The Garden Tomb

I bet you thought that there were no more entries, right? Since Debbie correctly noted that The Tunnels were our last sight, I would have thought the same thing too! But the truth of the matter is that Debbie and I agreed that we would cover the Tunnels and the Tomb and Debbie is, well you know, a bit more focused than I am! Regardless of the order in which the information and photos are posted, the Garden Tomb cannot be omitted from our journal. This place was one of my absolute favorites and I hope to share with you some of the meaningfulness of what we saw and heard that day at the Garden Tomb...

Our bus rolled through the town of Jerusalem. We were not in the Old City, that I knew. We were clearly in an Arab section of town, that too was clear. Where could we possibly be headed? Suddenly, our bus began its parking maneuver along the busy street. We disembarked and walked directly into the entrance to the site referred to as the Garden Tomb. Our guide Amos chatted familiarly in English with the woman at the window as he secured our entry.

As we stepped inside were were immediately transported from the hustle-bustle frenzy on the street to the soothing serenity of the garden. Was this really the very place where Jesus was crucified and buried? We don't know for certain. This is one of two suggested places, the other being the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is within the Old City and is now more of a shrine than anything.

Back to the garden. Each group was assigned to a docent who escorts the group through the site. Ours was a young man who spoke perfect English and did an outstanding job of educating us about the Garden Tomb.

The main reason that this site is considered to be a strong possibility for the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ is the pattern on the side of a hill which has small "eyes" and the slit of a "mouth" that has the appearance of a skull (the meaning of Golgotha). The skull-looking hill we saw was adjacent to a road which is where the Romans chose to display the crucifixions as a warning and deterrent to potential "offenders". Now the hill overlooks a busy bus stop in an Arab section outside the city walls.

To the right is a shot of the hill which many believe to be Golgotha, or "The Skull".

Only steps from the hill is a tomb hewn from rock which again corresponds to the account of the burial in the Gospel of Matthew.

The Burial of Jesus (Matthew 27:57-61)
As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who was one of Jesus' followers, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance as he left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting nearby watching.

This is what the entrance of just such a tomb looks like. You can see the trough at the foot of the door which is where a huge, round rock would be set to close the entry of the tomb.

Below is a closer view of the trough for the stone which is rolled (with great effort) over the opening of the tomb to seal the tomb.

We lined up at the entry of the tomb to see the inside. Our time inside was very brief and we were required to get in and out, but I managed to take one photo of the grave site which is inside this tomb. If this is indeed the tomb used for the burial of Jesus Christ, this spot within the tomb is the place where His body would have been laid. Also, according to Scripture (see passage from Mark below), there was an angel sitting on the right which would have been feasible for this location.

The Empty Tomb Mark 16:2-5
Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.

As our docent so aptly pointed out, whether or not this is the exact site is not nearly as important as what was accomplished here or a place like this: The tomb was EMPTY! Jesus Christ rose from the dead and has conquered over sin and death. Again, whether it was here at this spot or somewhere nearby, the truth is that Jesus is not here or there...he is ALIVE and reigning from Heaven!

Concluding our visit was the celebration of the Lord's Supper led by our own group leaders. The wine/juice was served in an olive wood cup which we were able to retain as a keepsake. We prayed, sang songs and reflected as we gathered around the table to remember and thank Him for what He did for us.