Friday, June 24, 2011

Garden Tomb & Golgotha


There are a lot of places in Jerusalem that have to do with the life of Christ. Sometimes it is hard because when you go to a place where Jesus had walked or performed a miracle you expect to feel the spirit really strong. But they have done so many things to these places, like built a mosque or synagogue over the top or adorned it with Gold and statues, that it kind of loses it's Spirit. You have to find the Spirit inside yourself and search to find meaning or ponder about what really happened there.

But, the Garden Tomb is not like all those other places. There is a really special spirit in this little place. First of all, it is owned by English Christians who really believe in Christ and it is kept up very well. The gardens around it are beautiful and there is a lot of room around to sit and ponder or sing hymns. The tour that we were given was by a man from England. At the end of the tour while we were sitting right outside what they predict is the tomb that Christ was in, he bore the strongest testimony of Christ and how life is better when we accept his assistance. He also bore witness that Christ was resurrected and that he lives today. I loved the spirit he brought to the tour.

This place is one of my favorite places in all of Jerusalem. I feel so comfortable and it is fun to do on a Sabbath afternoon. What a Sabbath outing, huh?

This is Golgotha. They think it is golgotha because it means skeleton. And there is a skeleton face in the rock cliff. Can you see it? Sadly, it has now been turned into a bus station. But Golgotha is right next to the Garden Tomb. Golgotha is also on a major highway that was present when Christ lived, so they figured also that that would make sense because they always crucified people on very busy streets so everyone would see the consequences of bad decisions. It is so sad to think about.

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