Ancient Tree & Older Gate

Some of the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are reputed to be more than 2,000 years old. Did Jesus pray here or near by? Just being in that vicinity is an amazing stop on the journey that turned pilgrimage. As we walked from the church along this pathway, the tree was to our right. If we looked to our left, we saw the ancient Golden Gate to Jerusalem, the gate whereby Jesus entered the city. With the gate now closed, the power of the scene is clearly unmistakable.

Gethsemane

Upon our arrival in the Jerusalem area, we started outside the gates of the city in the well-known Garden of Gethsemane. Here we see two mosaics inside the beautiful church there, in the garden where Jesus prayed while his apostles could not help but fall asleep. One is a floor mosaic featuring the "Chi Rho" symbols in the Greek alphabet, the long-time symbol of Christians. Modern people who are offended at the term "X-mas" for Christmas do not realize the long history of Chi, which looks like an X, as a respectful insignia for Christ. The lower mosaic is on the wall near the altar area, depicting Jesus at prayer.