0:00:05 > 0:00:08I'm travelling to a place that has been alive in my imagination
0:00:08 > 0:00:10since Sunday school.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13The site of events which are fundamental to my beliefs.
0:00:15 > 0:00:21This destination, this city, holds a very special place in my heart.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24I've never been there before
0:00:24 > 0:00:26and this is my chance to experience it,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28the sights and the sounds for the first time,
0:00:28 > 0:00:29and I'm very excited.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40(Wow!)
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Look at this, look.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Look. Look.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Wow!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Jerusalem.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Gosh!
0:00:55 > 0:00:58In my Bible when I was a little girl at Sunday school,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00we had these kinds of pictures.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02I never thought I'd actually see it.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Down there is where Jesus spent his last days here on Earth,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11where he met his death, and, as a Christian,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14not a very good one, but nonetheless, I want to sort
0:01:14 > 0:01:19of make sense of what it felt for him, as a man, to be here.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Did he know why he was here? Did he know what was going to happen?
0:01:23 > 0:01:26This is a story we think we all know, but do we really?
0:01:27 > 0:01:31I'm going to explore the tumultuous week leading up to
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Jesus's crucifixion.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Why he came here when he did.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38His followers are almost ecstatic.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40They're expecting this glorious moment.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43What lay behind his outburst at the temple.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46The possibility for a bloodbath is very real.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49His arrest and conviction.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51It's through this gate that Jesus would have been led
0:01:51 > 0:01:53to the trial from the barracks.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55This is astounding stuff.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59'And hoping my pilgrimage will test and deepen my faith.'
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I feel as if I'm in the Bible.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04'It's going to be enlightening.'
0:02:04 > 0:02:06This must be it.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07'At times, challenging.'
0:02:07 > 0:02:09It's crazy, isn't it?
0:02:09 > 0:02:11'But, above all, emotional.'
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I'm not given to tears.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17'Culminating in a decision that will make this trip of a lifetime
0:02:17 > 0:02:19'truly unforgettable.'
0:02:19 > 0:02:21You see, now you're giving me the thought that I would like one.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I know that's crazy.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29This Good Friday is a chance to really investigate the Passion,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32the suffering of Jesus in his final days.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43See how many times I get hooted.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46HORN HONKS
0:02:46 > 0:02:49It's a bit like London but without indicators.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Well, actually, no, it's just like London!
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Driving into Jerusalem isn't quite what I expected.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01It's a city of nearly one million people, all trying to get somewhere.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03I find smiling at people helps a lot when you're driving,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06just to go, "Thank you, I'm an idiot".
0:03:06 > 0:03:09See, smiling works.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Oh, sorry. That was the kerb.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16'At last, I spy my destination.'
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Ah, look at this!
0:03:18 > 0:03:22'The historic square kilometre, where it all happened.'
0:03:22 > 0:03:25This must be the old city wall, built 15th/16th century,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28something like that, guessing.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30'The old city is a car-free zone,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33'so I need to find a space to park outside.'
0:03:33 > 0:03:38I'm not sure where should I park. Here? Here?
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Thank you.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Oh, ha-ha-ha, that's the passenger!
0:03:45 > 0:03:50I think if Jesus could do this, he'd be able drive one of these.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Thank goodness for that.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Right, bag.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And here we are, Damascus Gate.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05'Finally, I enter the old city, and feel transported back in time.'
0:04:08 > 0:04:11This is paradise, isn't it?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Paradise!
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Good weather for a bobble hat(!)
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Nothing quite prepares you for the excitement of one of these markets.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It's all very good natured, everybody bartering and
0:04:25 > 0:04:30buying and selling all mixed up in this fantastic sea of religions.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34We have Muslims, we have Jewish people, we have Christians,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and in the architecture we can see minarets,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39there's a minaret right there of a mosque,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42there's a church right here
0:04:42 > 0:04:46and of course there are the synagogues too.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49And all of that is mixed in with tourists like me.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55'The Jerusalem Jesus knew 2,000 years ago
0:04:55 > 0:04:57'would have been very different.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01'Islam and, of course, Christianity, didn't yet exist.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05'Instead, the vast majority of people would have been Jewish,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07'including Jesus himself.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11'But they didn't have the place to themselves.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14'The Romans watched over the city militarily,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16'and they had their own Gods.'
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Beneath this Jerusalem must lie the places and the sights
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and the smells and the sounds that Jesus himself experienced
0:05:26 > 0:05:29when he was here, and that's what I really want to find,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31to find where he was.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Of course, I've packed a guide book but that'll only get me so far,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37so I have packed my guide book for life.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45'In the Bible's New Testament, it's clear how vitally important
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'Jesus's time in Jerusalem is to Christianity.'
0:05:51 > 0:05:55The story of Easter is both heart-breaking and riveting
0:05:55 > 0:05:58and apparently it's based on eyewitness accounts,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02but there are factors we have to take into consideration here.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07The gospels were written between 40 and 70 years after Jesus's death
0:06:07 > 0:06:10and by different authors.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15'Given their disparate origins, it's perhaps no wonder
0:06:15 > 0:06:19'that the gospel accounts don't always match up,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22'making my desire to understand Jesus's last week
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'that bit more challenging.'
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Thank you.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29I'm going to have to work out my own version of events,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31the way they seem to me,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34and I'm lucky enough to have several local guides to help me.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46'My search starts in the hills to the East of Jerusalem.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49'This is where it's believed Jesus and his disciples
0:06:49 > 0:06:53'made their approach to the city, a week before Good Friday.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:57So how many miles away is that?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00'Claire Pfann is an expert in Jesus's ministry.'
0:07:02 > 0:07:04So why did he come to Jerusalem?
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Jerusalem was the most important city for Jews
0:07:08 > 0:07:09everywhere in the world.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13It was as though there was a funnel from heaven to earth over Jerusalem.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17If you wanted to meet God and if you wanted to proclaim a new vision
0:07:17 > 0:07:20of the Kingdom of Heaven, you would come to Jerusalem to do so.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23And what was his message? What was he bringing to Jerusalem?
0:07:23 > 0:07:27The message really was that the benefits of God,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30his protection, his provision, were available even for the people
0:07:30 > 0:07:32who were marginal in society,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36the tax collectors, the sinners, the women of ill-repute,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38the people who were uneducated.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40God wanted to reach out to them
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and have them become part of his kingdom.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47So did he know that he was walking into danger here?
