thing that has come down to its final day. Just because it was the last doesn't mean it was a simple one as we visited numerous places including the Israel Museum and The Garden Tomb, with stops at Herodium, Bethany, and Jaffa.

We started the day off with an addition to our original schedule by going to Herodium just outside of Jerusalem. This is the location where King Herod constructed a magnificent palace and fortress to not only be the jewel of his kingdom,but to also serve as his grave. We were able to see the recently excavated remains of this impressive structure, as well as the area where Herod's tomb was discovered. We would later see some of what was discovered here at the Israel Museum.

After Herodium, we went to the Israel Museum, an impressive museum both architecturally and materially. This museum offered us a chance to see the large scale model of what the city of Jerusalem looked like during the Second Temple period. We were also able to go through the new exhibit, Herod the Great, which houses many artifacts found at Herodium, as well as other items associated with the notorious ruler.

Next, and this is probably one of the most powerful experiences of the week, we visited the Garden Tomb, which is a place that some say could have been another place where Jesus was crucified and then buried. This place is different from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we visited earlier in the week because it feels much more like the tomb Jesus would have been laid in. We saw a stone that looks like a skull (potentially Golgotha), and then a tomb that if not the actual tomb, one that is very much like that which Jesus would have been laid in. We were then lead in a time of reflection in the garden by Kelley Jorgensn, CUDS director of admissions, and then as a group, we shared communion together. 

We also made stops in Bethany, the hometown of Martha, Mary and Lazarus,where we saw the traditional site of Lazarus' tomb and the church built on the siblings' house. Then on the way to Tel-Aviv we made a stop in Jaffa, which in the Old Testament is the city which Jonah came to before leaving on the ship, as well as the city where Peter was when he received the vision to go see Cornelius in Caesarea while staying at Simon the tanners house. 

We ate our farewell dinner at a nice restaurant in Tel-Aviv and we are now headed to the airport for the 11 hour flight back to Philadelphia. After a layover there, we should be back in Raleigh around 12:30. Too much to try and adequately reflect on this journey now other than to say it has been a journey of a lifetime, and I can't wait to get home and share it with you all. 

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