Burial of Jesus - the Garden Tomb

Care of the Body of Jesus

31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath ([g]for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; 33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36 For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “Not a bone of Him shall be [h]broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”

Cade and Chelsea examining a sword from the time period.  This was in a hands on village set up in the town of Nazareth - highly recommended for Christians to visit.

 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a [i]mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred [j]poundsweight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 

Some believe this is the actual stone that Jesus' body was prepared for burial.  People rub various items on it, I suspect, in an effort to be close to Jesus.

Carey and Chelsea touched it while Logan looked on.

41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

As with the crucifixion site, there are at least 2 sites where it is believed He may have been buried.  The one below is called the Garden Tomb was only recently opened to tourism as a possible location (and in fact refers to why this area could actually be Golgotha also -- the place of the crucifixion).  For more details as to why this "may be" the site, visit this link.

Skull Hill - though there has been some erosion, you can see a skull in the rock.  Some of the older pictures show this more clearly.

You can click on the picture to see what this tomb looks like.  This is not a mock up -- it is an actual tomb.  It is unknown if this is the tomb that Jesus was actually buried in.

You can see the groove that the stone would be rolled in to cover the opening.

Here is a stone similar to what was used to cover this tomb's entry.

The Garden Tomb

Good Friday - what's good about it?

Following his arrest, Jesus was put on trial and ultimately was sentenced to death, though Pilate found no fault worthy of death.  

John 19:16-42

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Crucifixion

16 So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified.
17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, [a]bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in [b]Hebrew, Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in [c]Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews’; but that He said, ‘I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

As with many things in Israel, there is not a consensus exactly where the crucifixion of Christ happened.  And, of course, now even the locations where they believe it may have occurred look nothing at all like what it would have looked like 2000 years ago.  

In this location, multiple religions "share" the site and each goes by cleansing the area after the other religious leaders have been by cleansing it themselves.

Rock formation where it is known that crosses were placed for crucifixion - a relatively common death penalty during the time.  This is the same area that the lady in the picture above is kneeling and praying.

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the [d]tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven [e]in one piece. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be”; this was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast [f]lots.” 25 Therefore the soldiers did these things.

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

So why do Christians call this "Good Friday"?  After all, the man we call Savior wasn't able to save Himself -- He was killed.  The Bible is clear -- Jesus, in an act of submission to His Father, allowed Himself to be killed -- as part of God's plan for our salvation.

John 19:11

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority [a]over Me, unless it had been given you from above; 

Oh and one more thing...the story's not over yet.  Sunday's a coming!

Garden of Gethsemane

Following the riding of the colt into Jerusalem, Jesus shared what many call "The Last Supper" with his disciples.  He knew this was the last meal He would share with them and took the opportunity to give him 2 ways to remember Him -- this is why we celebrate Communion or the Lord's Supper at church.  We did visit the "Last Supper" Upper Room, but aside from some columns and stained glass, it wasn't too awe inspiring. And, it is one of those places that is named the "Last Supper Room" by tradition, but no one knows if it happened exactly there or not. So, no pics of that. 

As you can imagine, since Jesus knew His time was drawing to a close, He was greatly troubled.  He needed to pray.  This leads us to our post today about the Garden of Gethsemane.

One thing that we really enjoyed about our tour guide (Ofir Horn - highly recommended especially for those with young children - he was very flexible to accommodate the challenges of touring with 3 children ages 1-7) is that He gave us time to read the Scriptures wherever we went.  Below is a picture of Chelsea reading a portion of the Bible to us.  Reading the passage as we were sitting in the Garden was so powerful.   

Luke 22:39-53

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Garden of Gethsemane

39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 

Modern day view of the Garden of Gethsemane

42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43 [a]Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 

There is a church built at most holy sites now. Here in Gethsemane, the church is called the Basilica of Agony.  This church has a large stone that they say "could have been a rock that Jesus was praying on".  Of course, it likely isn't, but it gives us another visual we can use as we imagine his sweat pouring as drops of blood.

45 When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46 and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Jesus Betrayed by Judas

47 While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him,“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus answered and said, “[b]Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber? 53 While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but [c]this hour and the power of darkness are yours

Lone olive on a tree in the garden

Olive trees

The word Gethsemane means "oil press".  During biblical times, olives were pressed 3 times.  The first press was given to the church.  The second press was for cooking oil and the 3rd press is used for soap/light. So fitting that this is where Jesus, under such pressure, prayed for deliverance! 


