Gethsemane

8:00 AM, Friday 12 November 2010,  I arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane. How many times over the years have I thought, talked, taught, and prayed about the Garden of Gethsemane? Oh to truly understand what occured here is the single most important desire of my heart!  I don't know that it can be completely understood in a thousand lifetimes let alone one.

This is the entry into the Garden of Gethsemane that we were able to use.

An olive tree that may have been there when Christ was, but really who is to know such a thing?

Olive trees are special in the Holy Land. The olive branch is universally reagarded as a symbol of peace.  This tree provides food, light, heat, lumber, ointments and medicine. It is now, as it was then, crucial to life in Israel. It is not a deciduous tree, but everlasting - always green. Even if the tree is chopped down, life will spring from its roots, suggesting everlasting life. Jewish tradition often refers to the olive tree as the tree of life.

The 3 of us in the Garden after our "devotional". We had some time to ponder on where we were and the signifigance of what occured at or near this site. (Oh so lucky to be here!) 

This is a view of the Golden Gate or the "Beautiful Gate" as refered to in Acts 3. This is the only visible entrance into the city of Jerusalem from the East. This gate was walled up by the Arabs in the year 810. It has remained closed now for nearly 12 centuries. I took this picture from the Garden of Gethsemane.  Can you tell what is in front of the Golden Gate?

Well it is a graveyard! Why a graveyard in front of the Golden Gate? There are several reasons, but I will just point out what I find interesting. "The Golden Gate has long interested many Muslims, most Jews and Christians as the place of the Last Judgement. Since the Messiah was to come from the East it was concluded that his judgement would be at the eastern gate. This is one reason for the many Muslim, Christian and Jewish graves to the Eastern slopes of the Temple Mount, in the Kidron Valley, and on the Western slopes of the Mount of Olives.  Because of the Messianic association with the Golden Gate adherents to all three faiths have wanted to be buried as close as possible to the Golden Gate.  The assumption was the the dead in the immediate vicinity would be the first to be raised." This particular picture is of the Muslim cemetery that covers the eastern Temple Mount hillside up to and surrounding the Golden Gate.

This is a view of the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane from the Temple Mount.

This is a plaque dedicated to Orson Hyde. This park is located right next to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives.

This is a view of the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden, I guess alot of "unsavory characters" use this area to transact various deals, so one does not want to be here at night or alone. (too bad)

In the fore front of this picture is the wall to the Garden of Gethsemane where we had our devotional. I am taking this picture from the Orson Hyde Park. In the distance is the Temple Mount with the Golden Gate and the Dome of the Rock.

Kelly, Mike and Dixie Dee in the Orson Hyde Park with the famous Dome of the Rock in the background. A very nice moring indeed! I love the fact that I have olive leaves from the Garden of Gethsemane in my scriptures and that we were able to sing sacrament hymns in Gethsemane. I have many things to ponder and to be grateful for.