GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH Gaithersburg, Maryland

People and Places of the Passion A Lenten Sunday and Easter Sunday Series — The Year of Our Lord 2021

Days before the Crucifixion – Weeps Over the City of The – “Dominus Flevit’

The Fifth Sunday in Lent (Judica) 1 – March 21, 2021

I. The Western Slope of the Mount of Olives Or, we could say “the Eastern slope of the KIdron Valley. They are the same! Some years ago, I arose early in the morning, even before the first Islamic call for prayer that rings out before dawn from the minarets of all over Jerusalem. The goal was to watch the sunrise from a site half way up the Mount of Olives. For a while, the Mount of Olives shades the sunrise from reaching the Holy City. It did so in Jesus’ day as well. It is as if our Creator God begins to Dominus Flevit Church “paint” the walls of the Old City of “The Lord Wept” Jerusalem with a huge brush of the bright light of the morning. It crawls down the walls of that ancient city and as it brightens, it changes colors. I was told it would be awesome! And it was! One can believe that this was what Jesus was seeing as his entourage moved down the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem. It might have been at, or very near, the spot at which I was sitting, with my Bible in my lap. Today, that spot is where the full view of the Holy City first comes into view on the descent from Bethphage, the place from which Saint Luke tells us that Jesus’ two disciples

1. Judica – Judica is the ancient traditional title for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, giving this Sunday its traditional title of “Passion Sunday”. In our current lectionary, this title has been joined with Palm Sunday, the Sixth Sunday in Lent, giving it the name Palm-Passion Sunday, because this particular Sunday leads us into Holy Week. Today is in our current three year Ecumenical Lectionary the Fifth Sunday in Lent. For those denominations yet using an Introit, it could still be called Judica. The name comes from the opening word of verses 9 and 10 of Psalm 143 (KJV): “Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies! . . . Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God!”

Lenten Series – 2021 Session 5 of 7 Rev. 4 Pdf Page 1 borrowed the colt upon which Our Lord was riding down that slope and into the City.2 “And, came near to the city, he wept over it.”3 Sometimes our friends might say about an experience, “Well, you just have to be there!” This writer would altogether concur! So, let’s read the story, even though it flows over just a bit into our nest session and its topic of Palm Sunday. When he had come near Bethphage and 4, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.” As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and “He Wept Over It.” surround you, and hem you in on Simonet – 1892 every side. They will crush you to the

2. “The Lord has need of it” was the answer the two disciples gave the owner of the animal. Sounds awful much like a “Password.” We shall talk about that more next week.

3. Saint Luke 19: 41.

4. Bethphage and Bethany are rather close to one another, and to Jerusalem. Bethphage is about 1.2 miles from Jerusalem. Bethany is “less than 2 miles from Jerusalem.” They are both considered near or along the road to from Jerusalem.

Lenten Series – 2021 Session 5 of 7 Rev. 4 Pdf Page 2 ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”5

The view from the Dominus Flevit Church on the Mount of Olives is awesome. The architect for the church was the famed Italian architect, Antonio Barluzzi. The church is built in the unusual shape of a tear drop, recalling Our Lord’s weeping over Jerusalem. It is built over the ruins of a Byzantine6 church and monastery, which was destroyed during the Persian period. 7 During the Crusader period, a small chapel was built on the site but was destroyed after the fall of Jerusalem to the Muslim forces. View of Old City Across In the mid 20th century restoration of this site, the usual Kidron Valley east-west orientation of the church was changed to a west-east orientation. Looking closely at the Byzantine walls of the interior of the nave of the chapel, it is clear that the earlier orientation and tradition had been followed. The mid 20th century construction reversed this traditional orientation because this chapel was built to commemorate Jesus’ weeping over the city of Jerusalem. Worshipers can look through the chancel window and see the Old City much as Jesus saw it, though with some important changes in that site since the time of Our Lord. This view, shown above, is what is in front of gathered worshipers at Dominus Flevit. Outside of the chapel, shown at the left, the view is awesomely broad and View of the Old City of Jerusalem, and Beyond moving. Many a tour group has their group picture taken with this view as a background.

