Set Thy Face Towards Jerusalem

I was 13 years old the first time I met someone who had actually been to Jerusalem. I couldn’t believe it!  She’d recently been a student at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. I didn’t even know that existed! I sat transfixed as she told a few stories.

She served as a sister missionary in our stake.  My Beehive advisor asked the sister missionaries to talk to us on a Mutual night. She shared a few stories about gaining a testimony—in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem!  The Holy City!  I’d been reading stories and singing songs about Jerusalem my whole life! Somehow I never realized I could actually go there. Suddenly I wanted to walk its streets and see places I’d read about. I wanted to be where the Savior had been. Going there became one of my big three goals—mission, college, Jerusalem.

[G]et thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.

[S]et thy face toward Jerusalem.

I did.

The semester I planned to go, the Persian Gulf War broke out and BYU suspended the study abroad.  At the next possible opportunity, with skud missiles still flying across the borders during the summer of 1991, I went.

I’d never, ever flown before. I had an entire section to myself on the flight out of Midland, Texas, but kept my nose pressed to the window almost the whole time. I had an interminably long layover in New York’s JFK.  I noticed some BYU looking students. They were students on the study abroad, too.

It Was Real

Finally, we landed at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and took a bus to Jerusalem. I felt something when I touched the land. I didn’t know I could “feel” land before that moment. I can feel land. I definitely felt that land.

I’d moved 28 times by the time I moved into the Jerusalem Center on the Mount Scopus, right next to the Mount of Olives. For the first time in my life, a physical place felt like home.

I lived minutes away from Gethsemane, right outside of Jerusalem’s walls, a 20-minute walk to a garden tomb near a hill in the shape of a skull.

As I worshipped in weekly Sacrament meetings, I’d stare through the glass walls towards Gethsemane and the Temple Mount across Kidron’s brook. I realized like never before, IT WAS REAL. The places are REAL. The spaces are REAL.  The events are REAL.

And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead. He triumphantly entered Jerusalem’s gate riding a donkey, symbolizing peaceful kingship, amid shouts of Hosanna with palm fronds strewn along His path. He cleansed the temple, was anointed with oil and prophesied of his death. He entered an upper room to commemorate Passover, His Passover, with apostles. He instituted the sacrament. He washed their feet. They sang a hymn.

Finishing the Work

They walked to Gethsemane. And there, the Lord of the universe, Creator of heaven and earth, Begotten of the Father, thrice fell on His face in agony, redeeming fallen man’s infinite debt.

Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

Betrayed by Judas to an anticipating mob, Jesus replaced a severed ear and saw His friends flee.

He endured false trials, false accusations, false pretenses. As the cock crow, He looked at His chief apostle who just denied him a third time. He stood as His nation condemned Him. “Crucify Him!”

He stood before kings and priests. Yet, He alone was Prophet, Priest, and King.

He endured scourging, 40 stripes save 1. He carried His cross until He could not carry it any farther.

Soldiers pounded nails into His feet and the palms of His hands. They fastened nails in the sure place. As His body reacted to torture, soldiers parted His raiment, the crowd mocked everything about Him. His mother and other women stood nearby.

The horrors of Gethsemane returned as He hung on the cross.

Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

And then, it was finished!  He gave up the ghost.

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

The temple’s veil rent and so did the bands of death and hell. He organized the righteous souls in Paradise. And He resurrected on the third day!

Easter Forever More

That Easter morn, a grave that burst

Proclaimed to man that “Last and First”

Had ris’n again

And conquered pain.

This morn renews for us that day

When Jesus cast the bonds away,

Took living breath

And conquered death.

Thus we in gratitude recall

And give our love and pledge our all,

Shed grateful tear

And conquer fear.

Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

May Jerusalem always be “home” to each of us because of the price paid for us there by Jesus Christ.