Come to Israel, Day 3

In my earlier posts, I forgot to mention that Jim and Mary Lovelace, are the couple (and friends) who actually organized this trip of a lifetime. As our coordinators, they were responsible for making sure that, a) we were enjoying the trip, b) we were ready to leave on time each day and, c) we all made it onto – or back onto – the bus. You would think this would be easy with a group of adults, but you’d be wrong! Leo was constantly telling them that we had to move faster, or we could miss something important. But we wanted to see everything wherever we went!

To “help us out”, Leo had started calling out “Hubba hubba!” whenever we were going to slow. Now don’t quote me, but I’m pretty sure “Hubba hubba”! means “move it, MOVE IT!”

As we headed out for Bethany, Mary and Jim reminded us that we really did need to move a little faster… but even as we walked up to the church built over the site of Lazarus’ house, I knew it would be hard to do. And as we would learn, having to see everything could also be costly.

To get to the Church of Lazarus, we walked through and around the remains of the original

churches – those built in the time of the crusaders and the later Byzantine church. The different levels of walls show where the different churches were built, with the latest church right above them. The first level is also from the church that Helena built in the 300’s, when everyone still visited the sites where everything related to Jesus had been. Lazarus was quite famous in his time, very rich, quite generous, and highly respected, so the people of Israel knew exactly where to venerate his home – and his gravesite. Thankfully, we did not have to use the ladder get up to the new church!

On our way inside, I noticed a sign with an arrow pointing at a tall set of stairs, to the Tomb of Lazarus. Then, while we were taking pictures inside the church, (this one is the Chapel of the Resurrection) I overheard Leo saying that we might not have time to visit the tomb. Well, there was only one tomb in the area, and I wanted a picture!

(Now I’m not normally quite this stubborn, but I’d read so much about Lazarus and the miracle of Jesus raising him from the dead that I couldn’t be this close to the real thing and not at least try to see the tomb!)

Promising our friends and Jess that I’d only be gone 5 minutes, I raced up this steep set of stairs – and then another, wider and longer set – to the site of the tomb.

When I got up there, a tour group of about 50 people were getting instructions outside the door, while they waited to go inside. Since the last person from the group before this one was just now starting down the stairs, I realized there wouldn’t be time for our group to go in. So, I begged my way through the line to grab a picture of the opening to the tomb.

On my way back down, I also snapped pictures of signs explaining the tomb’s location and design.

When I took the picture of the entrance, I had been able to see steps leading down to the dark door, and that had bothered me.  I mean, when Jesus called for Lazarus to come out, he was bound from head to toe in funeral wrappings!  There was no way he could have hopped up all those stairs!

Thankfully, when everyone on the bus wanted to see my picture, Leo explained that the door at the top of the stairs was not the original tomb entrance – that had been further back in a field; over the years, too many visitors had caused damage to it, so eventually the new entrance was built.

Much later I found this picture online, that another pilgrim had taken of the inside of Lazarus’ tomb, and I was shocked that the steps I’d seen actually led right down to the tomb itself!

My five minutes were well up when I hurried to rejoin our group.  We finished touring the church, snapping pictures of the mosaics and altar, depicting the well-known scenes from the bible including Lazarus’s resurrection.

Martha complaining to Jesus about Mary

            Jesus calling for Lazarus to come out!

We even walked through the garden behind the church, which was unexpected, but also lovely and very relaxing.

By the time we headed back out the front doors of the church, then across a small square and up all of the stairs to Lazarus’ tomb, there were hundreds of people lining the stairs ahead of us, waiting to get into the tomb.  As Leo had accurately predicted, we truly didn’t have the time to see it.

After we were all back on the bus and heading out, Leo explained why it was so important that Lazarus was in the tomb for four days – he told us the Jewish people believe that the soul only leaves the body on the 3^rd day after death.  Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days when Jesus raised him. (And, of course, Jesus himself was in the tomb for 3 days before his resurrection.)