Day 12 - Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Garden Tomb

It is finished.

Our last day in Israel started with a devotion led by Terry. As we’ve learned throughout our time here, God used people throughout the ages to bring His plans to fruition. He chose them, infused them with the Holy Spirit, and gave them a task. Terry reminded us that like our spiritual ancestors, God also chose each of us. God put us here for a reason. He has gifted each of us according to the purpose He has for us. Every circle we have, be it our family, our friends, our career, is a powerful gift to be used for Christ. How will we respond?

CHURCH of the HOLY SEPULCHRE

On this dreary morning, our first stop of the day was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of the crucifixion and resurrection. The current church, dating back to the 4th century, is in the Christian quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Within the church, are the last four stations of the cross of the Via Dolorosa. Today the church property is shared among several Christian denominations, the three major denominations represented being the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic. Each representation is easily denoted throughout the church in the various styles and decorations, some more lavish than others.

We were most fortunate on this visit to be among the first to enter the site, which was relatively empty compared to how crowded it normally is. Our entire group was able to enter the innermost sanctum, the small building that encases the traditional site of Jesus’ tomb. We then went upstairs and not only witnessed the beautiful, ornate mosaics and frescos, but also the site thought to be where Jesus’ cross stood during his crucifixion. There is a hole in the floor where you can reach down and touch the rock where the cross was believed to stand. According to tradition dating back to the early church, the site of cross was on an outcropping of limestone that had never been quarried because it cracked. As the surrounding limestone was quarried to build parts of Jerusalem, this piece of rock remained raised above the surrounding ground. There are small chapels within the church that mark the locations where Mary and Mary Magdeline supposedly stood and watched the crucifixion. The chapel marking the spot where Mary stood contains the Holy Fire. I recommend running an internet search for the festival of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to see images of the festival, which is hauntingly beautiful. This year’s festival had taken place just before our trip began. The church building itself was incredible and the art within was simply indescribable. Pictures do not do it justice.

THE GARDEN TOMB

We then traveled to the garden tomb, another place thought to be the site of the crucifixion and resurrection due to descriptions consistent with Golgotha, the “place of the skull”, referenced in the Bible. In the time of Jesus, crucifixions were performed at street level and every cross bore an inscription as a lesson and warning for the people. Jesus’ cross bore the mocking inscription “King of the Jews.” Tombs and a garden dating to the first century are also located in this area, making it another possible location for the crucifixion and resurrection. It was grey and drizzling this morning, but as we approached the tomb, the sun broke through. Everyone in the group was able to go inside the empty tomb dating to the first century, a possible  location of Jesus’ burial.

The last lesson of the trip occurred in a cistern chapel. Here, Terry took us back thousands of years to the time when God made His covenant with Abraham. God instructed Abraham to get a heifer, a ram, a goat, a pigeon, and a young dove. He cut them in two from nose to tail and laid them with half of each animal on either side of the trough. Back then, when two kings made a covenant, they would sacrifice animals in this same way and the stronger of the two kings would walk between the animals first, as if to say that if he did not hold up his end of the covenant that he could be sacrificed like the very animals he stepped between.

God made the covenant with Abraham, promising to make him into a great nation. In the Bible it says that Abraham sat to wait and a deep darkness came over him. Abraham knew that God would keep His promise and hold up His end of the bargain, but Abraham worried if his people would keep their part; would his descendants be faithful and trust God?

Terry took us through the history of the Israelites…from being brought out of slavery in Egypt, to their time in the desert and how their faith in God grew throughout this time, to the birth of Jesus and His ministry…right up until Palm Sunday. As outlined in Exodus 12, the 10th day of the first month of the year was lamb selection day, the day the Jewish families would each choose an unblemished lamb to sacrifice. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, we sense that God selected His lamb that day.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29

Jesus was God’s Passover lamb. And at the Passover meal that week, Jesus broke the normal seder tradition by introducing communion to the disciples…

Matthew 26:26-28

‘Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” ’

Drinking from the same cup was a tradition in marriage ceremonies. The groom would drink from the cup and then the same cup would be offered to the bride. She could chose to drink from the same cup, signifying that she would enter into the marriage covenant, or she could pass the cup and forgo the marriage. We then see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane praying, “let this cup pass from me.” Jesus knew if He drank from the cup He would have to die…brutally, obediently. And He did, for you and for me. As he hung on the cross, a deep and terrible darkness came over the land, echoing the darkness shrouding Abraham at the beginning of this covenant. When Jesus said, “It is finished” and gave up His spirit (John 19:30), the debt owed on the covenant was paid in full. 

We then took communion together in the chapel, just steps from the empty tomb. Giving thanks and eating of the bread, His body, and drinking from the cup, His blood poured out for us, we remembered His sacrifice. Jesus knowingly, lovingly drank from the cup. He did not let it pass Him by. He chose us. Will we drink from the cup and commit our lives to Him?

This was a beautiful end to one amazing trip. We learned so much on this journey and look forward to what God has in store for us as we return home. I pray that we do not leave Jesus in Jerusalem, that we carry Him with us daily and use the stories learned from our trip to share what He has done with those God places in our path. May it all be for His glory and honor and praise.

Thank you for following along with us and for your prayers.