You’d think since my trip was during the Christmas season, the first stop at the beginning my visit would have been Bethlehem, but it wasn’t. We chose to start with the end at the beginning…the tombs. Perhaps because the end was actually the beginning of the Christian faith. Death promised life. Scourging promised healing and shame promised glory. And the tomb was the transition point between each one of those, and many other, biblical promises. For those of my readers that are not of the Christian variety, I promise, my intent is not to proselytize but do indulge me. Jesus spent 3 days in a tomb. He entered the tomb in a state of complete and utter destruction on every possible level “even unto death” and after the burial protocol was finished and the stone was place over the entrance of the tomb, he was alone. In the dark. And it was in that place of silence that transformation began. I don’t pretend to know how his molecular structure reformed. Maybe it was something like the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. I don’t pretend to understand the nuances of the chasm he crossed beyond the physical realm that bridged death to life, but I personally believe it is so.
And because I’ve found that God moves in the metaphoric, it’s worth letting this sink in a bit…your pain, your embarrassments and shame, your greatest disappointments or dark loneliness may very well be the precursor to your greatest days. Days when the fullest expression of who you really are is realized and visible to those around you. Oh sure, you’ll have holes in your hands, but the light will shine through the scars. It’s with this paradigm that we visited the two tombs that are identified as the potential places of Jesus’ burial. The Church of the Holy Seplicur and the Garden Tomb.
Both sites have legend based relevance but the archeological community leans towards the Church. The Church of the Holy Seplicur was built with the Emperor Constantine’s money in the early 300s A.D. but was actually motivated by his mother, Helena. Helena was on a mission to find the burial site and researched it diligently identifying this spot. The original church was destroyed in 600 A.D. and rebuilt shortly thereafter with reconstruction in the 11th century that gives it the Byzantine design. It’s a beautiful church with stations of the cross and a “touching” spot where it’s said Jesus laid to rest. It’s busy. Very, very busy. And while I’m grateful for the investment in maintaining this spot, it feels touristy.
The Garden Tomb feels very different. Yes, it’s a garden designed to support the pilgrims in their quest to experience the site, but the vibe is altogether different. This tomb is ajacent the location known as Golgotha or the Place of the Skull and was at one time a vineyard and wine press. I love that. As I walked through the garden and sat “in the press”, I had to chuckle, “I’d choose a vineyard too”! Seriously though, the energy of this spot evokes prayer and reflection. It was hard to leave.
If I where to go on my instincts alone, without hesitation I’d guess the Garden was where the body of Jesus transformed and left a little residual of his essence behind.
Beautiful. And
I felt the same way about the Garden tomb when I was there.