Golgotha

Just wanted to share a few more pictures from Israel.

Here we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The spot many believe is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Here is the tomb of Christ.

And the spot in which they laid His body.

When we visited the crowds were enormous. Long lines with people everywhere. You could not turn a peaceful eye towards anything. Stuff everywhere. Hanging incense, gold plated relics, candles, crystal, gold plated candle holders taller than me. Gaudy stuff everywhere.

I had a hard time feeling close to His presence. I mean I know He is no longer in the tomb or what was left of it, but I just did not feel like I did in the Garden. I could not stop the noise from entering my thoughts.... I could not stop to gaze out for all the stuff blocking my view and thoughts.

It just did not seem right. My Jesus did not require all this stuff. All this junk to be placed around somewhere He no longer resides. It just felt void of Him.

And it seemed people were too concerned with the relics around them than the aweness of this place. People were pushing and shoving to jockey their place in line. They were neither quiet nor reverent of this Holy site.


Here is the site of crucifixion and an ornate altar built on top.... and I simply just had a hard time finding that place within myself to worship Him for what He did for me at this site.






The day before we left Israel we stumbled upon a place we were not sure would make it unto our busy schedule....


The hill just above Jeremiah’s Grotto, is possibly the true site of Calvary (Calvary is the English-language name for Golgotha).

This hill is also known as Jeremiah’s Grotto and is the traditional site where Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. This is also the traditional site where Stephen was martyred.

A place where recent scholars believe as the true sight of Calvary. The place in which the crucifixion took place... outside the city walls. The Romans would leave the bodies on the hill for all to see. This Golgotha overlooks the ancient main road that led to Jericho and Damascus in New Testament times.

"And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate

to make the people holy through his own blood."

Hebrews 13:12 (NIV)

"They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha

(which means The Place of the Skull)."

Mark 15:22 (NIV)

"Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden,

and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid."

John 19:41 (NKJV)

This site had a different feel. From the moment we arrived and saw the facial features of a skull we sensed a feeling of death. A reverent sadness fell upon me. It was not a quiet place. The noise of ongoing traffic continued to whiz by. People walking into market stalls were evident up and down the streets. But something about this noise seemed right. It felt real. It felt like a busy thoroughfare between two major cities, with the noise common for the daily grind.

We continued our walk towards the tomb. As we passed the entry gates I felt like I had entered a completely different place....

As we stepped across the threshold we entered a beautiful thriving garden.

A lush green garden. The deep feelings of sadness I had felt upon seeing the skull had dissipated as the garden atmosphere took over.

I smelled the greenery, heard the birds chirping, listened to a trickle of water as I strolled along the path towards the tomb. The pathway was well kept, but just beyond the concrete barriers lay the unkept beauty of a living garden. Plants in full bloom, animals and insects tussling through the growth. Tree branches swaying with the breeze.

The walk had a calming effect. A place where I could stop and reflect on what HE had done for me. How a place of death for Him brought life to me. Where I could breath the fresh breath of life. A place where I could close my eyes and hear the bristle of vitality. A place where I could smell the freshness of life.

As I neared the tomb.... I had a completely different attitude than the previous tomb from the Church of Holy Sepulchre. Before I was frustrated with all the stuff lurking about. People pushing in line. The nauseating smell of cheap incense.

This time... I had a fresh breath in my nostrils. No spot in line to defend. No thousand gaudy relics dangling in front of me.

This time... I was able to fully devote my thoughts to what lay in front of me.

The tomb of my Maker.

The empty tomb of my Maker.

A place where He died so that I might live.

This Easter unlike others before I had a chance to visit the Holy Land... take me back to that garden spot just outside the gates of Jerusalem.

A place of solidarity.


A place of tranquility for me.


The place where my Savior saved me.



Blessings,

Kristie