Bethphage lies at the bottom of the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. That’s where Jesus asked his disciples to go find him a donkey to ride on as he made his way into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. It seems as if Jesus’ reputation as a miracle-worker had preceded him. I always had the feeling that the reception he got must have surprised him, but, of course, the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a messiah, and many of them thought Jesus was the one they were waiting for. So, they welcomed him with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna”, believing him to be the great leader who would rally an army behind him and drive the occupying Romans out of Judea. How disappointed the Jews must have been when they heard Jesus’ message of peace and love of enemy.
Bethphage was once upon a time an easy walk from Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus. Today the Israeli separation wall gets in the way. Bethany is outside the Jerusalem “bubble”, and Bethphage is inside. If Jesus and his friends had wanted to walk from Bethany to Bethphage this Palm Sunday, they would have had to go several kilometres out of their way to an Israeli checkpoint to present their travel permits. If they were living in the West Bank, they wouldn’t have got to Bethphage at all! West Bankers don’t get into Jerusalem unless they work there, and Jesus could not have claimed a place of employment.
Palm Sunday 2008 was a beautiful, sunny day with a clear blue sky and a temperature in the low 20's. The procession began at Lazarus’s tomb in Bethany and got as far as the separation wall on the western edge of the town. It was for West Bank Palestinian Christians who are not permitted to enter Jerusalem.
Bethphage was once upon a time an easy walk from Bethany where Jesus raised Lazarus. Today the Israeli separation wall gets in the way. Bethany is outside the Jerusalem “bubble”, and Bethphage is inside. If Jesus and his friends had wanted to walk from Bethany to Bethphage this Palm Sunday, they would have had to go several kilometres out of their way to an Israeli checkpoint to present their travel permits. If they were living in the West Bank, they wouldn’t have got to Bethphage at all! West Bankers don’t get into Jerusalem unless they work there, and Jesus could not have claimed a place of employment.
Palm Sunday 2008 was a beautiful, sunny day with a clear blue sky and a temperature in the low 20's. The procession began at Lazarus’s tomb in Bethany and got as far as the separation wall on the western edge of the town. It was for West Bank Palestinian Christians who are not permitted to enter Jerusalem.
Those of us on the Jerusalem side of the wall gathered at the Bethphage Church with its beautiful murals depicting Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There were hundreds of us pilgrims! We first jammed into the church to have our palm and olive branches blessed, and then we assembled outside to begin our ascent of the Mount of Olives.
Beside the church the ruins of a house demolished by the Israeli authorities are a stark reminder of the Israeli occupation.
Troupes of Palestinian brownies, cubs, scouts, and guides representing various Christian congregations led the procession, followed by vested clergy and community officials in their traditional garb. We were well guarded by gun-toting Israeli soldiers. We reached the top of the Mount of Olives just above Dominus Flevit and went down the west side past the Garden of Gethsemane. We crossed the Kidron Valley and entered Old Jerusalem through Lion’s Gate, ending the procession in the precincts of St. Anne Cathedral where a closing liturgy was read by the priests of St. Anne.
Beside the church the ruins of a house demolished by the Israeli authorities are a stark reminder of the Israeli occupation.
Troupes of Palestinian brownies, cubs, scouts, and guides representing various Christian congregations led the procession, followed by vested clergy and community officials in their traditional garb. We were well guarded by gun-toting Israeli soldiers. We reached the top of the Mount of Olives just above Dominus Flevit and went down the west side past the Garden of Gethsemane. We crossed the Kidron Valley and entered Old Jerusalem through Lion’s Gate, ending the procession in the precincts of St. Anne Cathedral where a closing liturgy was read by the priests of St. Anne.
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