  

Holy Week - the King Enters Jerusalem

Back in November, we had the privilege of visiting Israel.  We toured 5 days with a private guide and learned so much.  Unfortunately, we have been very slow with blogging, but this week seems the perfect time to share some of the photos.  Our hope is that it blesses you as much as it blessed us.

We'll be basing this week's posts on a Holy Week timeline published at BibleGateway (also the source for the Scripture posts below).

Luke 19:28-44

Triumphal Entry

28 After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the [a]mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 
31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its [b]owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. 37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God[c]joyfully with a loud voice for all the [d]miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting:

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

A donkey working an olive press

Walking down from the Mt of Olives

View of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives - so amazing to walk where Jesus walked

Gates of Jerusalem

39 Some of the Pharisees [e]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

41 When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you [f]when your enemies will throw up a[g]barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”

We love knowing that our Lord and Savior weeps over his people.  We are humbled to know that He is so deserving of praise that He can command the stones to cry out if we do not.  

In this same spot where it is believed Jesus rode the colt and donkey into Jerusalem, there is now a very large cemetery with over 150,000 people buried there. They are hoping for the front row seat of Zechariah 14:4 - 

4 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

What great news to celebrate this week - He is alive and He will come again!

Conversation with Abraham and Isaac

As New Year's Day approaches, many of us kick off New Year's resolutions.  I've been considering resuming a Read the Bible through in a year-type plan.  YouVersion offers many to choose from.  I've used them before and enjoyed it (it can synch to various mobile devices also so you always have your reading plan and text with you).  As I pulled it up this morning to do some reading, I saw one of my notes from a previous time.  I wanted to share it as it still hits home for me.

Read Genesis 22:1-13.
Here are my thoughts from that passage.  I hope it is meaningful for you also as you begin 2012.

Abraham had to journey 3 days, knowing he would be sacrificing his son. At least 3 restless night's sleep as he thought about sacrificing his son. I can't imagine hearing God so clearly that I would be confident that is what He asked me to do.
Worse -- tieing up his son, and laying him on the alter, raising his knife, and finally being stopped. I can't imagine looking at my son's eyes as he tried to understand what I was doing to him.

I wonder if Isaac heard the angel of the Lord stop Abraham. I wonder what the conversation was like between dad and son on the journey home. I wonder what the servants thought as they listened in to that conversation.

I wonder what God, the Father, thought all those days, nights, and years as he knew what His ultimate plan was for His son. I wonder what it was like watching as they nailed him to the cross. I wonder what it was like as God knew that His angel wouldn't be commanding the soldiers to stop the crucifixion.

 I wonder what it would be like if I was talking to Jesus as I sin -- and explaining to him that it is because of my actions that he had to die. I wonder if I would be able to understand that my sin = Abraham tieing up Isaac...I tied Jesus to the cross.

The beauty is -- I didn't have to tie him there. He went willingly and lovingly.
I wonder what it's like to feel His arms wrapped around me, knowing that He loves me.....Nevermind, I know.

Merry Christmas!

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!  Our prayer is that each of you will find joy in the Lord this Christmas and throughout the year.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Really Really Big Christmas Show!

We were excited that our time in Houston corresponded to the Really Really Big Christmas Show at Second Baptist. It is indeed a really big show and we all loved it!

Happy Hungary-versary!

One year ago, we woke up to our first morning in Budapest. It was rainy and cold, and we had to find our way to the location of house number one to begin filming House Hunters. We didn't know how addresses worked here (zip code and city are listed first), so the address we plugged into the GPS was actually a city, not a street. There was traffic, we were late, we were lost. Ugh. Eventually, we found where we were supposed to be. We had a long day of filming and thus began our life in Budapest.

Now a year has passed! So hard to believe. How different our life is today from that first day!  We still can't really speak the language (and sometimes make really unfortunate mistakes....as will come in another post) and there are moments that are super frustrating.  But, now they are just that - moments. Not days and weeks as it was in the beginning.

