White Robes
In Jerusalem, Shavuot (Pentecost) is a big celebration. We heard from several people it was also the experience of a lifetime. The Festival was being celebrated in the first century too. It was part of the culture of the Jewish people religious and non-religious. It was and is time of worship and praise.
The account of what happened the first Shavuot after the resurrection of the Messiah is in the book of Acts. Almost two thousand years later the same truths are repeated: "Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation." Acts 2:5
All the God-fearers (us included) started out for the "Kotel" well before sunrise. At 3:00am, there were not quite as many people on the streets as we expected, but there was a steady stream of people walking, talking and making their way to the Old City. It's a bit of a hike from our hotel, up and down the Jerusalem hills, on the cobbled stones and uneven paths that make up this historic place. The roads "in" have changed significantly down through the ages. Jesus and His disciples weren't cutting through shopping malls on the way. But once inside Jaffa Gate, they were probably seeing at least some of the very same landmarks (David's Citadel) though now they lay in ruins.
We had as much excitement as a person could have at 3AM! We slept a few hours knowing the celebration would last well into the morning. We'd been told the crowd could reach into the tens of thousands of worshipers; reading from the Torah and waiting for the sunrise to repeat the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
At the Temple all those years ago, the Holy Spirit fell like tongues of fire. The foreigners who had come to worship, suddenly could hear the Word spoken in their own language. They were astounded, and as foreigners we were ready to experience His Spirit as well.
When we arrived, the plaza in front of the Wall was just beginning to fill with people. It seemed like there was a lot more talking from the youth than worship from the sages. We found a spot along the back where we could sit and be out of the mainstream of people filing in.
I wondered if it was the same in the days of the disciples. Lots of Torah students running around visiting with their friends; families setting up a place where they could stick together without getting lost in the crowd; and the religious, putting on their prayer shawls and preparing to recite the liturgy. I could easily picture how Jesus was separated from His family during one of the Feasts, there are thousands upon thousands of people. I watched as anxious mothers kept a watchful eye on their little ones. I imagined the infants in strollers would awake well before the "services" were concluded. It was quite the scene.
The closer it came to sunrise, more people arrived to take a place and do their part. We knew we had no chance of being close to the action and were glad to actually be seated on the cold stones of the retaining wall at the back. Many of the celebrants brought camping chairs and snacks for the children. They all had the Word in their hands. They all were reading, reciting, and rocking.
We were watching and waiting.
"There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes." Revelation 7:9
One of the traditions of the Feast is to wear white. As the crowd grew, so did the sea of white garments. Thousands of men walked past in traditional prayer shawls. I envisioned Jesus, making His way through the multitudes, and seeing the woman reach out to touch the hem of His garment.
It was not hard to picture the eyes of the Lord looking down on those gathered to thank Him for the giving of the Torah. The prophet Isaiah (55:11) relates that God is watching over His Word, that it will not return to Him empty; that it will accomplish His desires and achieve His purposes.
We were some distance from the "action" but the action soon found its way to us. A pulpit was brought over, then men gathered around as a Torah scroll was laid upon it. Women brought chairs and the "service" began right before our eyes. We never would have seen this no matter how close we were, because men and women worship separately. We had a front row seat to the real deal. For three solid hours the men read, sang and praised the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We listened and prayed.
It was a good lesson for me. I got up and walked two miles thinking this would be a most holy time, perhaps THE most holy time. What I experienced was far different than I imagined.
"To make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the One we proclaim." Colossians 1:27-28
Tens of thousands of people praising God at the site where His glory was in residence, can't begin to compare or compete with the intimacy I have knowing my Redeemer lives; and He lives in me. The presence of the Triune God was not some 200 yards away in the distance held in massive cold stones. He was right there, with me intimately.
Wherever I find myself: on the plaza of an ancient site in the Holy City, in a thatch roof church in an Indian village, at a university in China, doing a chicken dance in Mexico, at orphanages in Russia, down a dirt road in Africa, or listening to a soldier's horror story of war, I will proclaim Him.
Our only hope
For His glory!
Charlynn not wailing at the wall
I'm smiling with Him
Still!
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