Palm Sunday 2020

I have been reflecting on my visits to Israel in the summer of 2017 and 2018.  The experience was awe-inspiring and even to this day, I continue to learn from the encounters with people, places, dates, and faces.  One of the sites that capture my attention is the eastern gate in the old city walls.  It is not certain that the existing gate is the one that existed during the time of the Second Temple and the time of Jesus.  A curious think about it, though, is that it is closed.  There are various stories about why this happened.  One account says it is shut until the coming of the Messiah.  Another tale explains that it remains closed to prevent the coming of the Anti-Christ.  Its shape reminds me of the tablets that Moses brings down the mountain in the movie “The Ten Commandments.”

Eastern Gate in the Western Wall, Jerusalem (Summer 2017) LFL

Western Wall (Summer 2017) LFL

Jerusalem taken from Mount of Olives (Summer 2017) LFL