I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked

The bus came to a stop and we exited, grabbing our boxed lunch and making our way to the start of a path that would take us into a quiet garden near the top of the Mount of Olives. The sun was shining, the sky was a perfect blue, and the air felt like an early morning in Southern California. Just a few yards away, on the opposite mountain, stood the walls of Jerusalem and the Sheep Gate, through which we’d enter later that day. But for now, we turned our back on the Kidron Valley and began climbing. The traditional site for the Garden of Gethsemane was to our right, near the bottom of the Mount of Olives. As we left it behind, my mind began thinking about the times Jesus would have been walking exactly where we were walking, particularly during that final week of His life. He was probably staying with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethanie, which was a small village nestled just on the other side of the ridge, as the mountain sloped downward towards Jericho. Every day He and His disciples would have walked down the Mount of Olives, across the narrow Kidron Valley, and into the city of Jerusalem. I thought about the triumphal entry, during which He stopped, probably somewhere near where we were stopping now, to weep over the city. I thought about that final journey as He went to the upper room to celebrate the passover followed by those hours of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, a place still filled with ancient olive trees. And then I thought about the moment when, forty days after His resurrection, Jesus stood at the top of this mountain and ascended heavenward to His Father. This is where the promise was given that we would see Him descend from heaven in the same way the disciples saw Him leave. Which brings us to the most amazing event of all to happen on that mountain: the future moment when Jesus will descend leading the saved and the New Jerusalem, touch his feet upon the summit, and the mountainous region will become a great plain, providing a new spot for the capital of the universe.

I can’t even begin to describe how our recent trip to Israel changed my perspective and understanding of the Bible! I’m sure it will continue to influence the things I write and preach for the rest of my life. But this week, as the Christian world celebrates the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, take some time to wander back in imagination’s eye to the Mount of Olives and the city just across the valley. Catch a glimpse of our Savior as He fulfilled His own prophecy: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32). I pray that you will continue to be drawn to the One who gave everything for you.