Excitement within our group intensified this morning.
It was the day we were to visit one of the two sites
where it is believed that Jesus could have been crucified and buried.
Just outside the immense, ancient stone walls of the old city, through a vaguely dirty part of town in “modern” Jerusalem is a walled compound. Within these walls there is a quiet, well-kept garden. And following the winding paths inside, we made our way to a platform that overlooked a cliff that stood about 40 feet high. “The Hill of the Skull” is a rough rocky face with several shallow caves, or dents in it. If you squint and blur your vision it might look like a skull, but not really.
Still, it fits
some of the biblical description of the place – it lay along a main street out of the city walls, it was therefore very accessible and visible to crowds passing, or pausing, to mock the unfortunates nailed there. It is less than a half mile from the city, and Herod’s palace, so marching Jesus out to be hung is not unimaginable.
Winding back to another side of the garden, we found another cliff face, this one with a deliberate cave in its face. The site where many believe is where rich Joseph offered his own personal burial tomb for the use of the crucified Creator. Low entry door. Slot in the rock to hold a sealing stone in place. Cold, hard, rocky benches inside on which to lay a dead body. It sure looked like a tomb to me. As we ducked and walked in, my heart was glad as I contemplated what He did for me – for us – and that the tomb was unoccupied.
The rumors, evidence, and testimonies are all right – He is risen!
Personally, the other site, the one that now lies under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, makes more sense as the likely site, but the actual site does not really matter. The fact remains that Jesus was really, truly crucified to death, was buried, and both the cross and the tomb are empty.
A couple days later, we returned to this site to share communion together. How poignant and meaningful to break the bread near the place where His body was broken. How sweet to share the cup of His new covenant, purchased with the perfect, holy blood of the God-Man.
Again, our guide heard the story, witnessed our “strange joy” over this Jewish story, and felt the impact of the Spirit moving among us.