Post by Paddy by Grace on Sept 6, 2008 18:30:19 GMT -7
by haRold Smith
from Jerusalem, Israel
Walking in the Old City of Jerusalem one day, I came upon St. Alexander's Russian Orthodox Chapel at the beginning of the via Dolorosa (the street Yeshua was forced to carry His cross down on the way to being crucified at Golgotha). Through the centuries, the city has undergone many restructurings where entrances, or gates, are torn down or re-built. So, inside this Chapel, I was surprised to find much of the original wall of the city where the Judgment Gate had been located, had been preserved and kept intact. This was the gate under which Pilate pronounced judgment on Yeshua and He began His arduous journey to death on the cross. The opening shown in this picture is an actual "eye of the needle", spoken of in Matthew 19:23-30
where Yeshua said it was easier for a camel to pass through than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. These were small passageways next to every gate in the city of Jerusalem where people could pass through and were the only way in and out after the gates would be locked at night to keep enemies at bay. They are very narrow and are less than 5 feet tall, so one has to stoop over and squeeze through in order to gain entrance to the other side. As you can see, it would be impossible for a fully grown camel to slide through this small opening. What became very intriguing was the information provided that ric h men of the day were extremely resistant to utilize this passageway because it would cause them to have to stoop over in order to get through and many were too proud to do so - considering it beneath their "position" among the social ranking of their community.
from Jerusalem, Israel
Walking in the Old City of Jerusalem one day, I came upon St. Alexander's Russian Orthodox Chapel at the beginning of the via Dolorosa (the street Yeshua was forced to carry His cross down on the way to being crucified at Golgotha). Through the centuries, the city has undergone many restructurings where entrances, or gates, are torn down or re-built. So, inside this Chapel, I was surprised to find much of the original wall of the city where the Judgment Gate had been located, had been preserved and kept intact. This was the gate under which Pilate pronounced judgment on Yeshua and He began His arduous journey to death on the cross. The opening shown in this picture is an actual "eye of the needle", spoken of in Matthew 19:23-30
where Yeshua said it was easier for a camel to pass through than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. These were small passageways next to every gate in the city of Jerusalem where people could pass through and were the only way in and out after the gates would be locked at night to keep enemies at bay. They are very narrow and are less than 5 feet tall, so one has to stoop over and squeeze through in order to gain entrance to the other side. As you can see, it would be impossible for a fully grown camel to slide through this small opening. What became very intriguing was the information provided that ric h men of the day were extremely resistant to utilize this passageway because it would cause them to have to stoop over in order to get through and many were too proud to do so - considering it beneath their "position" among the social ranking of their community.