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Yes, he knew that the religious authorities are on the lookout
0:07:51 > 0:07:56for radical movements, for zealous movements that might tip the tables
0:07:56 > 0:08:00and bring down the wrath of Rome upon the Jewish people.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Their philosophy of politics was to cooperate with Rome
0:08:04 > 0:08:07in order to keep things calm and stable.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09So they're always on the watch.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13They recognise that Jesus is an unauthorised preacher
0:08:13 > 0:08:17and he represents an outsider movement in their minds.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22They want these types of movements not to manifest political rebellion
0:08:22 > 0:08:24and they're looking at Jesus as a potential danger.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26They don't want any civil unrest.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Not at all, not at all.
0:08:31 > 0:08:37So, it looks as though Jesus knew he was coming into danger here
0:08:37 > 0:08:39and yet he came anyway.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43And I wonder whether I would have come with him with his followers.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Would I have nailed my colours to his mast or would I have waited
0:08:47 > 0:08:49until perhaps he was getting a bit more popular
0:08:49 > 0:08:52to see if it was a good thing to do?
0:08:52 > 0:08:53His disciples followed him.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58Why wouldn't they, even thought he was taking them into a known danger?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01But, you know, he'd never let them down before.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04This was the man they'd seen walk on water.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16'The gospels tell us that before Jesus and his disciples
0:09:16 > 0:09:20'entered Jerusalem, they first went to a village on its outskirts.'
0:09:21 > 0:09:25In biblical times, this town was called Bethany.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Now it's al-Eizariya.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31This is a nice little town.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34People going about their daily business on a Monday morning.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39'But life here isn't as simple as it first looks
0:09:39 > 0:09:44'because, running through the town, is a wall built by Israel
0:09:44 > 0:09:47'for what it says are security reasons.'
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Oh, my goodness!
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Now you've heard about the wall.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Look at this. This is the wall.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03And that is NOT a thing of beauty, is it?
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Oh, my goodness, look!
0:10:11 > 0:10:15You hear about humans erecting big walls like this
0:10:15 > 0:10:18in the middle of cities.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Obviously Berlin, here,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23possibly between Mexico and America.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25This is madness.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Just to keep the people out.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38You won't be able to climb up that, would you, that's for sure?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50'Jesus had visited Bethany several times before
0:10:50 > 0:10:53'and, according to the gospel of John,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56'it had recently been the site of one of his greatest miracles.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03'For this is the hometown of Lazarus - the man who, we're told,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05'Jesus raised from the dead.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11'It's what's drawn pilgrims here for over 1,500 years
0:11:11 > 0:11:12'and the main attraction,
0:11:12 > 0:11:17'amongst the various churches and ancient ruins, is the very tomb
0:11:17 > 0:11:20'where Jesus's miracle is said to have taken place.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22'But is it?'
0:11:24 > 0:11:26I love all these stalls out here.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Ah, here we are.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Couldn't be more clear, could it?
0:11:32 > 0:11:36In orange signage there it says, "Lazarus's tomb."
0:11:36 > 0:11:38This is it.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40But you must always read the small print, mustn't you,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and here it says,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46"In Christian tradition, it possibly is Lazarus's tomb."
0:11:46 > 0:11:48So it may be, it may not be,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51but you want to come and have a look, don't you? Come on.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02It is certainly rough stone hewn out of the rock here.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04It's blooming dark.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07And the air gets a bit warmer down here.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Ooh, take my glasses off, that's for certain.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Well, if I didn't need a replacement hip, I do now(!)
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Well...
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Oh, so this is...
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Oh, there's more steps.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31What is THAT?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35OK, here I go.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Look at this.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Ah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Oh, my goodness!
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Whoa!
0:12:51 > 0:12:55This must be it, this MUST be it.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Look at that.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03I mean, this might NOT have been Lazarus's tomb.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08It may not have been exactly where Jesus was,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11but you know what's lovely?
0:13:11 > 0:13:16These bits of graffiti and things, and this cross hewn into here.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21I find it quite moving really that pilgrims have been coming here
0:13:21 > 0:13:26and they give this place a kind of resonance, you know.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29What are these?
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Leaving messages.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Prayer request.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37I won't read that because it's personal,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40but that one happened to be in English.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42It's lovely.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50'According to the gospels,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52'Jesus frequently travelled from Bethany to Jerusalem
0:13:52 > 0:13:55'during his last days.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59'But his most famous visit came at the beginning of that week.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02'I know it as Palm Sunday.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Somewhere near here, Jesus said to his disciples,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08"Go to the nearby village
0:14:08 > 0:14:11"and you will find a donkey and a colt tied up.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14"Say to the man who owns them, 'The Lord needs these,'
0:14:14 > 0:14:16"and the man will say, 'Yes, of course,'
0:14:16 > 0:14:18"and untie them and give them to you."
0:14:18 > 0:14:22And the disciples did that and they brought the donkey to Jesus.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28'I've always found some details of this key event puzzling.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32'Local historian Yisca Harani has offered to explain them to me.'
0:14:33 > 0:14:37So when Jesus came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as we call it,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I imagine a huge cavalcade of people and him triumphant.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Is that the right vision?
0:14:43 > 0:14:47We don't know exactly how popular he was, even in the Galilee,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50but he has his followers.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Now his followers are almost ecstatic.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55They're expecting the moment to come to Jerusalem
0:14:55 > 0:15:00and entering the city would mean that there may be a change coming.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05So I believe that they probably aroused the crowds around as well.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Maybe for many other Jews coming from North Africa or from Rome
0:15:10 > 0:15:13or from the area of Mesopotamia, Babylon,
0:15:13 > 0:15:14they wouldn't recognise him.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16They would probably ask, "What is this?"
0:15:16 > 0:15:20And they would tell him, "Look, look, he is the master.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22"He may be the Messiah we're waiting for".
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- But why did he come on a donkey? - Here there's clearly a message.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Zechariah, one of the prophets that prophesies the future
0:15:31 > 0:15:38foretold that the king, the future king, should come with humility,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40and donkey means humility.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45When you sit on a donkey, you feel like a bag of potatoes, like this.
0:15:45 > 0:15:51No king ever would ride a donkey and so when Jesus asks his disciples,
0:15:51 > 0:15:53"Get me a donkey", everybody says,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57"Oh, Zechariah, oh, could that be the real king then?"
