IT'S SHOCKING TO SEE HOW JERUSALEM HAS EXPANDED
AND CHANGED THROUGH THE CENTURIES.
AND TODAY THERE'S NOT JUST ONE FAITH TRADITION HERE, BUT THREE.
JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM ALL SHARE THE SKYLINE
AND STORY OF JERUSALEM.
GOD CHOSE JERUSALEM'S LOCATION EVEN THOUGH
IT LACKED THE ADVANTAGES OF MOST CAPITAL CITIES.
BUT WHAT MADE JERUSALEM DISTINCT
FROM EVERY OTHER CITY IN THE WORLD
WAS GOD'S PRESENCE IN THIS SPACE.
IF JERUSALEM IS THE CENTER OF THE LAND OF PROMISE,
THIS IS ITS BEATING HEART.
YOU CAN FEEL THE LIFE OF JERUSALEM HERE,
AND IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY.
IT'S BECAUSE THE LORD CHOSE THIS PLACE, MAKING SOMETHING
THAT IT WASN'T BEFORE INTO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY,
THE PLACE WHERE THE ALMIGHTY GOD DWELT
AND LIVED IN A SPECIAL WAY.
THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON, BUILT EXACTLY WHERE WE SEE
THE GOLDEN DOME OF THE ROCK BEHIND US, IS THAT PLACE.
HE PUT A BUILDING ON THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY
SO THAT HE COULD LIVE IN THIS SPACE,
AND THROUGH THAT BUILDING IN THIS SPACE HE SENT A MESSAGE
TO THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE IN NO OTHER LOCATION.
HE SAID, "I AM ONE AND I AM WITH YOU."
GOD SAYS, "I AM ONE," BECAUSE HE SAYS, "I JUST NEED ONE TEMPLE."
IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN WORLD THERE WERE MANY DEITIES
AND SO THE HILLS WERE PEPPERED WITH TEMPLES,
NOT HERE. ONE TEMPLE, ONE GOD.
THE MOMENT THAT TEMPLE WAS FOUNDED AT THE TIME OF SOLOMON
THE DIVINE PRESENCE CAME DOWN IN THE FORM OF A FIRE
AND FILLED THE PLACE. IT WAS HOW GOD SAYS,
"I AM PRESENT WITH YOU IN A UNIQUE FASHION."
CERTAINLY, GOD IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME,
I BELIEVE THAT. BUT HERE IN THIS PLACE,
HE SAID, "I'M PRESENT HERE IN A UNIQUE WAY."
THE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN WORLD HAD NEVER HEARD
OF SUCH POWERFUL THINGS, AND THE ONLY WAY
IN WHICH GOD WAS GOING TO GET THAT NEWS OUT
WAS TO CHOOSE TO DO IT THROUGH A PEOPLE AND PLACE.
AND IT IS THROUGH THE PEOPLE OF THIS LAND, THROUGH THAT PLACE,
THAT THESE UNIQUE THINGS GET SAID.
[MUSIC]
GOD'S PRESENCE GAVE JERUSALEM ITS VOICE AND ITS MISSION.
I WANT TO TAKE YOU TO WHERE THE TEMPLE ONCE STOOD AND
WHERE PEOPLE FROM ALL NATIONS STILL COME
TO REMEMBER GOD'S PRESENCE TODAY.
BUT TO GET THERE WE NEED TO CUT THROUGH THE OLD CITY STREETS.
FIRST THING FOR ME WHEN I WALK INTO THE OLD CITY
IS THE SMELL, THE SPICES AND THE AROMAS OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT
FOODS BEING MADE HERE THAT I DON'T SMELL AT HOME.
I KNOW I'M IN THE MIDDLE EAST WHEN I'M IN THE OLD CITY.
MORNING. HOW ARE YOU? I WONDER IF MY FRIEND ZAK IS HERE.
HOW ARE YOU, BROTHER? GOOD TO SEE YOU.
ZAK HAS ANTIQUITIES.