5. Saint Luke 19:29 - 44. (NRSV)

6. The and Era in the region of the Holy Land extends from before the mid 4th century until the Fall of Jerusalem to the Muslim forces in 1187 CE, near the end of the 12th Century. The Crusader Church at the site of the present Dominus Flevit Church was destroyed sometime after this latter date

7. The Persian Period came after the fall of the Byzantine Empire’s hold on the Holy Land.

Lenten Series – 2021 Session 5 of 7 Rev. 4 Pdf Page 3 II. Archaeological Treasures at the Dominus Flevit The view of the Old City of Jerusalem is quite unforgettable. That “old city” is quite different now from what Jesus saw and loved in His day. Nonetheless, the topography has not changed, and much that is experienced in our time is equally impressive and unforgettable. It is one of the treasured memories of one’s visit to the Holy Land. It is the view from Dominus Flevit or very near by! Two major changes from what Jesus would have seen. The Temple that Herod the Great built was considered to be one of the great wonders of the ancient world. It would have been where the Golden Dome of the Muslim “Dome of the Rock.” It is all too often referred to as the “ of Omar.” However, it is NOT a mosque! The Old City walls we see today are 15th to 16th century walls, built by the Arab ruler Salaedin. However, these walls were built upon previous city walls in several places, going all the way back to the time of King David himself. The southeast corner of the Temple Mount shows masonry evidence of four ancient periods!

III. Remnants from the Byzantine Period The Byzantine Period in the Holy Land began during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine I, following his renaming the old Greek City, Byzantium, to Constantinople. The center of Roman government and authority was transferred, mostly, from to Constantinople. In time, as the influence of Rome waned in this area of the now huge empire, it would be called the Byzantine Empire, and the Holy Land was part of that Empire.8 At most sites, even secular ones in the Holy Land, careful archaeological studies are done before major construction begins. After all, people are known to have been living in this area for more Rear of Present Nave than 5,000 years. The site of the present Dominus Chancel Area of Byzantine Chapel Flevit Church has been rich with earlier use by Christians and others much earlier. There are significant and useful ruins of a Byzantine Monastery and chapel. The present Church/Chapel is built over the ruins of that Byzantine structure. The ruins are left in plain sight inside Dominus Flevit Church. (See above photo of the rear of present Nave

8. The Holy Land, before the 1st Century and the time of our Lord, was already under Roman occupation and rule. It remained so until the first Muslim conquest in 683 CE. By the time of the Christian Crusades, Jerusalem and most of the “Holy Land” would be returned to Byzantine control in 1098 CE. This control would last approximately 200 years until the Levant was again under Muslim control in 1291 CE. The Byzantine Empire, or the remainder of it, would remain until 1453 CE. That’s just 30 years before the birth of Martin Luther in 1483. By the time of Luther’s active ministry, Muslim armies would be threatening the whole of Europe!

Lenten Series – 2021 Session 5 of 7 Rev. 4 Pdf Page 4 area.) The church was abandoned during the Persian era. After the First Crusade arrived in Jerusalem in 1099, a small chapel would be built here. As previously mentioned, the nave was originally built with the worshipers facing the East, awaiting the resurrection of our Lord. This was a practice from the time of the earliest Christian buildings, and it has continued, especially among the more liturgical traditions, until our day. However, the architects of the present Dominus Flevit Church designed the nave for worshipers to face the West, allowing them to see, behind the altar, a view of the Old City, reminding all of the sight over which Jesus wept on his Palm Sunday approach to the city. (See picture on page 3.)

IV. A Symbol of Saint Matthew’s Parallel On the front of the Altar of Dominus Flevit, there is a modern reminding us of Our Lord’s lament. over the city during Saint Matthew’s account of Holy Week. It is found in Matthew 23:37 - 39. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” Saint Matthew gives us a slightly different report of what appears to be the same incident. In Matthew, it is a saying of Jesus after the Palm Sunday procession while teaching in the Temple. In Saint Luke’s account, Jesus says it this way in Saint Luke 19:41-44. As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

Lenten Series – 2021 Session 5 of 7 Rev. 4 Pdf Page 5 Surprisingly, Saint Luke is not as dramatic, perhaps, as Saint Matthew, but they are largely saying the same thing. While the Dominus Flevit Church quotes Saint Luke in its textual reference, one finds on the front of the Altar, looking over to the Old City, the text from Saint Matthew: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . ! How often I have desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