0:15:57 > 0:16:00You mentioned earlier the Messiah, they were waiting for the Messiah.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05How would the people of the time have interpreted the word Messiah?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08I don't think people really knew what to expect,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13but they wanted a certain result,
0:16:13 > 0:16:18so they wanted either a warrior that will overthrow the Romans
0:16:18 > 0:16:22or a new priest that will overthrow the corrupt priesthood.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I think this is indeed the novelty of Jesus.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27He's not a warrior Messiah.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30He's not a priest Messiah.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35He is a Messiah to proclaim that things are going to be
0:16:35 > 0:16:37as God wanted them to be.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I'm beginning to see how Jesus came here now,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53sitting on the donkey, coming with friends and followers,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57hoping to make an impact of some kind in Jerusalem,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01because now he was following his destiny.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04He couldn't stop. He knew that he had to be here.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06He didn't know how quite it would end
0:17:06 > 0:17:09but, nonetheless, he was doing as he felt he was told
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and how many of us can say we've done that?
0:17:22 > 0:17:24'The next morning, I'm up early,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28'ready to continue in Jesus's footsteps as he entered the city.'
0:17:30 > 0:17:33It's unbelievably beautiful.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35The colour of these stones.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39The lovely palm trees.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Bit of a grey sky today.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Might rain.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Rains in Jerusalem? I don't remember that in the Bible.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Bus loads of tourists arriving.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- Good morning. Where are you from? - Santa Rosa, California.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- California?- We've come to take the Holy Land tour.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- Enjoy.- Thank you. We will.- Goodbye.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03This is part of the route, possibly, that Jesus would have taken
0:18:03 > 0:18:05when he'd left the Mount Of Olives behind us
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and come through here into the city in through the walls.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18They're obviously students, aren't they, going off to their studies?
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Come over here. Look at that view. How beautiful is that?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24It's...
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I feel as if I'm in the Bible!
0:18:28 > 0:18:33'Jesus's visit coincided with the city's busiest period.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36'Jerusalem was hosting the biggest religious festival of the year,
0:18:36 > 0:18:38'The Feast of Passover,
0:18:38 > 0:18:43'when Jews celebrated escaping slavery in Egypt.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47'Tradition has it that God freed them by unleashing ten plagues
0:18:47 > 0:18:49'on the Egyptians.'
0:18:49 > 0:18:53The worst and final plague of all would be the death
0:18:53 > 0:18:55of the first-born child in a house.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57But God said to the Jewish people,
0:18:57 > 0:19:02"If you get a lamb and slaughter it and daub its blood on your house,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05"I, the spirit of the Lord,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07"will pass over your house and save your children."
0:19:09 > 0:19:13So Jesus coming here to Jerusalem at the feast of Passover
0:19:13 > 0:19:15was a very big event.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18This place would be full of Jewish people
0:19:18 > 0:19:20from all over the world.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25'For the Romans, this posed a major security threat.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28'Thousands of Jews, celebrating their previous freedom,
0:19:28 > 0:19:33'could have stirred up anger at their present occupation.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38'And the place most likely to be a flashpoint was the temple.'
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Hello. This is so beautiful.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43- I'm Fern.- I'm Gregory. Pleased to meet you, Fern.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- May I call you Gregory... - Please do. Please do.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- ..cos you're properly Father Gregory?- Father Gregory, yes.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52'Dominican priest Father Gregory Tatum has joined me for a tour
0:19:52 > 0:19:55'of what remains of the temple.'
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- Where are we heading now?- Right now I'd like to show you a street
0:19:58 > 0:20:01that Jesus would have walked on.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Now, you need a certain amount of imagination
0:20:04 > 0:20:07because over here these doorways are shops.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12- Yes.- All of these stones were thrown down in 70AD
0:20:12 > 0:20:15when the Romans destroyed the temple.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17So those are real temple stones?
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Those were the stones from the temple.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22- Whoops! Look at you with your dramatic cloak.- Yeah.
0:20:22 > 0:20:23SHE LAUGHS
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- It's handy dandy. - Very handy dandy.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Now we must be walking in rooms of some kind?
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- Yes, we're in people's houses. - Ah, people's houses.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Can we have a sit down? Being up and down steps is exhausting!
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Yes, it is. You're quite right.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43Yeah. Let's have a sit down. Thank you.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47So this would be one of the main entrances going up to the temple?
0:20:47 > 0:20:49These are the steps going up to the temple.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53The Holder Gates are behind us. There's a set of three there.
0:20:53 > 0:20:54So you would have come up these steps
0:20:54 > 0:20:56and then gone through the platform
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and then you would have seen the temple building itself.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Describe for me what was going on in the temple.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05You've got hundreds of thousands of people crammed into a small place.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09There are people praying. There are people selling animals.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11There are money changers. There's singing.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14There's people going about their daily business,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17so it's quite a chaotic experience.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19So what happened in the temple with Jesus?
0:21:19 > 0:21:25Well, Jesus overturned some tables of some money changers
0:21:25 > 0:21:29and he chased some people who were selling birds or other animals.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31So why did he do it?
0:21:31 > 0:21:35I think one of the most common and convincing theories
0:21:35 > 0:21:39is that he is symbolising the destruction of the temple.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44Jews thought, when the land becomes too polluted with idolatry,
0:21:44 > 0:21:49sexual misconduct, murder and economic oppression,
0:21:49 > 0:21:54then the divine presence in the Holy of Holies returns to heaven.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57The temple is destroyed and the people are sent into exile.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03And so, if he is symbolising the destruction of the temple,
0:22:03 > 0:22:08he's saying, "This is a threat to get the people to repent."
0:22:08 > 0:22:11So, by tipping the tables and getting so angry,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14was there a potential for inciting violence in that act?
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It is a very provocative act
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and it could have escalated into a major riot.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22However, the Romans would prefer not
0:22:22 > 0:22:26slaughtering large numbers of people.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29It's bad for business after all(!)
0:22:30 > 0:22:34'Jesus's provocations at the temple would only have confirmed his
0:22:34 > 0:22:37'growing reputation as a troublemaker.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40'But, for the time being, he was still free.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45'Over the next few days, Jesus carried on speaking in public.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49'Where and when isn't always clear in the gospels.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54'Wednesday is almost completely unaccounted for
0:22:54 > 0:22:58'but some experts believe that one little-known location
0:22:58 > 0:23:02'could have played a role in those final days.'
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Morning.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Wow. Here we are.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12This is the Pool of Siloam.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17'This pool doesn't feature in the Bible's account of Easter,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20'but it crops up earlier in John's Gospel.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24'So it was a place, which, in all likelihood, Jesus knew.'
