This Holy Week my wife Ellen and I joined 15,000 jubilant Christians for a Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage on the Mount of Olives to Old City Jerusalem. On this photo the multitude is descending the Mount of Olives into Kidron Valley. At top center is the golden Dome of the Rock where the temple stood in the first century. Seemed like people from every nation on earth were in this throng. Lots of singing, many cultures and languages—a foretaste of heaven. But we missed our Palestinian friends who live just a few miles away on the other side of The Wall, many of whom cannot get permission to enter.

When Jesus came down this road on a donkey, the multitude sang praises. But Jesus wept over the city, saying, “If only you had recognized the things that make for peace!”

Then he went into the temple, upturned tables of the moneychangers, and said, “My house shall be a house of prayer for all nations . . .” All nations. Tear down that wall!

Pray for peacemakers in Israel and Palestine who have a heart for justice.

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Want to visit Bible lands? My fall 2023 pilgrimage to Jordan/Palestine/Israel is booked full, but there still is room on a splendid tour to Egypt for this October. See: https://tourmagination.com/tour/2023-egypt/

For info on my 2024 pilgrimage to Jordan/Palestine/Israel, see: https://tourmagination.com/…/2024-journey-of-hope…/

The main focus of my tours is on biblical sites and connections with ever-present concern for current justice issues. We travel as a pilgrim band—learning, worshipping, singing, feasting, and generally having a good time. You’ll never read the Bible the same again. Would love to have you join me!