When I walked in the footsteps of Jesus...
Been there, going there!
Whether you are – or are not – a true believer, it’s impossible to deny that tomorrow is tomorrow because of one person. And, no, it’s not Santa Claus. It’s Jesus. And it got me thinking about the various ‘Jesus moments’ I have had on my travels over the years and the ones that left their mark on me. Needless to say, most of them I experienced in that tranche of territory we refer to as The Holy Land.
Effectively, for Christians, that means places that make any kind of an appearance in the Bible, across Old and New Testaments, so, in reality, The Holy Land stretches from Syria to Egypt, taking in the Sinai peninsula, parts of Jordan and, of course, the most prime areas of all – Israel and the Palestinian territories.
So which places, with specific Jesus associations, have made the biggest impression on me?
THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, BETHLEHEM
The church itself I remember as being big and a bit gloomy, with nothing in particular to commend it. Until I stepped into the part inside that’s known as the Grotto.
With the church built over the precise spot where Jesus is believed to have been born, you enter this part and there, below the altar, is a bronze star with a Latin inscription. Translated, it says the following: ‘Here, of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ was born.’ Set aside, for a moment, all the over-the-top Christmas razzmatazz going on this weekend in Bethlehem, as it does every year.
Ignore the usual territorial stuff that is part and parcel of so many Israeli churches and which also exists here, with Franciscans, Greek Orthodox followers and the Armenian Church all claiming their stake. And concentrate instead on that one spot on the floor and what it represents.
I can still remember the tingle that went down my spine as I stared at it.
THE MOUNT OF THE BEATITUDES
Sitting on the grassy slope here one warm May morning, I closed my eyes and it wasn’t difficult to imagine Jesus, the prophet, preaching to the crowds in this beautiful spot.
This is where his ‘Sermon on the Mount’ took place, when he outlined eight Beatitudes. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’; ‘blessed are the meek’; ‘blessed are the pure in heart’… these all dated from this particular place.
There’s a beautiful church here nowadays, Italian in design, with quotations from the Beatitudes displayed on its walls. Nothing beats just sitting on the grassy slope, however, and looking down over the tranquil Sea of Galilee.
THE GARDEN TOMB
I’ve mentioned this spot in my column before. It is, for me, one of the most moving places with a Jesus connection I have ever visited.
There is some dispute (again!) about whether this is actually where he was laid to rest after his crucifixion but so beautiful is it – with its stone cave, its stunning garden and its sense of peace – that, if this place in east Jerusalem isn’t the genuine article, it doesn’t really matter because this is exactly the place you would wish for if you were choosing a final resting place for Jesus of Nazareth.
NAZARETH
The city itself is fascinating. I didn’t particularly take to any of the churches there, not even the Church of the Annunciation where the Angel Gabriel reportedly appeared to Mary, but I loved this bustling place. When Jesus was a child here, this, the hometown of his mother, would have been an insignificant enough place – a bit of a backwater in the Galilean hills. Now it’s the largest city in the northern district of Israel and the country’s most Arab city. When I visited it was like a tale of two towns, some parts shining examples of modernity, with others still harking back to the past. Laden donkeys, for example, were vying with cars on the roads of the city.
THE SHEPHERDS’ FIELDS
Quite barren when I visited, this area on the edge of Bethlehem is said to be where the shepherds were watching their flocks when ‘a host’ of angels appeared to tell them of the birth of Jesus.
As with everything else here, disputes abound, with different religious groups all claiming their own specific ‘fields’. Still, just standing here and looking out across this landscape (you are close to the desert here) there is something altogether humbling about the experience.
THE LAST SUPPER ROOM, JERUSALEM
Not the specific room but allegedly built on the site of the room where Jesus and the disciples celebrated the Passover, their last gathering together before his crucifixion.
Then inside the city walls, it’s now outside, on Mount Zion, and built above what is believed to be the Tomb of David. Nowadays it’s a large, fairly bare chamber, with a flagstone floor and Gothic arch detail.
Maybe it’s because there’s a slight eeriness to it; because I was asked to cover my head, and because we’ve all seen so many artistic depictions of The Last Supper, but I found my brief visit here extraordinarily affecting.