0:23:25 > 0:23:29This place is very quiet now, but 2,000 years ago at Passover,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32this place would be full of hundreds of people.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33They'd walk down these steps
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and they would ritually cleanse themselves in the pool.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39I'm paddling in it now. You'll have to use your imagination.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Because they needed to be cleansed
0:23:41 > 0:23:44before they would be allowed into the temple.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'And I'm not the only pilgrim here on Jesus's trail.'
0:23:51 > 0:23:52It's very emotional, isn't it?
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Are you finding bits that are making you feel a bit,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59a bit strange, connected?
0:24:00 > 0:24:02It's overwhelming.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Right now, I feel overwhelmed by everything.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07It's just like, almost not real.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I think that's right.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12It's very hard to take in, isn't it, because it's suddenly so real?
0:24:12 > 0:24:17To suddenly be on the set, so to speak, you know,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20suddenly you're here and you think, "Oh, my goodness, this is real."
0:24:20 > 0:24:22And I can feel it.
0:24:22 > 0:24:28Well, it puts everything that we've read and studied into perspective
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and now we're able to be here and touch this and see this
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and smell this and meet the people
0:24:33 > 0:24:37and it suddenly just brings it all together, gels it.
0:24:40 > 0:24:41If Jesus did come here,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45it would have been one of his last days of freedom.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47You get the sense that time was running out and his popularity,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50although it was growing, made the temple authorities even more
0:24:50 > 0:24:53determined to put a stop to him.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59'As evening approached on Thursday,
0:24:59 > 0:25:04'Jesus drew his disciples close to him for a meal - the Last Supper.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:09'To find out more about this famous meal,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'I'm meeting up with Claire Pfann again at a restaurant known for
0:25:12 > 0:25:15'its modern interpretation of biblical cuisine.'
0:25:20 > 0:25:24'The exuberant head chef is Moshe Basson and he's roped me in
0:25:24 > 0:25:29'to help serve up to a group of visiting Japanese tourists.'
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- ALL:- Oh!
0:25:33 > 0:25:36'After the photo-call, he promises to show me a dish
0:25:36 > 0:25:39that Jesus might have known.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42So you want to work or just to talk?
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Chef, I want to work AND talk, but maybe you do more of the work.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Oh, there's a apron coming, OK.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Thank you.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53So what can I do? Give me a job.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58So you're going to make pesto and the Hyssop was the brush of Moses
0:25:58 > 0:26:02and Israelites leaving Egypt marking the door with the blood of the lamb.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07The Hyssop also shows up in the story of the crucifixion of Jesus
0:26:07 > 0:26:10when they try to lift to him some myrrh,
0:26:10 > 0:26:16a drink to help ease his pain and they lift it on a branch of Hyssop.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18- Wow, OK.- We will add some garlic.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Look at these jumbo cloves.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23They're big!
0:26:23 > 0:26:25And I will add some walnuts.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- Yes, very good for you also. - Very Biblical.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31- Do we have this in the Bible, Claire?- Walnuts?
0:26:31 > 0:26:33We have all kinds of nuts in the Bible.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36So we're bruising all these leaves.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Nice bit of salt there. Olive oil.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43- Olive oil from the mountains of Jerusalem.- Mmmm.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48'It's fun to explore what dishes may have been eaten at the Last Supper
0:26:48 > 0:26:52'but it's the symbolic meaning of the meal and what was said
0:26:52 > 0:26:54'that really interests me.'
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Oh, this is the pesto that we made?
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02How did this meal differ from any other?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05They must have had hundreds of meals together before?
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Well, first, it was Passover week,
0:27:07 > 0:27:12and Jesus takes elements from the Passover meal to use them
0:27:12 > 0:27:15as teaching points, as connecting points,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18for his disciples to understand his own death.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22In most Jewish meals, you would share bread and wine,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24even as today on the Sabbath.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28He identifies the bread with his body and the wine with his blood,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30which would be shed.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34And so he makes a link between himself and the Passover
0:27:34 > 0:27:37and through the shedding of blood with even the Passover lamb.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41We've got it here. Tear some of that.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Do it as you think he would have done this.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Well, he took a loaf and he said to them,
0:27:46 > 0:27:51"This is my body, the wine is my blood.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54"Do this in memory of me."
0:27:54 > 0:27:57And I think he broke it and he passed it on
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and they may have dipped it in salt, which is a tradition too.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04So these are very ancient traditions.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Let's do this together, just as Jesus did with his followers.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14'But Jesus also drops a bombshell.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17'He tells his loyal disciples that, later that night,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21'one of them will betray him and all the rest will abandon him,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'including chief disciple, Peter.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:27When Peter hears this he cannot believe it.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31He has that way of disagreeing with Jesus that shows how gutsy he is
0:28:31 > 0:28:34and how secure he is in their relationship and he says,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37"I will never deny you. I would follow you to death."
0:28:37 > 0:28:39They don't want to believe it, do they?
0:28:39 > 0:28:41They don't want to believe it but the reason Jesus tells them
0:28:41 > 0:28:45that all of them will flee is so that, after the fact,
0:28:45 > 0:28:50they realise that Jesus knew what would happen before it happened.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54And this means that other things that Jesus has promised them,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57that he will rise from the dead, that he will send the spirit,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00that his kingdom will come, they can trust him.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04So, on one hand, he was serving them this wonderful food
0:29:04 > 0:29:07and yet the tension in the room would have been palpable?
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Yes, unbelievable.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15'The Last Supper is re-enacted every week by millions of Christians
0:29:15 > 0:29:18'through the ritual of Holy Communion.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22'And what better place for me to take it than Jerusalem?'
0:29:26 > 0:29:27Oh, this is lovely.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Every religion has its place here in Jerusalem
0:29:32 > 0:29:35and this is the Anglican Cathedral, St George's Cathedral,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38so I've come early today to have communion,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41but look at what a beautiful, peaceful precinct this is.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Lovely.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51He broke it and gave it to his disciples saying,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53"Take. Eat.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56"This is my body which is given for you.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59"Do this for the remembrance of me."
0:30:02 > 0:30:04I was confirmed quite late in life.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08I was about 40, I think, and I can't explain why I wanted to do it.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11It was just something that I needed to do
0:30:11 > 0:30:14and now I'm very comfortable with sharing the peace,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16shaking hands with strangers
0:30:16 > 0:30:20and lining up ready to receive the sacrament
0:30:20 > 0:30:23and it's a real sense of community.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24It's a wonderful thing.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- ALL:- Thanks be to God.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34'Afterwards, I'm very keen to speak to the Dean -
0:30:34 > 0:30:37'a man with one of the best postings in the Anglican church.'
