Chapter 20: God used the “Knights of St. John of Jerusalem” and the Mount Zion Hotel to bring down the Walls of Hostility between Jew and Gentile
At this point, I want to share how the Manifold Wisdom of God that brought down the walls of hostility between Jew and Gentile became a “Living Word” in my own personal life. This goes back hundreds of years to my Scottish ancestors who were of Jewish ancestry.
God’s Covenant Promise reveals that He will bless one thousand generations of those who love Him with all their heart, their soul and mind Exodus 20:6. And, so it was with my Scottish Forebears, many of whom were imprisoned in Aberdeen, Scotland because they would not compromise their walk with the Lord and bow down to the man-made traditions of the Presbyterian Church, which was Scotland’s state church at the time. And, because my Scottish forebears loved the Lord with all their heart, their soul and mind, I can bear witness that I have personally experienced multiple blessings and God’s mercy because of their walk with the Lord.
The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem and the Nineteenth Century Eye Clinic
To begin with, I want to focus on the Christian Knights of St. John of Jerusalem whom God used to bring down the dividing walls of hostility between the Believers and the Jewish people living in Israel who were afflicted with an eye disease that was rampant throughout Israel in the late 1880’s.
Johan de Skene, one of my Scottish relatives (if not a direct forbear), was a Christian “Knight of St. John of Jerusalem” over 700 years ago who oversaw land the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem held in Scotland. St. John is a reference to John the Baptist and as a Christian Knight of St. John of Jerusalem, Johan de Skene would have made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem during the period of the Crusades. And, like my Scottish relatives, I have been making pilgrimages to Jerusalem every year since 2009 (the exceptions being 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID pandemic).
COVID proved to be a stumbling block for those of us who were prevented from travelling to Jerusalem to celebrate the Lord’s fall festival – the Feast of Tabernacles. However, like my Scottish Forebear, who co-authored the book “The Way Cast Up, And the Stumbling blocks removed from before the feet of those who are seeking the way to Zion with their faces thitherward,” while he was imprisoned in the Tolbooth of Aberdeen – a prisoner for the true liberty of all Christians in 1676/1677 – I too have set my face towards Israel and will once again travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, as the Lord has removed the stumbling block of COVID from our paths. From the book my Scottish Forebear co-authored from prison, it is likely that he too made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem after gaining his freedom and before he died in the late 1600’s.
Jeremiah 50:5 5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten. KJV
And, that brings me to "Mt. Zion" Hotel where I stayed during the Feast of Tabernacles for six successive years starting in 2014 when I was in Jerusalem. Both the historical and spiritual significance of Mt. Zion Hotel are profound!
The original Mt. Zion Hotel was not a kosher hotel. The original building was an "Ophthalmic Dispensary" and Hospice that was built in 1882 by Christians who belonged to the Christian "Order of St. John of Jerusalem.” This religious order traces its origins back to the 11th century, when the Order of St. John of Jerusalem was founded to watch over and provide care for the sick, poor or injured Christians who were making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land before and during the Crusades. They also cared for the poor and suffering Arabs and Jewish people who lived in Jerusalem at that time, even caring for their babies and children when the parents felt they could not care for them.
Just as the Lord brought down the dividing walls of hostility between the Jewish people and Gentiles living in south Lebanon through the compassion of an IDF soldier, Christ used the Christian Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem to bring down the dividing walls of hostility between the Jews of Israel and the Christian Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in the late 1800’s, as well as during the Crusades.
It was because of the love for the Jewish people that the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, also known as the Hospitallers, not only built an eye clinic to help those Jewish people who were suffering from the eye diseases that were rampant in Jerusalem at the time, but they also bore all the costs of the building and provided all their services for free.
The following stone monument erected in a small garden in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem forever memorializes the love and compassion shown by the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem for the Jewish people in their time of need. |
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The inscription reads:
“Here in the Muristan was Situated the First Hospital of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem During the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries. In 1882 the Grand Priory in the British Realm of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem Established an Ophthalmic Hospital in the Holy City in Emulation of the Humanitarian and Charitable Efforts of its Mediaeval Predecessors for the Eleven Years from 1949 to 1960. This work was centered in the Adjacent Properties known as Watson House and Strathearn House. To Commemorate these Events the Most Venerable Order Owner of this Site Constructed this Garden on this Site and Inscribed this Stone in 1972” |
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A Letter of Gratitude from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem
Several years after the Eye Hospital was built, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem wrote a letter to Sir Edmund Lechmere, a member of St. John of Jerusalem, to express his gratitude for the virtue and loving kindness he and the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem had shown the residents of Jerusalem in helping heal the people from their suffering. A copy of the English translation of this letter, dated October 11, 1886, from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem is posted on the outer wall of the room I stay in while a guest at Mt. Zion Hotel. This room is also part of “The Cable Car Museum,” which I explain later in this chapter. And, the letter from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem says it all. A copy of the letter follows on the next page.