V. A Second Byzantine Marvel Altogether amazing are the remnants of the beautiful mosaic floors of that Byzantine monastery and chapel which have been rediscovered and restored, masterfully including them in the new structure of Dominus Flevit Church. As the foundations of the Byzantine era have been included in the new constructions of the mid 20th century, so have these mosaic floors that have survived, mostly underground for more than 1,400 Sample of Byzantine Mosaic From no Later than 7th Century years! These artifacts of a Christian worshiping community, dating one and one half millennia ago, become witnesses from our ancestors of followers of our Lord. The symbols included in the floors are of fruits and plants of the region. The cross in the center of this floor speaks of the centrality of that image in our faith from the beginning.

VI. “Gathered Unto Their Fathers” At the site of the Dominus Flevit Church, there are three burial caves that have been excavated on the premises. Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts dating back to the Canaanite period, as well as tombs from the Second Temple and Byzantine eras. Especially important are the numbers of ossuary boxes that have been discovered. Many are marked with Christian and Jewish symbols. What are Ossuary Boxes? Think “bone boxes.” There were, across the “the Holy Land”, warrens of caves. These caves were used as the primary burial locations. For example, the tomb in which our Lord was buried was , in fact, a cave, with a stone rolled across its opening. It was a convenient mode of burial, The area is mired with caves! Bodies were prepared for burial with perfumes and spices, wrapped, and placed into caves. But as nature took its course, the body dried, decayed, and left only bones and the ashes of decay. The family then gathered the bones and placed them in the family Burial Cave at Dominus Flevit Church Ossuary Boxes

Lenten Series – 2021 Session 5 of 7 Rev. 4 Pdf Page 6 box. That “family bone box” was called an Ossuary Box, which is to say a “bone box.” From the time of the Patriarchs until our Lord’s time and after, people used “family bone boxes.” The bones were gathered, and the cave/tomb could be used another “cycle.” Most often, the ossuary boxes could be stored in the caves as well. There is an interesting and meaningful phrase used often in some Old Testament passages. “They died, and they were gathered unto their Fathers.” Quite literally, there was room in the family Ossuary Box for several generations!: Here are the last days if Abraham, from Genesis 25:7-9: This is the length of Abraham’s life, one hundred seventy-five years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre. In the archaeological surveys done prior to the construction of the present Dominus Flevit Church on the Mount of Olives, three burial caves were found, one with ancient Canaanite remains and all including Ossuary Boxes, some marked with Christian symbols. (See photo above on page 6.)

Persons and Places of the Passion We shall continue our visits to the Holy Land in this Lenten Series. Many of us have visited these locations, and many have not. Some, due to the unrest that has marked the Holy Land for decades, are not so safely visited these days. One or two of those we hope to visit in this series. February 21 Caesarea Philippi Saint Peter’s Confession February 28 Jacob’s Well - Sychar The First Evangelist March 7 Bethany and Lazarus “Lazarus, Come Out!” March 14 A Moment for Anointing A Prediction of Burial March 21 “Dominus Flevit” Jesus Weeps OverJerusalem March 28 Palm Sunday “Lord Save Us!” April 4 Easter “Rabboni!”

PLEASE NOTE If you have missed a session, or a download of the paper for one or more sessions, you can find that paper by going to “goserve.net” and scroll down the listing of previous Sunday worship and class schedules. Desired class papers can be printed directly. It’s easy!

9. People - New translations are “PC”, which is to say, “politically correct.”It can be translated as “Fathers.”

Lenten Series – 2021 Session 5 of 7 Rev. 4 Pdf Page 7 Pastor Dave has shared that all papers of this series and mostly ALL others are archived and can be made available! We are now continuing, having begun five weeks ago, our sessions via live Zoom. We can gather our class electronically by this marvel. Or, you can simply catch us as we have been doing. Watch and listen on Sundays for “Sign-up details” for the Zoom connection. Now, for the first time since the Pandemic started, you can ask questions and offer suggestions live. Pastor Ted’s new E-mail address: [email protected] If having a problem finding the online codes for the live broadcast, an e-mail to the Church Office will supply those items. (Were I more of a “ Techi” I would type those numbers right here.

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