The Garden Tomb

I call this place "The Jewel of Jerusalem" because I've found it to be the most beautiful, peaceful place in the entire city. (plus it's free, which is a hard thing to find around here) It's real name however is The Garden Tomb because many believe it could be the garden of Joseph of Arimathaea in which Jesus was buried after his crucifixion. Let me give you a little tour.....

This beautifully maintained garden is well marked along the paths. Our first stop will be "Skull Hill"

*This area was part of an ancient stone quarry. According to tradition, the quarry was used by the Jews as a place of execution by stoning and by the Romans as a crucifixion site. Crucifixions were usually carried out by busy roads as a visual deterrent to other potential rebels. This would have been just such a place with main roads to Damascus and Jericho.

"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:" John 19:17
(or Calvary from the Latin, as seen in Luke 23:33)

Of course, there is no way for us to be sure where the actual crucifixion took place.... and it doesn't really matter. The significance is in what happened, not where.
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness..." I Peter 2:24
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." I Peter 3:18

*The traditional site for that awesome event is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre dating back to the 4th century, the time of the Emperor Constantine. That site is now within the walls of the Old City and for over 200 years questions have been raised over its authenticity.

I've been to this disputed site of "Calvary" which is located within a Greek Orthodox church. Honestly, it made me physically ill to see it. It is so gaudy, and the multitudes of people scrambling to touch it and kiss it breaks my heart to see. I wasn't able to get a good picture because there were so many people in the way; that's why you can only see the top portion. There is another portion on the floor that is a rock, said to be where Jesus' cross was placed, that is enclosed in glass.
I included that picture for cross-reference to "Skull Hill" (the picture below). It is interesting to see the features of a human skull in the rock face. Do you see it?



After Jesus had died, the Scripture tells us, "Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid." John 19:41

*The tomb was unearthed in 1867. Unfortunately its entrance had been damaged, possibly by an earthquake, and later repaired with stone blocks. It's remarkable that all the features mentioned in the Bible's account of the tomb of Jesus can be seen here:
--it is cut out of the solid rock and was not a natural cave. (Matt. 27:60)
--it was sealed by a large rolling stone, as indicated by the channel outside the front wall. (Matt. 27:60)
--there would have been space for several mourners to stand inside the large weeping chamber (Luke 24:1-3, 10)
--the burial place is on the right side of the tomb (Mark 16:5)
--the burial place would have been visible from the outside (John 20:5)

This is the view of the tomb from the outside:

Here's the plan of the tomb, to help put the pieces together in your mind:
Here is the burial place, on the right side of the tomb. If you look at the "plan", this will be numbers 5 and 6.
The rest of the tomb looks pretty much just like this; especially in photographs, so I'm not going to post more.... except for this one. This view is from standing inside the weeping chamber, looking outside:
Hallelujah!!

The garden itself is very lovely. There is evidence that it was a working garden in the time of Christ, possibly an olive grove, orchard or vineyard. Even on a hot day it is very lovely here with the shade provided by its greenery. There are little paths leading to secluded areas with benches for visitors (like me) to sit and pray and rest. This is where I sat for quite some time, enjoying my time alone with the Lord and reading His Word.
The birds also enjoy this little haven in the heart of the bustling city. But their's is not the only singing you will be blessed to hear. The first time we visited, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this choir. I was a little slow on the draw, so the song begins in an awkward place. Plus, I hadn't taken a video with my camera before and I wasn't sure how it would turn out. For that reason I only recorded the first verse. I'm kicking myself now, as I would love to have more! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.




*information marked with an asterisk was copied from The Garden Tomb pamphlet.