Gateway Teams

The steps Jesus was led up heading to Caiaphus' house.

GYI Israel continued...


March 11, 2008 (journal)

Our morning session was one of worship and a message by Australian Campus Crusade National Director Bill Hodgson. Bill spoke on the Good Soil that Jesus spoke about where the seed bore fruit and how that Good Soil would be where movements of multiplication would begin. I also went to the elective session on Josiah Venture’s work in Eastern Europe which was definitely inspiring to hear of their work in 11 different countries.

We began our time in Jerusalem on this day with a stop at the location of the house of Caiaphus where there is a church commemorating the place where Peter denied Christ 3 times. Prisoners’ quarters are there including a deep pit of which Christ would have been kept in below the present church building. Also of significance is a staircase up the adjoining hill where there is almost full certainty that Christ would have been brought up these stairs to be questioned by Caiaphus and then taken away to see Pilate. We spent some time alone on these stairs reflecting on what Jesus endured in this place and how he was deserted by even those closest to Him. It was quite a meaningful time.

From there we went to the Garden of Gethsemane and had the opportunity to sit among the olive trees and pray in those groves across from the east wall of Jerusalem and the Kidron Valley where Jesus prayed for us before He died. There is also a church next to the Garden that has beautiful pictures depicting Jesus’ arrest where we had time to pray and think about Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane some of which are estimated to be close to 2000 years old.

We then headed to the ‘Garden Tomb’ site which is located right next to a rock formation that bears a significant resemblance to a “Skull”. The tomb is in a Garden and according to our guide this site has a number of resemblances to the descriptions in Scripture of the place where Jesus was laid after His crucifixion. The most significant thing about the tomb however, is that it’s empty! And of course, it doesn’t matter where Jesus’ tomb is because it is empty! This is all of course the cause of much speculation as the “Church of the Holy Sepulcher” is traditionally known as the site of Golgotha…but…

The "Garden Tomb". I'm smiling because it's empty!

All 250 of us then headed up to the top of the Mount of Olives, of which Gethsemane is located at the bottom. And as we gathered at the top of Mount to commemorate where Jesus ascended to heaven, Dann Spader excitedly and quickly (because there was a freezing wind blowing!) shared about Jesus ascension from this place but also that He promised to return as well to this very same spot! Wow! All praise be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ forever and ever!
But we weren’t quite finished yet! One final session still awaited us back at the hotel as Dave Patty shared on the 3 final conversations of Jesus at breakfast, in Galilee and in Jerusalem…and….the long-awaited GYI Summit at Jerusalem was over! But not really… as a majority of the conference participants would begin a 5-day study tour in Israel.

Dann Spader speaking to our entire group on the Mt. of Olives. To the west, a beautiful sunset over the old city of Jerusalem with the Temple Mount and the Kidron Valley in the foreground.

Also of note, are the many conversations and networking opportunities that were afforded during our days together here; divine appointments from which only God knows what will happen down the road. Over 50 countries are represented here at the GYI Summit and it’s going to be exciting to see how God uses all of these new friendships that have developed!