0:30:39 > 0:30:42So what does it mean to you being the Dean here
0:30:42 > 0:30:45giving the ministry in Jerusalem?
0:30:45 > 0:30:48I think it's so special here in Jerusalem because it's where
0:30:48 > 0:30:53it happened and I think to walk in the footsteps of Jesus is such
0:30:53 > 0:30:55a profound experience,
0:30:55 > 0:30:58not only on a personal level and a formation,
0:30:58 > 0:31:03but also to walk in the footsteps of so many pilgrims over the years.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06For two millennia we have been doing this
0:31:06 > 0:31:11as a sign of our growth, as a sign of our spirituality.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15We have pilgrims from all over the world coming to worship with us.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Not only Anglicans, but from other traditions as well, and this place
0:31:19 > 0:31:22is a place of hospitality and welcome and friendship to all.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27And do you join with the Jewish people and the Muslims as well
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- and make a connection? - Absolutely.- That's so vital.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Absolutely, I think if we don't do that I think we will not be
0:31:34 > 0:31:36faithful to our own faith.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40We are to reach out for people everywhere and we all belong
0:31:40 > 0:31:44to one human family and that is a gift that God has given to us
0:31:44 > 0:31:46and we should appreciate it.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49- Thank you and thank you for this morning.- Thank you.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51- I enjoyed it.- Thank you very much.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58'Experiencing Christian fellowship here, reminds me of the disciples
0:31:58 > 0:32:01'and the collective devotion they felt towards Jesus.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06'But that loyalty would falter
0:32:06 > 0:32:10'because the grave predictions Jesus made at the Last Supper
0:32:10 > 0:32:12'were about to come true.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18'The gospels now lead me to a hill to the east of the city,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20'the Mount of Olives,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23'and a place known as Gethsemane.'
0:32:25 > 0:32:30So, after the Last Supper, this is where Jesus came.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33It was getting dark like this. He'd come from the city.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36You can still see the old city walls all lit over there
0:32:36 > 0:32:40and it's astonishing to me that we are experiencing or walking
0:32:40 > 0:32:43in a place where he was.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49'It's here, we're told in the gospels, in one of the most
0:32:49 > 0:32:54'poignant and affecting passages, that Jesus makes a desperate plea.'
0:32:56 > 0:32:58Jesus came up here to pray.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01We're told his disciples were a stone's throw away from him.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03He'd asked them keep watch on him.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06He came here and his prayers were heartfelt.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10"Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering."
0:33:10 > 0:33:14He went back to his disciples, but they'd fallen asleep.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17He said, "Men, can you not look after me for one hour?"
0:33:21 > 0:33:24For me, in this moment, Jesus is very human.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28I feel that that he is frightened and afraid.
0:33:28 > 0:33:29And how many of us have had those moments
0:33:29 > 0:33:33when we are very, very afraid and we want comfort
0:33:33 > 0:33:35and you think, "I'll ring somebody, I'll ring my friend,"
0:33:35 > 0:33:38and you ring them and they are not there.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41But Jesus has trust.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49'Eventually he composes himself, submits to God's will,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52'and accepts his fate.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56'And now Jesus's prediction that his trusted disciples will betray
0:33:56 > 0:33:59'and abandon him begins to unfold.'
0:34:02 > 0:34:03Judas turns up.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07He's tipped off the temple authorities and he betrays Jesus
0:34:07 > 0:34:10in the cruellest and yet most tender of ways.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12He kisses him.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13There's an altercation.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17The disciples put up a bit of a fight but soon they scatter.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Jesus is arrested and he's left to face his destiny alone.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30'Following his arrest, Jesus was immediately taken
0:34:30 > 0:34:34'to the High Priest, Caiaphas, for questioning.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38'Caiaphas had legal responsibility in most cases
0:34:38 > 0:34:41'but if Jesus was found to be a security threat,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44'he faced being handed over to the Romans.'
0:34:45 > 0:34:48You're in the basement of what used to be a palatial home,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50probably belonged to one of the priests,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53I can't say the High Priest, but belonged to a priest.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56But you have to use your imagination because it would have been
0:34:56 > 0:35:01this big beautiful home with mosaics and plastered walls and frescos,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03lots of colour
0:35:03 > 0:35:06and just beautiful, beautiful.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08So Jesus has been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane
0:35:08 > 0:35:12and now he's brought to Caiaphas's house. What's Caiaphas's agenda?
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Caiaphas had already said that it was better for one man to die
0:35:15 > 0:35:16for the country.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20His intent is that, instead of letting there be an insurrection
0:35:20 > 0:35:22or some type of revolt,
0:35:22 > 0:35:26so that then Rome will come in and the Roman soldiers will come in
0:35:26 > 0:35:29and take away any of their freedom,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31so he's looking for a way to keep Jesus
0:35:31 > 0:35:34and the people following him quiet,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36so he wants to get rid of Jesus.
0:35:36 > 0:35:42I see. So what was it that Jesus said that incriminated him?
0:35:42 > 0:35:46Well they asked him, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of God,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50"the Son of the living God or the Son of the Blessed One?"
0:35:50 > 0:35:53And he says, "It is as you say, I am."
0:35:53 > 0:35:59And by confessing that he is the Messiah, then that makes him a king.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01Now that's against Rome.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03But why would calling him a king affect the Romans?
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Because Caesar was the king.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09So when they interpret that he's King of the Jews,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12that is an attack against Rome, against Caesar.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17'At some stage during the interrogation,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21'Peter, the chief disciple, snuck into the courtyard.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26'And, when recognised as a follower of Jesus,
0:36:26 > 0:36:33'Peter denied it three times, just as Jesus had predicted.'
0:36:33 > 0:36:36I wonder why Peter came back.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39The Bible doesn't tell us but all I can do is try and put myself in his
0:36:39 > 0:36:43shoes and think that maybe he was embarrassed that he'd run away in
0:36:43 > 0:36:48the Garden of Gethsemane and left Jesus to be arrested by himself.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50And so he came back, maybe with the idea
0:36:50 > 0:36:54of trying to help Jesus and get close to him again.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58But once again, his courage failed him and he ran away.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I don't blame him. I probably would have as well.
0:37:03 > 0:37:09'Abandoned by his closest followers, intimidated by his enemies.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14'Jesus now had to face the highest Roman official in the land -
0:37:14 > 0:37:16'Governor Pontius Pilate.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21'The location of Pilate's compound, where Jesus's trial took place,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24'has been the subject of speculation for centuries.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28'But archaeologists now believe they've found the actual spot.'
