Neil Armstrong was Thrilled to Walk Where Jesus Walked

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died in 2012 at age 82. An astronaut, aerospace engineer, Navy fighter pilot (who flew 78 combat missions over North Korea), and university professor, Armstrong was famous as a man of few words, yet he uttered some of history’s most memorable ones. When he first stepped on the moon, he exclaimed, “This is one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” He said something else that was memorable, and I am reminded of it on every trip to Israel. Not long after the Apollo 11 moon landing, Armstrong visited Jerusalem and was guided by archaeologist Meir Ben-Dov, one of the excavators of the southern Temple Mount. Armstrong asked him to point out a place where Jesus would have walked, and Ben-Dov took him to the Huldah Gates and showed him the recently excavated southern steps. Armstrong asked if these were the original steps, and Ben-Dov replied, “Yes.” Armstrong said, “So Jesus stepped right here?” and Ben-Dov again confirmed it. To this, Armstrong said, “I have to tell you. I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon.” This account is part of Israel’s official two-year training program for guides, and it also appears in From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman.

​(Friday Church News Notes, July 26, 2019, www.wayoflife.org , [email protected] , 866-295-4143)

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