Reflections by Judy Harris: Significant Days in Christianity's Historical Timeline during Holy Week
In the heart of Northern Kentucky, a distinguished educator named Judy Harris has spent her career shaping the minds of future teachers. With a graduate degree from Thomas More, she began her career at the university in 1980, introducing students to national and international travel experiences. However, our focus today is not on her academic life but on a remarkable journey she took almost three decades ago.
In 1999, Judy Harris, along with an Israel fellowship group, embarked on a pilgrimage to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. This holy site, located on the eastern slopes of Jerusalem, holds significant historical and religious importance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
As the group made their way through the ancient cemetery on the Mount of Olives, they encountered many rectangular concrete boxes, laid without an obvious pattern on the land. These burial boxes are the resting places of Jewish people who chose to be buried close to the Jerico Road, a gate that holds deep symbolism in Jewish tradition.
The group found themselves in the Garden of Gethsemane, a copse of small trees providing shade. From this serene location, they had a breathtaking view of Jerusalem, including the Dome of the Rock. This ancient structure is significant in the Genesis accounts and the histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. However, the group was not just admiring the historical landmarks; they were standing where Jesus and the apostles gathered on a fateful night.
The events that unfolded in the Garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in the Bible, began with Jesus praying while the apostles nodded off. It was during this peaceful moment that Roman soldiers came and arrested Jesus, marking the beginning of his trial, torture, and crucifixion. For Christians, this event would be The Second Coming of Christ.
The speaker's group had a profound realization of the significance of the location they stood in. For them, it was a poignant reminder of the sacred history that permeates the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Mount of Olives is also where the raising of the dead is believed to begin, according to Jewish writings and tradition. The Messiah, it is said, will come to reclaim Jerusalem, enter through the Golden Gate, and the dead will rise to go in with him.
Judy Harris, now retired, still stays in daily contact with university students. Her journey to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane serves as a testament to her lifelong passion for learning and exploration.
Holy Week church services, attended by Judy's family through generations, emphasize Maundy Thursday services, which focus on Jesus washing his apostles' feet, the sacredness of the meal, symbolism of bread and wine, and his betrayal. As Charles Spurgeon once said, a person goes to a place to pray, willing to suffer and die.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Judy Harris and her fellow travellers stood in the footsteps of history, bearing witness to a sacred story that continues to resonate today.
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