0:37:30 > 0:37:32Shimon, what have we got here? Where are we?
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Yes, we're in the Kishle,
0:37:34 > 0:37:39which used to be a prison in the Ottoman period under the Turks.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40They dug beneath the floors
0:37:40 > 0:37:44and they came across the remnants of Herod's palace
0:37:44 > 0:37:47which actually was also the house of Pontius Pilate
0:37:47 > 0:37:49whenever he came up from Caesarea.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52- Really?- I mean, you can see there's a tunnel there.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54- Do you see the tunnel right at the bottom?- I do.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57It's a monumental tunnel, which was built by Herod the Great
0:37:57 > 0:38:02but it's for sewage and I know that because I excavated down there.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04So while you were digging around it,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06I mean, presumably the sewage dregs were still there?
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Yes, right at the bottom we founds lots of bits of metal and pieces
0:38:10 > 0:38:12- and jewellery and...- Oh, how lovely!
0:38:12 > 0:38:14- ..the things that people sort of... - Lost?- ..lost.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17- Came out of their pockets as they were sitting down.- Yes.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20How extraordinary! Tell me about Pilate.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25What sort of man was he, because the Bible paints him as a just man?
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Was he a compassionate man?
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- Absolutely not.- Ah!
0:38:30 > 0:38:35I think when the gospels were disseminated, it was very important
0:38:35 > 0:38:41for early Christians to be able to make them palatable, the gospels,
0:38:41 > 0:38:42to the Roman public.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46The reality is somewhat different because the other written sources
0:38:46 > 0:38:49depict him as a ruthless, barbaric man,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53somebody who would have no hesitation at slitting your throat
0:38:53 > 0:38:54and just getting rid of you.
0:38:54 > 0:38:59- He wouldn't have been blinked twice. That's it.- How extraordinary.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01There an awful lot of climbing.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04- Well, Jerusalem's a city of steps and stones.- Yes.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07'But Shimon has another surprise for me.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11'He believes he's found the exact part of the palace
0:39:11 > 0:39:13'where Jesus was tried
0:39:13 > 0:39:17'and it's a place that pilgrims seem blissfully unaware of.'
0:39:17 > 0:39:19So where are we walking now? What's this?
0:39:19 > 0:39:22So we're now approaching the side of the palace.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26These are the original steps dating back to the time of Jesus
0:39:26 > 0:39:30and it's amazing to be able to touch steps that Jesus probably walked up.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Really?
0:39:32 > 0:39:35When we come through here, this is an archway?
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- Yes, you've got to sort of imagine a gate here...- A gateway.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43..zooming up into the sky and we're now walking through that gateway.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46- Yes.- Let's go and have a look at the steps.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48OK, so these steps would have gone through the gate?
0:39:48 > 0:39:51- So this is the level. This is the level of the pavement.- OK.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53You've got the crowds coming in here.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55You have Pontius Pilate up there
0:39:55 > 0:39:58and it's through this gate, which has been blocked up,
0:39:58 > 0:40:02that Jesus would have been led to the trial from the barracks.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06This is astounding stuff. I can't believe it.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10You really do think these were the steps he was standing on?
0:40:10 > 0:40:12I think so. Look, it's not about a belief.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15It's a matter of archaeology and science
0:40:15 > 0:40:18and this seems the most likely spot.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Gosh.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25Would it be very disrespectful to climb up and sit on those steps?
0:40:25 > 0:40:28Not at all, cos this is an archaeological site.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31It's not a holy site, so, no, go ahead.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34- OK, come and join me. - Yeah, I'll join you.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37- So now I'm on the actual rock of the rocky outcrop...- Yes.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39..which would have been covered with a pavement?
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Below ground, exactly. The pavement would have been at this level.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- And then the archway gate is here - Yes.- ..and he'd come out?
0:40:45 > 0:40:48So where do you want to sit, this side or that side?
0:40:48 > 0:40:53- I'm just taking in that sense of him being here?- Yes, this is it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55This is the judgment gate.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59Beaten almost senseless, he'd lost a lot of blood, I think,
0:40:59 > 0:41:01and standing here, my goodness.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Wow!
0:41:07 > 0:41:10I, obviously, as a Christian, I have a belief
0:41:10 > 0:41:14and also I understand people who say to me,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17"Totally irrational, nonsense, none of it happened."
0:41:17 > 0:41:21And yet sitting here, and it may be my brain playing a trick, whatever,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25but in me I can feel something.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29It may just be that you drew that picture so beautifully,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33but I could believe that this is where that was.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35- In fact, it's quite moving. - I can see you're tearing up.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38No, no, no, no, and it's not just, you know, acting.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43It just is something. It's something even if it's just connecting with
0:41:43 > 0:41:49that horror that he was facing with courage and his human side.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Yeah.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57It is truly amazing when you think that that person who is so important
0:41:57 > 0:42:00- for millions of people across the world...- Yeah.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- ..that he was actually at this spot.- Yes.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06- He would have known this place?- Yes.- Yes.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09And recognised the features that you see around you.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11Oh, Shimon, what a story.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17- I'm not given to tears, but this is a meaningful moment.- Yes.- Yeah.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- Thank you. - I'm glad I could bring you here.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26Yeah. I'm thrilled to be here.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35'My trip to Jerusalem is affecting me more deeply than I anticipated
0:42:35 > 0:42:40'and for other pilgrims seeking ways to mark their personal journeys,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42'a surprising custom is on offer.'
0:42:43 > 0:42:47- Hello, I'm Fern. - Hi, I'm Wasim.- Oh, you're Wasim.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50- I'm so glad to meet you. Can I sit down here?- Please.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53I want to hear all about your family tattoo parlour.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56How many years have you been here?
0:42:56 > 0:42:59We've been in the Holy Land for about 500 years.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01- Oh, not long then(!) - No, not so long.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05I had no idea that it was a thing for pilgrims to be tattooed.
0:43:05 > 0:43:06Why would they do that?
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Well, as you know, in the past it wasn't such an easy thing
0:43:10 > 0:43:11to come to the Holy Land.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14It was maybe a once-in-a-lifetime event
0:43:14 > 0:43:18and once you've done your pilgrimage you really wanted to take something
0:43:18 > 0:43:21back from here to prove that you have done your...
0:43:21 > 0:43:25- Like a passport stamp? - Yes, it's exactly like that.- Really?
0:43:25 > 0:43:28- Can you show me some examples? - Yes, of course.- What have you got?
0:43:28 > 0:43:33Those are stamps that are carved in olive wood.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37So you would, or the tattooist at the time, would ink that,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41put it wherever, and then come off and there's the trace for you to...