In his letter to Sir Edmund Lechmere, the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem describes Lechmere as a man “who pursueth virtue and loving kindness.” The Rabbi expresses his gratitude for all the kindness he has shown the residents of Jerusalem in opening an Eye Hospital to help the poor heal from their sufferings. The Rabbi goes on to write that their hearts were deeply moved with gratitude towards Sir Edmund Lechmere, "for this good work which thou hast established, being prompted thereto solely by goodwill without any reference to creed or form of faith, and without grieving the hearts of those who were stretched on the couch of suffering.”
The Rabbi continues, "Never shall we forget this thy loving kindness.”
The Rabbi also thanks Sir Edmund Lechmere for wanting to increase "the water supply of the Holy City so that the poor thereof may no more suffer the pangs of thirst.”
The Rabbi goes on to say, "What shall we say unto thee, honoured Sir, and how shall we thank thee for this thy great goodness? Our tongue faileth us, adequately to express unto thee our feelings. Our prayer is offered up unto Heaven that He may recompense thy …” (I was unable to read the last several lines). The Rabbi ends by saying, "This is the prayer of him who honoreth and esteeneth thee.”
This letter is a manifestation of the profound spiritual truths of Ephesians 2:14-16 and Ephesians 3:10 becoming a Living Word.
Israel's greatest "Spiritual Ally" will always be the Spirit-led Believer in Christ Jesus! |
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Below is a picture of me standing by the wall (my room is on the other side of this wall), and the wall is part of a small museum on the outside of my room. The arrow on the picture to the left points to the above mentioned letter. And, the picture to the right points to a plaque on this same wall that mentions the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. |
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We know that the Lord will use the things in the natural realm to convey a spiritual truth. And, there is no doubt that the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem was a manifestation of the manifest wisdom of God that the Church makes known to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies: that through the death of Jesus the dividing walls of hostility between the Jew and Gentile will come down.
The Chief Rabbi's letter not only speaks of the love that all of Jerusalem had for Sir Edmund Lechmere, a Christian Knight in the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, but also acknowledges Sir Edmund Lechmere's love for Jerusalem. That says it all! There is no doubt that it was through the death of Christ Jesus that the dividing wall of hostility between the Jews and the Christian Knights had been brought down.
A Brief History of the Eye Clinic and Its Importance in Israel’s War of Independence
As mentioned above, the Mount Zion Hotel was not always a Kosher Hotel. Following is a brief history of the origins of the Eye Clinic and how it became a strategic asset in Israel’s War of Independence” before becoming the Mount Zion Hotel.
1882: The original building was an "Ophthalmic Dispensary" and Hospice that was built in 1882 by Christians who belonged to the "Order of St. John of Jerusalem" that traces its origins back to the 11th century, when the Order of St John of Jerusalem was founded to watch over and provide care for the sick, poor or injured Christians who were making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land before and during the Crusades. In 1882 they cared for the poor and suffering Arabs and Jewish people who lived in Jerusalem at that time, even taking their babies and children when the parents felt they themselves could not care for them. And, when the males who had been orphaned became adults, they too became Hospitallers.
1948 - The War of Independence and Mt. Zion Hotel’s Military Secret: On May 15, 1948, the day after David Ben-Gurion announced that Israel was an independent state, Israel was attacked by a coalition of five Arab states that had risen up against them in what is now known as Israel’s "War of Independence.” It was at this time that the British Mandate for Palestine that was formed in 1920 also ended. And, it was at this point that the Ophthalmic Dispensary became a strategic position in Israel's War of Independence.
When The War of Independence broke out in 1948, the Israeli Army had the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem’s clinic staff to evacuate the Eye Clinic and relocate outside of Jerusalem because they were too close to the fighting. Without a doubt, the Eye Clinic was a Blessing for all who were treated there. And, even though the Eye Clinic was now vacant - the Blessings for the Jewish people did not cease. Quite the contrary.