WHAT'S THE OLDEST PIECE FROM OLD TESTAMENT, ZAK,
THAT YOU HAVE IN HERE THAT YOU'RE NOT GONNA LET ME HOLD,
BECAUSE IF IT'S AT ALL FRAGILE,
I DON'T WANT TO DESTROY AN IRREPLACEABLE ITEM.
OH, WE'RE GOING INTO THE LOCKED CABINET.
OH, WOW, LOOK AT THIS. PILLAR FIGURINE, YES?
ZAK: YES, THIS IS THE GOD OF ASHTERAH.
TALKING IRON AGE.
JACK: YEAH, SO THE TIME OF SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON,
AND BEYOND A LITTLE BIT.
FOLKS, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS VERY THING.
REMEMBER THAT GOD CALLED HIS PEOPLE TO GIVE A UNIQUE
UNDERSTANDING OF HIM TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.
AND THIS IS THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIVINE
THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD BROUGHT TO GOD'S PEOPLE.
ZAK: AND YOU CAN SEE IT'S BEHEADED.
SO PROBABLY THE ISRAELITES CUT THE HEAD.
JACK: HELPING THE WORLD UNDERSTAND THERE IS ONE GOD,
RATHER THAN GOD AS MANY.
ZAK, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US TIME, BROTHER.
MOST OF THE JERUSALEM CITY STREETS WE'RE WALKING ON,
EVEN HERE IN THE OLD CITY,
ARE PROBABLY A GOOD EIGHT TO TEN FEET
ABOVE WHERE JERUSALEM OF BIBLE TIMES WAS.
BUT ALL THESE PAVERS MAKE THE PLACE FEEL OLD,
AND IT'S CERTAINLY THE SAME KIND OF STREETS
THAT PEOPLE WOULD HAVE WALKED IN BIBLE TIMES.
HOW ARE YOU DOING, MAN? GOOD TO SEE YOU.
DAD IS STILL WORKING?
SIOBHAN, SIOBHAN, SIOBHAN! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU!
SIOBHAN IS ONE OF MY OLDEST OLDEST FRIENDS IN THE OLD CITY,
AND A VERY CONNECTED MEMBER OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY HERE.
THANK YOU. WE'RE ON BREAK. WE'RE ON BREAK.
AND BAKLAVA! WELL, I DON'T KNOW...
GUYS, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN DO THE WHOLE BAKLAVA AND...
I KNOW, IT'S AMAZING.
YOU'VE GOTTA LOVE IT!
THIS KIND OF HOSPITALITY IS NOT MERE FORMALITY.
IT'S WARM, HEARTFELT AND SINCERE.
IT SAYS, "YOU ARE WELCOME HERE."
MAN: AS MUCH AS I LOVE THIS COUNTRY
AND AS MUCH AS I LOVE JERUSALEM,
I KNOW THE OTHER RELIGIONS HAVE THE SAME LOVE FOR THE CITY,
SO WE HAVE TO SHARE IT MORE THAN TO FIGHT FOR IT.
JACK: OUR JERUSALEM STORIES OVERLAP HERE, DON'T THEY?
I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE THERE'S THREE
DIFFERENT JERUSALEM STORIES. THERE'S ONE JERUSALEM STORY
AND WE ALL GRAB A LITTLE SIDE OF IT, RIGHT?
WHETHER WE'RE CHRISTIAN OR MUSLIM OR JEWISH,
WE ALL HAVE A LITTLE PART OF IT, YEAH.
IT IS SO WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU.
I'M SO EXCITED TO HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE YOU TODAY.
THANK YOU, GUYS.
WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE MARKETS THERE'S THIS
SENSE OF THE OLD MEETING THE NEW,
THE WEST MEETING THE EAST.
THE LANGUAGES ARE CLEARLY NOT THE LANGUAGES I HEAR AT HOME,
AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY I'M TRANSPORTED FROM
SORT OF THE WESTERN WORLD I LIVE INTO THE MIDDLE EAST.