0:43:41 > 0:43:44- Tattoo it, that's right. - Are these very old?- Yes.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47- We believe that this is 500 years old...- No?
0:43:47 > 0:43:51- ..and we have proof of it.- 500 years old, that's incredible.- Yes.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Oh, you see, now you're giving me the thought that I would like one.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57I know that's crazy, but, I don't know,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59it's something you have to think about.
0:43:59 > 0:44:00'Whilst I'm talking to Wasim,
0:44:00 > 0:44:04'he's suddenly inundated by a group of American pilgrims.'
0:44:04 > 0:44:08We all know those three are first cos it's two daughters and a mother.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12- We want a little cross.- OK. You want crosses, just thin crosses?
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Thin crosses, yes.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17'Mother, Sharon, and her daughters are being tattooed
0:44:17 > 0:44:20'for the first time and with matching cross designs.'
0:44:21 > 0:44:25Did you know you were going to have a tattoo when you came here?
0:44:25 > 0:44:30- I did.- And you brought your mum as well?- Yes. She's very conservative.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35- This is so exciting. Are you getting one?- I might. I might.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38- You have to.- Well, we'll see.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40- Do you like it?- I love it.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42He's been doing it for 500 years.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46- Is it you next? - If you're ready, go, Mom.- OK.
0:44:46 > 0:44:51'For mum, Sharon, this is a particularly significant moment.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54'Her husband, who passed away only a year ago,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57'gave her a cross necklace just months before he died.'
0:44:59 > 0:45:01He gave it to me at Christmas last year.
0:45:01 > 0:45:02He had acute myeloid leukaemia
0:45:02 > 0:45:05- and he said, "This is the last..." - Can I see it?
0:45:05 > 0:45:07"..the last Christmas gift I'm going to be able to give you,"
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and we both knew that it was true,
0:45:10 > 0:45:16and then we got it for each of the girls as well
0:45:16 > 0:45:18so we could all have it.
0:45:18 > 0:45:19Wow.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21So this is very meaningful.
0:45:21 > 0:45:22It's very meaningful.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26It's just beautiful, it's just perfect.
0:45:26 > 0:45:27Oh.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Now YOU'RE starting to cry!
0:45:30 > 0:45:32And you haven't even had yours done yet.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Exactly. I'm going to come out there
0:45:34 > 0:45:36and they're going to say, "What happened?"
0:45:36 > 0:45:38Don't faint. Don't do anything like that.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50According to the gospels, Jesus's trial and conviction
0:45:50 > 0:45:53took place in just a matter of hours.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56By Friday morning, he was facing imminent death.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06Goodness! Look at this.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12A crown of thorns actually made of thorns.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19It's a bit of a funny day today, really.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21It's my last day here in Jerusalem
0:46:21 > 0:46:25and it's the last day that Jesus was alive on earth.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29And after all I've learned over the last few days, it's a funny feeling.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32I feel... I don't know why but I feel a little bit nervous,
0:46:32 > 0:46:37apprehensive about what I'm going to see and what I'll experience.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46Jesus's punishment for claiming to be a king was crucifixion.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50Following the trial, he had to carry his cross through the city
0:46:50 > 0:46:51to his place of execution.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58For Christians, it's a crucial final stage in the story of Jesus.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04This is the parade held every Friday
0:47:04 > 0:47:10and these people, pilgrims, monks, tourists, every...
0:47:10 > 0:47:14nuns, they all come to follow in the footsteps of Jesus
0:47:14 > 0:47:18and today we're going to join them.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21CHORAL SINGING
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Since medieval times, the Via Dolorosa
0:47:24 > 0:47:28has been considered the route Jesus took to his crucifixion.
0:47:28 > 0:47:33It's divided into what's called The 14 Stations of the Cross,
0:47:33 > 0:47:36with each one telling a different part of his journey.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41The Third Station. Here Jesus paused for the first time,
0:47:41 > 0:47:45and yet ours was the suffering he bore.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48However, this path is at odds with recent archaeology
0:47:48 > 0:47:52because it starts from the remains of the wrong governor's palace.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57Yet this tradition still evokes
0:47:57 > 0:48:00the universal relevance of Jesus's suffering.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05This is the Fifth Station of the Cross, right here,
0:48:05 > 0:48:07and this is where Jesus, so exhausted,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10so tired from loss of blood, from being flayed and whipped,
0:48:10 > 0:48:14couldn't carry the cross any longer and he dropped it,
0:48:14 > 0:48:16and the Roman soldiers who were with him dragged a man from the crowd
0:48:16 > 0:48:19who was just watching, a man called Simon of Cyrene,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22and said to him, "Right, you pick up this cross up, please.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25"You carry it for him," and he did.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29And for a moment, Jesus had respite from this dreadful burden,
0:48:29 > 0:48:31and Simon carried that burden for him.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36Swept along through the bustling quarters of the old city,
0:48:36 > 0:48:40I can really imagine the chaos and intensity of that day.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46You get such a sense here of the crowds.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49And the people knew there was a crucifixion.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51They couldn't wait to see something exciting happening.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54It must have been like this...
0:48:54 > 0:48:56without the singing and the praises, of course.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00The Eighth Station.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Here, Jesus meets the holy women of Jerusalem.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06A great crowd of people...
0:49:06 > 0:49:10The Via Dolorosa ends at my final destination -
0:49:10 > 0:49:14the site of Jesus's crucifixion.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25In my mind, I've always pictured a small, idyllic, green hill,
0:49:25 > 0:49:30not a busy crowded square with its ancient church.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Happily, I've arranged to meet an old friend here.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35Ah, Gregory.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37- Good morning, Fern. How are you doing?- I'm good.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40- How are you?- Great. Thank you. How are you doing?- I'm fine.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43- So this is it.- Yes, here we are at the Holy Sepulchre.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46It is one of holiest shrines of all of Christianity.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Millions of pilgrims come each year.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51Look, already.
0:49:51 > 0:49:52I'm a bit..
0:49:52 > 0:49:56Would you come and be my spiritual guide?
0:49:56 > 0:50:00Because I really don't quite know what to expect and what to see.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03- Would you come with me? - Certainly.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06No-one knows just exactly where Jesus was crucified
0:50:06 > 0:50:11but this is where many pilgrims come, believing it to be the place.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14The church has been built over a rocky area
0:50:14 > 0:50:17that I have always known as Calvary.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Amazingly, you can see the original stone surface
0:50:20 > 0:50:22through a glass wall inside.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25- This is the Rock of Calvary? - This is the Rock of Calvary.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28Oh, my goodness!
