This is a foto of a little shop inside the old city of Jerusalem where I visited in March. The man was kind enough to let me take his portrait. I found his square unit very interesting if not a little claustrophobic. Space is a premium inside the walls. In fact space in the entire region seems to be a premium. It is sad that each inch has to be contested and that people are displaced and killed in an effort to get the upper had, to take possession of the Holy Land. How ironic. I wonder what God thinks about this? The Associated Press early today ran a story about the Birthday celebrations in Jerusalem for Israel's 60th birthday. The first part of the story read like this….
AP Story / JERUSALEM – Israel staged its 60th birthday bash with fireworks, air force flyovers and a great sense of pride Thursday, but also with uncertainty about its future and doubts about prospects for peace with the Palestinians. Across the country, Israelis held barbecues in backyards and public parks, and were entertained by parachute jumps. Israel at 60 is a paradox of exuberance and despair — a country enduring near daily rocket attacks from militants while producing scientists who have pioneered Wi-Fi and instant messaging. Six decades after rising from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish state is still plagued by threats from abroad and an identity crisis at home.
I am not an expert on Israel's place in the Middle East, nor the world for that matter, but it does seem to me that indeed the country is in a delicate if not precarious place these days. In my recent trip to the old city in Jerusalem you could feel some of the underlying tension that reflects the broader conflict in the region. In all honestly, it felt a bit like a tinder box.
The ever present security forces and cameras seemed to monitor every step of every citizen and visitor alike, making sure nothing came out of joint in the balancing game within the walls of the city. At one point I had difficulty accessing a stairway to the ramparts on the city wall. I thought I would just leap a small fence and be done with it, thereby gaining entry to the coveted perimeter wall and viewpoints around the city. My friends persuaded me to think otherwise. Then I turned and saw a camera. I wasn't in Kansas, that is for sure.
The city does seem to thrive with commerce, but not like what I grew accustomed to in Europe. Things began to close down much, much earlier in the evening and it became hard to find a place to eat after 9:00 in the evening. That is kind of when things get going back in Barcelona. And here in the States you can at least get fast food almost 24 hours a day. Not in Jerusalem.
I left the city with some good memories but also a lot of questions. I also found, in comparison, that the city of Amman, Jordan was much friendlier. I have no major conclusions to draw at this point as to why. These are just the simple observations of my first trip to the region. I wonder what Jesus thinks about the city today. Does he still weep?
I think He’s still weeping. Still longing to gather them beneath His wings.