“At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid,”  John 19:41.

 One of my favorite places to visit in Jerusalem is the Garden Tomb.  Take a walk with me as we leave a noisy street near a busy bus station and enter an oasis of green plants, fountains, flowers, gravel paths and stone steps.   It’s a place of tranquility and beauty inside the city limits.  Many people believe this is the spot where Jesus laid in the tomb after His crucifixion.  It’s a place where Protestant Christians go to sit and contemplate the death and resurrection of their Savior.  This garden fits the description of John’s account of “a garden and in the garden a new tomb.”  As we sit and take in our surroundings, we hear other “pilgrims” singing praise and worship songs as they celebrate Communion with other members of their tour group.  Even with tourists walking through, there is an atmosphere of quietness and respect.  A special peace prevails as we sit and take in all the garden has to offer.

The Garden Tomb contains one of the oldest and largest cisterns in Jerusalem.  It’s 2,000 years old and holds about 200,000 gallons of water.  It would be more than adequate to water a garden and keep the flowers blooming in the dry Middle Eastern climate.

Jesus was crucified outside the city walls at a place called Golgotha.  In the nearby area was a garden that belonged to a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea.  In one area of the garden, we can look over and see a place that looks very similar to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull.  We see a jagged rock where eyes and a nose are clearly visible.  John’s account says the tomb was nearby where Jesus was laid. 

No one can say for sure that this is the actual tomb where Jesus was placed, but it does fit the description.  It’s a good visual of a rich man’s garden tomb from the time of Jesus, carved out of solid rock.  Let’s take a peek inside, what do we see?  We touch the walls and wonder if this is the very spot where Jesus laid and the angels declared to Mary, “He is not here, He is risen!”  There are two small rooms, one has a stone slab where a body could lay, and the other is for those anointing the body.  It is a HOLY moment!

The important thing to remember is that the tomb is empty!!  The grave could not hold Him!  We serve a living Savior who overcame death and is now living to make intercession for us to the Father.  We serve a Savior who rose victorious from the grave!!   None other of the world’s religions can say that!  Easter weekend was the weekend that changed the world forever!  It’s central to the Christian faith!  “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins, 1 Corinthians 15:17.  There is no better spot in Jerusalem to contemplate the main truths of Christianity:  the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ!

As we walk out and close the gate on this peaceful place, we can’t help but shout, “Hallelujah!  What a Savior!”

Your friend, Jean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pastor Terry