We are thankful for the ways God has opened our eyes to the world that is out here. We are thankful for the ways he has challenged us to reevaluate our American worldview. We are thankful for the ways He has protected us here and provided for us in every situation.  We are thankful for new friends. We are thankful that, though life in Hungary is different, it is now normal.  It is home.

Athens

 

After Dubrovnik and a day at sea, we visited the amazing city of Athens.  We had booked a private tour with another family - something I would highly recommend! It was cheaper than the cruise tour, and we were able to tailor it to our desires. We had a minivan pick us up at the port, and we headed straight to the Acropolis. Our tour guide gave us lots of history and information along the way. He let us out at the base of the Acropolis, pointing out Mars Hill where Paul preached in Acts 17. From there, we headed up to the Parthenon.  We were with another family with small children, so that helped motivate Chelsea to climb up on her own. Larry was the pack mule for Cade, and we all trekked up the hill. 

A pose from the top...this beauty is full of poses!

After our time at the Acropolis, we traveled to the Temple of Zeus. There, the kids thoroughly enjoyed the dirt. Some old dirt, I am sure. They poured it on each other's heads until Chelsea's hair was grey and Cade's white shirt matched his brown shorts. Whatever keeps them happy!!

Beautiful view overlooking the city 

Throughout the day, we visited the Olympic Stadium, Prime Minister's residence, saw the changing of the guard, ate at a Greek restaurant, and wandered the Plaka.  By then, the kids were tired and so were we. We finished the day with...guess what?  Gelato and happy kids!  It was a great day in Greece!

Dubrovnik

 The first stop on our cruise was Dubrovnik, Croatia. The harbor was gorgeous!

Dubrovnik was originally a walled city and a highlight is to walk the walls. The walls are fairly high and go about 2 km around the city. It is a beautiful view from the top. They are not for the faint hearted, however! We were there in the afternoon, and it was quite hot. We each had a child on our back. There were about a zillion stairs up and then up some more, then down a little and back up again. In some places, the ledges were not very high.  We stopped to take a picture, and Larry had Chelsea on his back. He told her not to move for fear he would lose his balance and tumble over the side. Yikes! After we had gone halfway around, we came to an exit point and we decided that was plenty for us.

 The view from the top - it was amazing to see all the houses just crammed together within the walls. Walking the walls, I thought about the story of Joshua and Jericho and the walls falling down. Walking on the walls of Dubrovnik allowed a unique opportunity to give Chelsea a visual of what those walls may have been like. So fun to have those teachable moments!

 After we climbed down, we were so hot. The kids had been riding in kid backpacks and they were drenched in sweat. As is the norm, we had a gelato stop on the way back to the ship. This is how we keep our kids happy in Europe. As you can tell, these were big cones. Little man loves his ice cream and savored this one until the cone turned to mush and ice cream was falling out the bottom.  He didn't mind though - he just kept on eating. Entire tour groups stopped to take pictures of him, and we gathered quite the audience standing there watching him eat his ice cream. Who can resist that face?

Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails....

...that's what little boys are made of.

Okay, so we don't have frogs or a puppy, but we have a little boy and we have snails! Cade is all boy now and loves to be "side!" as he calls outside. It has been raining and raining and raining in Budapest. I think it has rained at some point every day of the two and half weeks that we have been back. The rain brings out the snails. Budapest has snails like I have never seen. They are all different colors and giant. One day, we found one the size of a golf ball. No exaggeration. I felt like I should take it to the zoo or something! Anyway, a snail hunt is a good post rain activity, and not just for the boy! You can be decked out in pink and hunt for snails, you know!

        Big sis leads the way                                                

                                                                            Success!

                            Cade has a good eye for snails...he gets so excited and yells, "nail, nail!"

                              A few of the friends in our bucket....we ended up with about 20.
When they were finished, Chelsea took them out one by one and placed them back into the bushes.

Snails don't gross me out and I was fine with them being collected. But, we also stumbled upon these guys in the yard.  Today was the first day I have seen them....what are they? Slugs? They were everywhere..seriously gave me the heebie jeebies! They are gross!!!

I love having a yard (or garden as Europeans refer to it) for the kids to play in. We have so many plants and trees and bushes and little creatures. It is a great way to talk with the kids about all the things that God made, and that He said they were all good.  Even the slugs!