IT'S SO HARD FOR ME TO WALK THROUGH JERUSALEM
WITHOUT SEEING FRIENDS. JOE, IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU BECAUSE YOU'LL APPRECIATE THIS CONTEXT:
IN THE LAST 30 MINUTES THAT I'VE WALKED HERE
I'VE MET A CHRISTIAN FRIEND, A MUSLIM FRIEND,
AND NOW AN OBSERVANT JEWISH FRIEND.
AND THAT'S JERUSALEM. THAT IS JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY,
THAT'S MY EXPERIENCE HERE, BROTHER.
JOE: WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR YEARS ALREADY.
WE'RE GOOD FRIENDS.
JACK: EVERYBODY KEEPS SAYING THAT THAT I'M MEETING HERE,
AND I'M FEELING OLDER AS I WALK THE STREET.
JOE: IT'S JUST WE'RE GETTING BLONDER. THAT'S ALL.
JACK: IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU, BROTHER. TAKE CARE.
I COME TO JERUSALEM TO TELL ITS STORIES,
AND AS I COME TO TELL ITS STORIES, I FIND THAT
MY STORY, JERUSALEM'S STORIES ARE MADE UP
OF THIS FABRIC OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE.
YOU'VE JUST MET IN THE LAST FEW MINUTES A CHRISTIAN,
A MUSLIM AND AN OBSERVANT JEWISH GENTLEMAN,
ALL OF WHOM I HAVE A LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH HERE.
THAT'S JERUSALEM.
GOD USED JERUSALEM TO SPEAK NOT ONLY TO ANCIENT ISRAEL,
BUT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD, AS WELL.
TODAY PEOPLE STILL COME TO REMEMBER THE TEMPLE.
THIS IS THE WESTERN RETAINING WALL
THAT SUPPORTED THE TEMPLE PLAZA ABOVE.
WORSHIPERS WANT TO BE AS CLOSE AS THEY CAN
TO WHERE THE TEMPLE ONCE STOOD.
MANY WRITE PRAYERS AND TUCK THEM INTO THE WALL
IN AN ACT OF FAITH THAT HERE THEY WILL BE HEARD.
I'VE SEEN PEOPLE COME INTO THIS SPACE
DURING VERY DIFFERENT SEASONS OF LIFE,
AND WATCHED HOW THE LORD USED WHAT JERUSALEM IS ALL ABOUT
TO MINISTER TO THEM.
ONE WAS SHORTLY AFTER MY DAD WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER,
AND IT WAS HIS DREAM TO COME HERE,
AND IT WAS THE LAST TRIP WE SHARED.
LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW,
JUST WITHIN MONTHS AFTER OUR TIME TOGETHER HERE
HE WOULD GO ON TO BE WITH THE LORD.
AND SO I SAW THE LORD GET HIM READY
FOR HIS PASSING IN THIS PLACE.
THE BROKENNESS OF THIS WORLD IS NOT A SPACE ANY OF US
WANTS US TO STAY IN OR LIVE FOREVER.
IN THOSE MOMENTS JERUSALEM IS NOT JUST A PLACE.
IT IS A MESSAGE OF PEACE AND HOPE AND JOY,
AND IT IS RESTORATIVE. IT'S A PLACE THAT TOUCHES PEOPLE
AT A LEVEL DEEPER THAN THE COGNITIVE. IT GOES TO THE HEART.
THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS PLACE.
I'M REALLY IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN SOME UNIQUE WAYS.
THERE'S A PROXIMITY TO THE ALMIGHTY HERE
THAT MAKES THE PLACE DIFFERENT THAN ANY PLACE ELSE.
IT'S STUNNING TO THINK THAT GOD'S PRESENCE WAS RIGHT HERE,
A PRESENCE THAT OFFERED FORGIVENESS TO THE WORLD.
THAT IS WHAT MADE JERUSALEM'S STORIES UNIQUE.
THINK ABOUT IT.
WHAT A PRIVILEGE IT WAS TO APPROACH A HOLY GOD HERE,
AND IT SEEMED LIKE GOD'S PRESENCE IN JERUSALEM
WOULD LAST FOREVER.