0:50:28 > 0:50:30How would you fix a cross into stone?
0:50:30 > 0:50:32I imagined it was earth of some kind.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35You'd would have to make a hole, put the cross in, then fill up the hole
0:50:35 > 0:50:38with the stones to make it stable.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42It's an awful lot to take in and to imagine we are now actually
0:50:42 > 0:50:45in a wild and open and windy space on a rock.
0:50:45 > 0:50:50- None of this beautiful architecture is here.- Right.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53- Where are you going to take me now? - We'll go up to Calvary.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Yeah. Wow.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58Gregory, this is such a privilege to come with you.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01- Well, thank you.- I couldn't think of a nicer person to come with.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03- I'm going to hang on to you. Shall I go up?- Yeah.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Gregory takes me to the top of the Rock,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09where it's believed Jesus's cross stood.
0:51:09 > 0:51:10Right.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15Just walk through?
0:51:20 > 0:51:22(Oh, my goodness.)
0:51:32 > 0:51:35This is it. This is the Stone of the Rock...
0:51:35 > 0:51:40and through here I'm allowed to go under the altar and touch it.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01You put your hand through a hole
0:52:01 > 0:52:05and, quite a long way down, you feel the smoothness of the rock,
0:52:05 > 0:52:11from all these 2,000 years of pilgrims reaching and touching it,
0:52:11 > 0:52:13and this is supposed to be the place where -
0:52:13 > 0:52:16you can see him on the cross here -
0:52:16 > 0:52:19Jesus's crucifix was...
0:52:19 > 0:52:20and where he died.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26I really thought that perhaps this would be
0:52:26 > 0:52:29so busy and such an attraction
0:52:29 > 0:52:31that I wouldn't feel it,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34but there is something, don't you think?
0:52:34 > 0:52:40My experience is that the chaos that goes on in the Holy Sepulchre
0:52:40 > 0:52:43is what Christ himself would have experienced
0:52:43 > 0:52:44- on the day of the crucifixion.- Yes.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47There would have been absolute chaos - people running around
0:52:47 > 0:52:49their business, doing a thousand different things.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51It's fascinating.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Father Gregory has one more surprise for me.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00This church also claims to contain
0:53:00 > 0:53:03the actual tomb where Jesus was buried.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08I'll let you now wait in line and go into the tomb by yourself
0:53:08 > 0:53:11because I don't want to intrude on the experience.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14Thank you. Thank you so much.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16- OK, here we go. Bye.- Bye-bye.
0:53:40 > 0:53:42And this is the inner chamber.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57This would be where they would have lain the body of Christ.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00Apparently these stones are put here to protect
0:54:00 > 0:54:03actually the ones under here, which are the real ones.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09I'm going to light a candle.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Light into darkness.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34Wonderful. Wonderful. Thank you.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44Oh!
0:54:44 > 0:54:50That was so peaceful. The deep peace inside there was something,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54and now we're outside again in the hubbub of people taking selfies
0:54:54 > 0:54:57and tour groups and everything
0:54:57 > 0:55:00but, after an incredible few days of following him,
0:55:00 > 0:55:07walking in the places he saw, he smelt, he experienced, it was...
0:55:07 > 0:55:08it was...
0:55:10 > 0:55:13It's a bit too soon to process what I'm feeling
0:55:13 > 0:55:20but there was something really there and, for me, that was amazing.
0:55:20 > 0:55:21Amazing.
0:55:34 > 0:55:39Jesus's death looks like a humiliating, shameful defeat
0:55:39 > 0:55:41but his followers made an astonishing claim...
0:55:43 > 0:55:46..that God raised Jesus from the tomb
0:55:46 > 0:55:49and that he had appeared to them, alive again.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53The resurrection of Jesus changed everything.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57It gave a meaning and a purpose to his life and his death,
0:55:57 > 0:56:02and it kind of gave a confirmation of his unique, divine role.
0:56:06 > 0:56:11Jesus became an object of veneration in his own right.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13The risen Christ.
0:56:13 > 0:56:14The Christ of faith.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23Wow. What a long and incredible journey I've had this week
0:56:23 > 0:56:25and now we've come to the end.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29It's been amazing and it's going to take me some time
0:56:29 > 0:56:32to really process what's happened this week...
0:56:32 > 0:56:35and I think there's just one more thing I need to do.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43Wasim, I'm back.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45- Nice to see you. - Nice to see you, too.
0:56:45 > 0:56:46- I've made a decision.- Finally.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48- Yes. Can I sit down here?- Please.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51- Remember the mum and the two daughters?- Yeah.- I'd like that,
0:56:51 > 0:56:53the very slim cross.
0:56:53 > 0:56:54OK, let's do it.
0:56:54 > 0:56:55Won't take long, will it?
0:56:55 > 0:56:59No, it won't, and it's not painful, don't worry.
0:56:59 > 0:57:00Already I'm scared.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04First, the ball point pen.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08'The story of Jesus's crucifixion in this city 2,000 years ago
0:57:08 > 0:57:11'has been with me since childhood...'
0:57:11 > 0:57:14- That's going to be nice, isn't it? - Yeah. Beautiful.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16- OK. OK.- OK. - I might have to close my eyes.
0:57:16 > 0:57:21'..but coming here has truly transformed these ancient events
0:57:21 > 0:57:23'into something vivid and real.'
0:57:23 > 0:57:24And we will make it very thin.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27Yes, please. Very thin.
0:57:27 > 0:57:28'Experiencing the city he walked in
0:57:28 > 0:57:31'and the traditions that have flourished here
0:57:31 > 0:57:34'has brought me closer to Jesus and his sacrifice.'
0:57:36 > 0:57:38Perfect.
0:57:40 > 0:57:41I'm a real pilgrim.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43You are a real pilgrim. Congratulations.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45I'm a proper... Thank you very much.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49'This tattoo is not just a souvenir of an unforgettable trip
0:57:49 > 0:57:53'but a sign that, struggling Christian though I am,
0:57:53 > 0:57:55'I have faith in him.'
0:57:56 > 0:57:59That's lovely. Want to see it?
0:57:59 > 0:58:01Isn't that nice?
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Simple. Meaningful.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07- Perfect.- Traditional.- Traditional.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10I'm thrilled with that.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13Thank you, Wasim. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you so much.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15Gosh.
0:58:15 > 0:58:19- Well, I won't forget this trip ever, will I?- No.- And that's the point.