Gethsemane

 In church today, we had a man speak who is/was an emergency room doctor.  He told us of some of the abounding grief that he has witnessed over the years.  One example was an extended family reunion to honor the patriarch of a family on his birthday. After an idyllic afternoon, everyone gathered in the driveway to say goodbye to grandpa.  A 2 year old holding a ball raised her hand to wave goodbye, lost the ball and dived under the car at the exact moment grandpa put the car in gear.  Dr Chapman said that the grief of the family was so palpable and unbearable that he had to leave the room. He could not bear their grief

 Another doctor tried to give us some perspective on what kind of pain Christ endured.  They say that when some experiences amputation that they will bleed from a few pores at the site.  Once a woman was involved in an airplane crash.  The forward thrust of her seat on impact broke her back a little below the waist.  She bled from pores at the site

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might no suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink--Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men
D&C 19:16-19

The Temple Mount

 From Bethesda and Lions Gate, the scriptures tell us that Jesus went up to the temple mount and again cleansed the temple area of the money changers and the irreverent din of animals and business

The perimeter of the temple mount was surrounded by beautiful covered archways built by Herod... like these

and the people gathered to hear Jesus speak and to be taught and healed.  Here the priests and rulers gathered to challenge his authority and his doctrine.  Here they plotted his death

Choosing the Sacrificial Lamb

 When Jesus entered Jerusalem to the waving of palm branches with palm branches carpeting the path before him, cloaks being spread beneath him, he would have passed the pool of Bethesda, the sheep pool.  Here were gathered flocks of sheep to be washed and presented to the temple priests for the upcoming Passover feast

According to tradition, one of them would have been chosen, on that very day, Palm Sunday, as THE sacrificial lamb... That most perfect, beautiful and unblemished lamb... the lamb of their passover from slavery to freedom, to be the first to be slain, precisely at 3:00 p.m., on Friday, at the altar of the temple and whose blood would be sprinkled by the high priest upon the mercy seat in the holy of holies... the only time of the year that any mortal would enter that sacred room.  That lamb would be the only lamb to be burned entirely.  All the others would have only selected portions burned while the rest was returned to the families for their passover feast

Palm Sunday

 Sunday, we took the opportunity to join part of the Palm Sunday procession from Bethpage to the Lion's gate.  The paper said there was a white donkey at the front of the procession, but we talked with some of our branch members who made it to the front and they saw no donkey.  There were many vendors selling palm branches

 One of the friars approached me and when he found out that were were from Utah, he said that Orson Hyde had stayed at this very church when he visited Jerusalem to dedicate Israel for the return of the Jews.  This is the Palm Sunday church.  Inside the church is the the rock that Jesus mounted the donkey from.  It was obvious that those of the Middle ages thought Jesus must have mounted a large stallion and not a lowly donkey

 I thought this little nun was so cute.  People gathering in the courtyard of the church by nations and groups.  Our favorite part was listening to the various groups.  It was a very lively group, obviously very happy and trying, each in their own way to show the Lord who happy they would be to see Him again

One of Jeremy's fun mirror images

There were thousands of people and more were added as we trekked about 3 1/2 miles down the hill

Passover/Easter is COMING!!!

 Jeremy and I happened on several boys having their Bar Mitzveh.  It reminds me of the importance of our young 12 year old boys receiving the Aaronic Priesthood.  It was quite a celebration.  Here you see the candidate walking under the canopy

 They were followed by the blowing of the shofar, drums and even small trumpets and the singing of Jewish hymns.  It was very exciting!  They serenaded them from the Jewish quarter down the Western wall

 I am not sure, but I think they are dressed in similar costumes that I have seen in a couple of windows of the temple institute, that the Jews think they wore to the temple in the second temple period

 Here they are lifting up their precious young man, dressed in a prayer shawl, his head covered in deference before God  and before the holy words of the Lord, in the hope that he will treasure them for all of his life

First time I have seen the Torah open