Before leaving the "historical" aspects of Mt. Zion Hotel, there is another spiritual aspect of its history that's noteworthy. It was a Secret that the military kept from 1948 when the Israeli forces were fighting in The War of Independence until 1972 when the military revealed their Secret to the public.
Until 1972 no one knew that the Israeli Military ran a Cable Car from the Eye Clinic across Hinnom Valley to the Jewish Quarter in the Old City during the 1948 Israeli War for Independence.
The Cable Car to Mt. Zion: When the British departed Mandate Palestine, both the Jews and Arabs were left to defend the territory already held and take additional turf when possible. One strategic point was Mount Zion, which the Harel Brigade of the Palmach captured on 18 May 1948.
And, even though they were not able to keep their hold on the Jewish Quarter, – the Jewish forces were able to retain their foothold on Mount Zion. The question now became how to bring supplies to the Jewish Quarter on Mount Zion and evacuate the sick and wounded without being exposed to Arab gunfire, as the Jewish Quarter located in Jerusalem's Old City was under siege at the time by the Jordanian Army.
In December 1948, Uriel Hefetz, later to serve as a senior officer in the IDF Engineering Corps, proposed a steel cable suspended 165 feet above the Valley of Hinnom. The cars would take much needed medical and military supplies to the Jewish Quarter still under siege, bring others out, and could make the trip in two-minutes
One end of the cable was on Mount Zion while the other end was in the abandoned St. John Ophthalmic Hospital, a fact unknown to the Jordanian Army as well as the public. The Cable and Cable Car used to transport the wounded could only be raised during the night, otherwise, Israel's enemies would have seen the Cable during the daytime and destroyed the lifeline to and from the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City.
For six months the cable was raised at night then lowered before daybreak so the operation would go undetected. Until 1972 the cable car was kept in readiness in case its operation would once again become necessary. Eventually, the operations room and one of the cars became a museum. |
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The cable has been replaced; however, the cable car in the above picture is the original cable car. |
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The Cable Car and Cable Car Museum at the Mt. Zion Hotel
The "Cable Car" Museum: I mentioned previously that posted on the outer wall of the room I stay in at Mt. Zion Hotel reveals that this section of Mt. Zion Hotel was originally built by the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem and was part of their eye clinic. However, there's much more that the walls of this part of Mt. Zion Hotel reveal. Actually, the outer wall of the room I stay in (room 718) when I'm in Jerusalem is part of the "Cable Car" Museum.” The two rooms that house the museum along with rooms 717 and 718 were the original rooms of the main building of the Eye Clinic.
It's understandable why Mount Zion Hotel, which overlooks Jerusalem's Old City, is considered one of the holy city's most fascinating historical buildings. And, the "Cable Car Museum" is a Memorial to that part of Israel's history.
The cable that still runs from "Mount Zion Hotel" across the Hinnom Valley all the way up to the Old City of Jerusalem is symbolic of the Believing Jew and Believing Gentile becoming one. Scripture tells us that together, the Believing Jews and the Believing Gentiles are being built into a Holy Temple for the Lord. Ephesians 2:14-22
The "Cable" that the Cable Car rides on is located on the other side of room 718 and runs across Hinnom Valley to Biblical Mount Zion itself. In other words, this particular cable "spiritually" connects the part of the hotel that we stay in at Mount Zion Hotel to the Biblical Mt. Zion.
And, it's important to note that the part of the hotel we stay in is the old "historical" section of the hotel and is separated from the main part of the hotel by a courtyard. And, it's obvious that it was the Lord who intervened and had the Hotel staff to upgrade us to these very rooms.
The following picture is of the courtyard just outside rooms 717 and 718 that we stay in. It is fairly private as guests in these two rooms are the only ones that would have a reason to use this courtyard, - as this old section of the hotel is away from the main hotel. The blue sign on the wall marks the museum. |
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The below pictures show two different views of the cable car. The picture on the left shows the original cable mechanism from inside the museum that was used to move the cable car. The picture on the right is the original cable car hanging from the cable, although the cable itself is not the original cable used in 1948. |
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The Spiritual Aspects of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem and the Mount Zion Hotel
Christ Jesus is Rebuilding His House: The Spiritual Aspects of the Christian Order of St. John of Jerusalem lives on at the Mount Zion Hotel. The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem were an example of the “Living Stones” of God’s House that the Apostle Peter wrote about that bring down the Dividing Walls (1 Peter 2:4-6), with Jesus Christ being the “Living Cornerstone” of the present-day Mount Zion Hotel.
