We visited the Garden Tomb, which is thought to be the place Yeshua (Jesus) was buried, and resurrected. Comparing this site to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, I believe this is the place. This site is outside the wall that surrounds Jerusalem. The Bible records that he was crucified in a place called The Skull, which is nearby. You can read a good article about why this may, indeed be the place HERE. The quote below is from that article:
I feel, for myself, convinced that the Hill near the Damascus Gate is Golgotha. ... From it, you can see the Temple, the Mount of Olives and the bulk of Jerusalem. His stretched out arms would, as it were, embrace it: "all day long have I stretched out my arms" [cf. Isaiah 65:2]. Close to it is the slaughter-house of Jerusalem; quite pools of blood are lying there. It is covered with tombs of Muslim; There are many rock-hewn caves; and gardens surround it. Now, the place of execution in our Lord's time must have been, and continued to be, an unclean place ... so, to me, this hill is left bare ever since it was first used as a place of execution. ... It is very nice to see it so plain and simple, instead of having a huge church built on it.
—Charles George Gordon, Letters of General C. G. Gordon to his Sister M. A. Gordon(London: Macmillan 1888), pp. 289-290
The garden is beautiful and peaceful. Since I had been here before and had heard the information shared by the tour guide, I took time to sit still by myself and reflect on the death, burial and resurrection. I thanked Adonai for His perfect solution to the sin problem. No more blood of animals. Yeshua died once - for all sin. What a gift. My heart was lifted in praise as I sat in this place. I also reflected on my gratitude for the gift of two trips to this amazing country.
Times of stillness and quietness are vital to my spirit. I had little of such time while on my trips to Israel. Guided tours are packed full since there is so much to see and do. I hope to visit again one day, but on that trip, I would love to take a month and visit the sites at a slower pace so I'd have time to be still and reflect at each one.
Below are some pictures of the beauty of this place. I pray you will be still, and praise Him for the empty tomb and for His payment for our sins.
 |
| Me at the entrance. The trough is where the stone was rolled away. |
 |
| This is where His body was laid |
 |
| Shelby at the entrance |
Thank you so much for sharing these photos. It is amazing to see the very places our Lord walked. The one with the reminder to pray for the peace of Jerusalem was such a powerful reminder to do just that. I am so glad I stopped here from Spiritual Sundays. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and for the encouraging words.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
GiGi