April A to Z Challenge: J is for Jerusalem, Jericho, Jordan River, Jaffa

J is for Jerusalem

Our trips have been equally divided between time in the Sea of Galilee area and time in the city of Jerusalem. We’ve stayed at the David Citadel hotel in Jerusalem which is one of my favorite hotels. The hotel is located on a corner across from an impressive upscale mall. In the evenings, you can walk over to the outdoor mall area or you can walk to the Old City or you can walk up the street to see some other sites. There is a small grocery store located a block away where I could buy my cold caffeine! They didn’t have Diet Pepsis, my drink of choice, but they carried Coke Zero.

Let me share some info from one of my books about Jerusalem:

There is not another city that has been the cause of so many armed conflicts as Jerusalem. Situated on the watershed between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, and on the ancient Way of the Patriarchs linking the northern empires to Egypt in the south, it has from time immemorial, been an important junction – a meeting place not only of roads but of cultures from the north, south, east and west. In today’s Jerusalem, multi-storied buildings jostle ancient monumental tombs; modern electric cables and water carriers lie alongside First and Second Temple aqueducts; six lane highways cross the footpaths trodden by biblical prophets, while Jerusalem’s ramparts rise majestically above the bustle of every day life. (source – The Holy Land The Land of Jesus).

I have to admit that when I typed the phrase, “J is for Jerusalem” a song started playing in my head. While the tour groups get their first glimpse of Jerusalem, the tour guide plays a song over the speaker in the bus. I assumed the name of it was “Jersualem! Jerusalem!” but after research in the wee hours of the morning, I realized that it is “The Holy City.”  Here are the words:

One night while I was sleeping,
I had a dream so fair,
I stood in old Jerusalem
Beside the temple there.
I heard the children singing,
And ever as they sang,
I thought the voice of angels
From Heav’n in answer rang:

“Jerusalem! Jerusalem!”
Hark, how the angels sing,
“Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna to your King!”

And then I thought my dream was changed,
The streets no longer rang,
Hushed were the glad hosannas
That the little children sang.
The sun grew dark with mystery,
The morn was cold and chill,
As the shadow of a cross arose
Upon a lonely hill.

Jerusalem! Jerusalem!
Lift up your gates and sing,
“Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna to your King.”

And once again my dream was changed,
New earth there seemed to be,
I saw the Holy City
Beside the crystal sea.
The light of God was on its streets,
The gates were open wide,
That all who would, might enter,
And no one was denied.
No need of moon or the stars by night,
Or the sun to shine by day,
For it was the New Jerusalem,
That would not pass away.

“Jerusalem! Jerusalem!”
Sing, for the night is o’er!
“Hosanna in the highest,
Hosanna for evermore!”

I’ll share about the Old City on another day!!

 two views of the city

inside our hotel - David Citadel for the win

fresh flowers all over the hotel

high end open air mall directly across

from our hotel - lovely stores!!

street view of David Citadel

other buildings downtown

old city in the background

the pool at David Citadel

it was closed for

repairs when we were in town

J is for Jericho

We didn’t visit Jericho this year but we did in 2016. Jericho lies 1300 feet below sea level in a plain traversed by the River Jordan. Jericho is known as “the city of palms” and the dates from this area were delicious!

Two of my favorite Bible stories (I have lots of favorites!) take place in Jericho. One is written about in Joshua 6:

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

The story goes on to tell us that “the walls came tumbling down.”

The other story is found in Luke 19:

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

I guess I love both of these stories because of the songs we sang as children!

Did you know that in the first century BC, Mark Anthony presented the city of Jericho to Cleopatra, who leased it to Herod??

the two pics above are self

explanatory but this one . . .

this is supposedly

Zaccheus' tree

J is for Jordan River

I will share about the baptismal site on the Jordan River on another day (hopefully, you will keep reading!). I will remind you that the children of Israel crossed the River Jordan opposite Jericho when they came into the Promised Land (Joshua 3). Naaman dipped in the waters seven times and was cured of his leprosy. You can read about it in 2 Kings chapter 5.

The Jordan River flows through the Huley valley and the Sea of Galilee via the Jordan Valley, spilling into the northern end of the Dead Sea. As the river winds and twists its way south, the land becomes increasingly barren until it reaches the Judean desert.

Jordan River

Brian flying his drone over the Jordan

River - drone is a story for

another day

Jordan River

J is for Jaffa

Jaffa was our last stop before heading to the airport and I would have loved to spend some time wandering the streets. Jaffa is Hebrew for beautiful. Jaffa has been important on the ancient trade route which connected Egypt with Mesopotamia and the north. Want to hear an interesting legend?  Legend has it that the founder of Jaffa was Japhet, son of Noah!!

Today, one of the main attractions in this town is the Artist’s Quarter – I would have loved visiting that area.

We ate dinner in a restaurant in a large tent. We were served family style with plates and bowls of food for each table to share. I apologized to the waiter for the amount of food left in some of our bowls and he said not to worry. There were many local cats (one wandered through the tent while we were eating) and they would feed the leftovers to the cats!!

I used a similar picture on C for camel

but the restaurant in Jaffa in right

behind me

I searched high and low for a good picture of the area

where we ate dinner and I found this fun

map of Jaffa instead. Makes me want to

go back and wander around!!