1 Peter 2:6 "Behold, I lay in Zion A Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” NKJV
On Earth as in Heaven: We know that the Lord will use those things in the natural, like the Mount Zion Hotel, to convey a spiritual truth. As such, we know that the Mount Zion Hotel can be thought of as a "type" of spiritual house that Peter spoke of in 1 Peter 2:4-7 and Paul spoke of in Ephesians 2.
Living Stones for God’s House: 1 Peter 2:4-7 4 You
are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was
rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 5 And
you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.
What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ,
you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the
Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great
honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 7 Yes,
you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who
reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the
cornerstone.” NLT Oneness and Peace in Christ Jesus and a Temple for the Lord: Ephesians 2:14-22 14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. 19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. NLT
The Church of Christ is portrayed as a house or rather household. In other words, using this same analogy, a man's sons and daughter that make up his household can be likened to the stones that a construction worker would use in the construction of a building. Just as a man's sons and daughters make up his household, God is using the Believer and His spiritual sons and daughters as the spiritual Stones to build His Spiritual House. Together, the Believing Jews and the Believing Gentiles are being built into a Holy Temple for the Lord. Ephesians 2:14-22
The Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem can be likened to the living stones that God is using to build His Spiritual Temple that Peter spoke of in 1 Peter 2:5. And, the Ophthalmic Dispensary they built was their spiritual sacrifice unto the Lord - because they gave the Gospel to all the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles who came to their clinic - and this was pleasing to the Lord.
The Household of God: As Believers we are "Fellow Citizens with all the Saints and Believers who are of the Household of God.” And, as members of the Household of God, in 1882 when the "Order of St. John of Jerusalem" built the Ophthalmic Dispensary (and in that sense the Mount Zion Hotel), they not only built a "physical building," but they also built a "spiritual house" – a "Household of God.” The foundation of the spiritual house they built was the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ Himself as the Chief Cornerstone. In doing so, the Hospitallers built a Habitation of God through the Spirit.”
It has been well documented that the Hospitallers who served the Jewish people in the 1800's, as well as those who served the Jewish people in the eleventh century, both shared the Gospel with all who came to them for help, be they Jew or Gentile. Like the Christians of the "Order of St. John of Jerusalem," we too share the Gospel when we stay at the Mount Zion Hotel. We, along with the Hospitallers, are like the "Living Stones" that Peter and Paul spoke of that are being built into a "Spiritual House" – and as a present-day word – we like the Hospitallers are spiritual stones that the Lord is using in building a spiritual house at Mount Zion Hotel. 1 Peter 2 & 71 Ephesians 2
The "Living Stones" will Bring Down the Dividing Walls between Jews & Christians: And, it was their zeal for Christ Jesus and their desire to share the Gospel with God's chosen people who they loved, that the Hospitallers went to Jerusalem in the eleventh & twelfth century and built their hospital. The Hospitallers of the "Order of St. John of Jerusalem" were truly "Living Stones" that the Lord used to build a spiritual house that would bring down dividing walls between the Christian Hospitallers and the Jewish people.
We have been blessed to stay in a hotel where the foundation upon which it was laid is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the Hospitallers, it is our genuine love for Christ Jesus, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and our love for God's chosen people that the Lord will be able to use us as "Living Stones" to continue building a spiritual house at Mount Zion Hotel and to bring down any dividing walls between us and the Jewish people we meet at the Mount Zion Hotel. Selah, Pause and Calmly think of that! The Enemy cannot tear down the Spiritual House the Lord has built at Mount Zion Hotel. So, no one should be surprised that many Christian Ministries not only stay at Mount Zion Hotel, but hold Christian conferences at the Mount Zion Hotel worshiping and lifting up the name of Christ Jesus.
The "Measuring Line: Over time, new wings were added to the original structure that was built in 1882. However, I know the rooms we have stayed in (717 & 718) are "spiritually" significant because of the cable that still runs from this section of the hotel across Hinnom Valley up to the Old City of Jerusalem. In other words, this cable that connects Mount Zion Hotel to the Old City of Jerusalem where the Biblical Mount Zion is literally located can be thought of as a “spiritual cable” and the "Measuring Line" in Zechariah 1:16-17 & 2:1-2 that Christ Jesus will use to bring the Church and the Jewish Remnant together.
Each of us whom God gives a Word – to those of us who have a preaching spirit – let us publish the greatness of God’s works.
Psalm 68:11 11The Lord gives the word [of power]; the women who bear and publish [the news] are a great host. Amplified Bible, Classic Edition |